Exiles of Hope

Chapter One

This copy of Exiles of Hope is copyrighted by Anthony G Bollback

and is not to be copied, reproduced, re-transmitted, sold, or re-printed except with the express permission of the Author.

Startled, Sister Sung awakened from a sound sleep, aware that God had spoken to her in a vivid dream. The Bible Woman of the Taiping Church was not accustomed to such dreams, but she knew instinctively that God was communicating something special to her.

In the dream she had seen three young women working in a rice field. As she watched, they gathered in a huddle and bowed their heads, as if in prayer. Then she seemed to hear a voice from heaven speaking to her saying: “As soon as it is daylight, go to the north end of the commune farm, and there you will find three women. As you approach them, sing ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers.’”

            She pondered the meaning of this dream and thought for a moment. It would be very foolish in times like these to walk along the road singing a Christian song. These are very dangerous times to be singing aloud in broad daylight!

“My child,” the Lord continued speaking quietly to her heart, “those three women need the comfort of My Word. Now go, and I will be with you.”

“Lord Jesus, she responded, “even the rocks seem to have ears these days, but if You send me on this errand, I will do as You say.”

Sleep eluded her for the rest of the night as she lay on her bed, praying for strength to carry out this unusual task. As dawn broke in the eastern sky, she arose and continued praying for God to lead her.

“What am I to do other than sing?” she prayed as she dressed to leave. A thought flashed through her mind. “You will know what to do when you get there.”

Cautiously opening the door of her small apartment, she looked in both directions before stepping out. Tiptoeing down the hall, she made her way to the street, furtively glancing in all directions. One could never be sure who was watching. Someone was always ready to report any strange actions to the Communist Party representative of the area. After all, everyone was hungry these days, and rations were small. Useful reports to the authorities often brought extra rations, especially if they involved Christians. Desperate people stoop to anything for a morsel of food.

        The town was just beginning to stir and only a few hawkers were around, calling out their breakfast treats for early-risers. She moved along quietly, assured that she was following her Lord’s command. Reaching the north end of town, she proceeded along the edge of the rice field until she saw three women already at work in the field. They huddled together for a few moments, just as in her dream.

        “Those are the women I am sending you to,” she heard the Voice in her heart say. “Sing as you approach them.”

         She looked around once again. No one was in the area except the three women. Softly she began to sing as she approached them:

            Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,

            With the cross of Jesus going on before.

            Christ, the Royal Master, leads against the foe.

            Forward into battle, see His banners go!

        In the quietness of the morning, her song floated over the field. The three women were working in a huge commune field planting rice shoots, one after the other in orderly fashion. It was backbreaking work that would one day blossom into full heads of rice and a rich harvest, but it was no easy task for city girls unaccustomed to such labor.

Meiling’s heart was heavy as she thought of the sad news her mother had sent in the annual letter permitted. The sad news was that her mother had been further humiliated by the authorities and ordered to become a street sweeper in Puyang! With more than half of her sentence still to be completed, she wondered how her mother could survive. Hot, scalding tears dropped into the mud, watering each plant she stuck in the ground.

        “Oh, Lord,” she cried softly, “how long must we bear this pain? My poor mother! Sweeping the streets! And, my father, suffering in the dark coal mines of Datung! And Anching! Is he dead or alive? How can I bear all this sorrow?”

         It was just a few years ago that she had been the honored daughter of the most prestigious high school principal in the Puyang area. However, when the Communists had secured the area, Meiling’s father soon became the object of their scorn. Brought up for trial, he was deposed as principal and sentenced to ten years in the northern coal mines of Datung. Things soon deteriorated for Meiling, too. After being expelled from the university for being the daughter of a convicted felon, she found a low-level job as a nurse’s aid in the local hospital. She recalled with a shudder how the lecherous administrator had laid his lustful eyes on her and demanded that she become his mistress.

          When Meiling persisted in resisting his advances and demands, he finally determined to make a public spectacle of her. He himself would administer the public beating! His first attempt failed when he was suddenly seized with a heart attack but, after recovering, he attempted the beating again. Once again, Meiling was spared as he died suddenly in a fit of rage. The new administrator and staff became fearful that somehow the man’s death would come back to haunt them if Meiling remained on the job. They solved their problem by having her sent to a commune for five years of “reeducation.” Life had turned sour at every turn for her. Now, on this day, she wept bitter tears of pain and discouragement.  

It was at that moment that Sister Sung’s song floated gently through the air. Meiling paused and looked around.

        Singing! Someone is singing! What is there to sing about, she thought. Then it struck her: I know that tune. Why that’s “Onward, Christian Soldiers!” I haven’t heard that hymn since I arrived at this commune! Who dares to sing that hymn out here?

Following the sound, she noticed an elderly woman, stooped with age, slowly moving toward her. The words of the song were becoming clearer now. Her heart warmed to the words of victory:

            At the sign of triumph Satan’s host doth flee,

            On, then, Christian soldiers! On to victory!

            Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise,

            Christians, lift your voices. Loud your anthems raise!

        The elderly woman was moving slowly toward them, looking boldly at the three who stopped and stared. Then, with a surge of joy flooding her heart, Meiling dropped her plants and rushed to the woman.

“Sister, sister,” she bubbled, excitedly. “You are a sister in the Lord! I know that song. I too am a believer.”

The two women embraced as the tears coursed down Meiling’s face.

“I was weeping tears of pain a few moments ago,” she admitted, as she dried her tears on her sleeve, “and I asked my Lord how much longer must I endure this pain? Then I heard your voice. Oh, sister, thank you for that song in the night! But what are you doing here? It is so dangerous to sing a hymn in public?”

        “Oh, my child,” she said tenderly, still holding Meiling in her arms. “The Lord showed me in a dream that there were three women out here, and He told me to come out here singing ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers,’ because you needed to be encouraged in the Lord. So, here I am, an obedient child, just doing what He told me to do!”

        “We three are Christians,” Meiling replied happily, as the other two women joined her, “but we know of no one else who is. We are starved for the fellowship of other believers.”

        “I am Sister Sung, the Bible Woman from the Taiping Church,” the elderly woman acknowledged. “The Lord sent me here to lift your spirits and to tell you where the believers meet. It is dangerous to meet together, but we must or we will shrivel up and die.”

        “You are right,” replied Meiling, still clinging to the older woman. “I feel so dried up inside. I have been here in this commune for two years already. These two sisters have joined me in walking the pathway to heaven, but the only fellowship we have is with one another.”

        “Well, praise the Lord,” replied Sister Sung happily. “The believers will be meeting tonight at 3 a.m. in order to avoid detection. Would you like to join the gathering?”

        Without hesitation they made plans to meet two blocks south of the commune dormitory. Sister Sung moved on quickly as the girls returned to their work, but Meiling’s heart was bursting with praise. God had heard her anguished cry and filled her heart to overflowing!

******* 

        The three women crept stealthily out of their dormitory at different intervals and met at the appointed place. Sister Sung was already there, waiting expectantly.

        “Follow me as quietly as possible,” she admonished them. “We must not arouse suspicion or we will all suffer serious consequences.”

        They moved along in the shadows of the houses until they reached the designated home. Slipping quietly inside, Sister Sung introduced the three women to the people gathered for worship and explained how God had spoken to her in a dream. In the dim light, the faces of the ten people gathered could hardly be distinguished, but there was no mistaking the sincere words of welcome whispered around the circle. Joy swept over the three women as they listened to an unfamiliar but marvelous hymn of praise the people sang softly in little more than a whisper.

        For Meiling’s two young converts, this was the first time they had ever met with a group of Christians. Meiling’s heart was flooded with precious memories of the days when she and Anching had worshipped in the Puyang Church and listened to Pastor Yang’s inspiring messages.

        Oh, how long ago that was! she thought. Oh, how much sorrow we have suffered. How long, dear Jesus? How long must this go on?

        Sister Sung led the service and encouraged the believers as she explained a passage from the Bible. Meiling sensed the holy presence of God as the group sat huddled together, whispering their songs of praise and listening intently to the message of hope.

        “Our dear pastor,” said Sister Sung, “has not been heard from since he was arrested three months ago. We must uphold him and his family in prayer during this time of testing. Be strong in the Lord, dear brothers and sisters. He is Victor. Satan cannot overcome God’s people, nor wipe out His church. Some day this awful night will be ended. Let us be faithful in the darkness and let our lights shine forth for our wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

        By 4 a.m. the believers began to quietly leave, one or two at a time, in order to avoid detection. Meiling and her companions walked quickly back to their barracks, making certain to stay well hidden in the shadows of the buildings. Suddenly a vehicle turned a corner, bathing the street in headlight glare.

        “Quick! Into the alley! Lie down among the rubbish and don’t move,” whispered Meiling urgently, as she shoved her friends to the ground. The police patrol slowly approached, as the officers searched the area. The car stopped at the alley entrance, and a policeman pointed his light into the shadows.

        “It’s OK,” he said as he played his light up the alley and over the heaps of rubbish. “Nothing but garbage.”

        The car moved on as the trembling girls lay still for a few more moments.

        “That was a close one,” whispered Meiling with relief.

        “We’re not back in our rooms yet,” reminded one of the girls. “I’m not sure I want to do this very often.”

        They reached their rooms unnoticed, exhilarated by the worship but terrified at the terrible price they would have had to pay if they had been discovered.

        The words of Psalm 91 flashed into Meiling’s mind as she lay trembling in her bed: “A thousand shall fall at your side, but it will not come near you” (Psalm 91:7).

         “Thank you, precious Jesus,” she breathed as she closed her eyes in sleep. “Those few minutes of fellowship with other believers were worth it all!”

This copy of Exiles of Hope is copyrighted by Anthony G Bollback

and is not to be copied, reproduced, re-transmitted, sold, or re-printed except with the express permission of the Author.