at my court hearing the judge said,
yun, i'm sick of you.
for many years you've opposed our government and turned our society upside down.
you've escaped from custody on numerous occasions.
this time you jumped out of the window and fractured your legs.
tell me yun, if you have the opportunity to escape again, will you take it?
i though about it and answered truthfully,
judge, that is a good question.
i don't want to lie to you.
if i have an opportunity, i will try to escape.
i'm called to preach the Good News all over china, and i must do all i can to obey the call God has placed on my life.
the judge, court officials and guards were all furious at my answer. the judge snarled,
how dare you, you delinquent! i'm going to break your legs permanently so you'll never escape again!
i was taken to an interrogation room where several guards forced me to the floor and made me sit with my legs apart. i begged them not to beat my fractured legs, but one sinister looking man hardened his heart and pulled out his baton. to ensure i would never be able to escape, he struck my legs between my knees and feet repeatedly. he destroyed my legs until i could stand the pain no more. i lay on the ground screaming like a wounded animal. excruciating pain surged through my body and mind. ALL I COULD DO IS TRY TO FOCUS MY THOUGHTS ON THE LORD JESUS AND HIS SUFFERING ON THE CROSS.
i thought i was surely going to die but THE LORD SUSTAINED ME BECAUSE HE WASN'T FINISHED WITH ME. my legs below my knees turned completely black and there was no feeling in them at all. my entire body ached and was bruised from head to toe.
when my torturers carried me back to my cell, however, i wanted to show them defiantly that they could never break my spirit, so i laughed and told them, i want to thank you for the wonderful massage you gave me today. i feel much better. thank you!
after my cout hearing i was transferred, along with the other brothers, to the zhegzhou number one maximum security prison. i was placed in solitary confinement. my call was near the duty officer's room, and hared a wall with brother xu's call. the guards thought i'd lost my mind and gave me two nicknames, 'crazy' and 'cripple'.
at the start, i was beaten and questioned non-stop from eight oclock in the morning until the evening of the next day. the interrogators took shifts so that they could keep up the pressure on me and beat me thoughout the night. i wasn't given any food or water the whole time.
WHENEVE THE GUARDS BEAT ME I REPEATEDLY SHOUTED,
JESUS, SAVE ME!
HELP ME, LORD JESUS!
this was the only way i knew to distance my thoughts from the punishment and pain being inflicted upon me.
after that initial experience, we were locked inside our cells except when we were taken for interrogation every second day. despite my condition, they still regularly tortured me, hoping to break my spirit. sometimes we were driven back and forth to the dingshui police station for interrogation, at other times to the zhengzhou number nine public security headquarters, so we could 'taste two flavours' of torture. they especially beat us on our heads, hands and legs.
i had no bible with me, so
I MEDITATED ON GOD'S WORD FROM MEMORY and
PRAYED IN TEARS FOR THE CHURCHES.
I SHOUTED OUT BIBLE VERSES AT THE TOP OF MY VOICE, CLINGING TO GOD'S PROMISES
such as psalm 27.1-3
the Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall i fear?
the Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall i be afraid?
when evel men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear
though war beak out against me,
even then will i be confident.
I SANG OUT LOUDLY DAY AND NIGHT. on one occasion the on duty guard was mad at me. he asked, are you going to spend the rest of your life in here, you professional criminal?
i replied,
NO! WHEN THE LORD'S TIME HAS ARRIVED I'LL BE RELEASED IMMEDIATELY.
at least on the outside i acted courageously and boldly, but inwardly i was grieving and in great pain. during one interrogation the officers told me i would either be sentenced to life in prison or if my attitude improved, i might receive a ten to fifteen year sentence.
faced with such a dim future, i grumbled and complained to the Lord, and even accused Him,
o God, i just want to serve You and spread Your gospel, but now i'm stuck here in this cell and cannot even walk. Your weak and failed to protect me!
....as the weeks slowly passed, i became more and more depressed at my situation. it seemed as if the Lord had rejected me and left me to rot in prison forever. my legs were crippled and my spirit crushed. each night i propped my lame legs up against the wall to try to lessen the pain. my beloved wife deling was in the women's prison and i had no idea what had become of my two children.
it was the lowest point of my life.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment