Persecution of Belief: After I Was Released From Jail …
By Chen Chen Monday, December 5, 2016, Cloudy Today, I was released from jail. I’m overwhelmed with emotion. I’ve just spent four years in “hell on earth” and could still survive. This was entirely due to God’s protection and guidance. At about 3 p.m., I was brought back to my village by some local officials, including the director of the local Bureau of Justice office, an officer at the police station, the village committee secretary, and the township public security officer. They took me to the local Bureau of Justice office first and then to the police station; at the same time, they took samples of my hair, blood, and handwriting and also took fingerprints and photographs. The police officer, who took charge of me, said to me, “You must stay within the county. If you go outside, you must report to us; otherwise, we’ll arrest you if we find you leave without permission. And one more thing—you must come and report every month.” Hearing this, I was indignant, and thought: “Just because I believe in God you arrested me and gave me a four-year sentence; you deprived me of my freedom and subjected me to inhumane torture and torment. I narrowly escaped death and finally got out of jail, and you start to control and restrict my personal freedom again even before I get home. Isn’t this putting me in a jail without walls? You’re too hateful.” Monday, December 12, 2016, Sunny I’ve been back for a week. Although life at home is much better than in prison, I can’t go out to attend meetings or see the brothers and sisters because of the CCP’s restrictions. At 4 o’clock this afternoon, the head of the police station came to talk to me. He asked me, “You were imprisoned for several years. Have you realized that you were wrong in your belief?” I hesitated for a moment, and my heart was at war: “If I tell the truth, will he send me straight to jail again? No, I must break through these dark forces. No matter what, I’ll stand on God’s side and never make concessions to Satan.” Then, I replied firmly, “My belief in God is not wrong.” He gave me an icy stare and said, “Then you will be under our supervision for five years. If you behave well, we’ll relax control over you after two years.” I realized that this was Satan’s temptation. They wanted to induce me to give up my faith in order to get rid of their supervision sooner. Undoubtedly, they wanted me to deny and betray God. How sinister and cunning they are! I prayed to God silently: “O God, the CCP is crafty, and is doing its utmost to entice me to betray You. I implore You to keep my heart so that I won’t yield to them for the sake of my own interests.” Sunday, December 18, 2016, Sunny In the morning, I secured the door and read God’s words at home. Suddenly there was a pounding noise on the door. I was stunned, and hurried to hide my book of God’s words. Then, calming myself first, I opened the door. It was the township public security officer coming to talk to me. He said, “Don’t believe in God anymore. What is God anyway? If you want to believe in anything, believe in the CCP.” His words grated on my ears and I said, “It’s my freedom to believe in God. You have no right to restrict me.” He angrily said, “Then you can only believe at home. No gatherings. And you must cooperate with us: If someone comes to preach the gospel or asks you to attend meetings, call me and report it right away.” Hearing this, I felt resentful, and thought: “It’s a self-evident truth that we created beings should believe in God and worship God. You not only prevent me from believing in God, but also want to force me to report others, trying to make me become a Judas to sell out my brothers and sisters. How crafty and malicious you are. I’ll never be deceived by you.” Saturday, January 28, 2017, Foggy Today is New Year’s Day. I’m so happy that my son is coming back. It has been four years since the last time we saw each other. I decided to cook something delicious for him as part of our family reunion dinner. After lunch, I began to make preparations, humming hymns of God’s words happily. Suddenly, I heard a knock at the door. My husband opened it and found the head of the police station and three other policemen standing there. They’d come to harass us even on New Year’s Day. It was as if we were being haunted by ghosts; my good mood was spoiled. The head said to us, tongue in cheek, “We’ve come to implement the communiqué from the central government (the “family-like ethnic bonding” campaign). All people who have religious beliefs are who we should bond with. From now on, we are relatives. What plans do you have for the year ahead? If you have any difficulties in your household, just tell us.” Hearing this, I was very astonished. I thought: “We have neither money nor influence, and we have been abandoned by society because of believing in God. How come you, as a government official, care about my family and say you are our relative? There must be one of Satan’s schemes in it. I can’t let my guard down.” I kept praying to God in my heart, begging Him to protect me. Then, without our permission, they forcibly took photos of us. Before they left, they said they would come to “visit” us often in future. After they left, I thought: “How crafty the CCP is! With this excuse, they can justifiably come to our home. And I will have less freedom. Just because my husband and I believe in God, both of us were imprisoned for…