I haven't seen you in a while. Where've you been?

I've been in "jail" for the past month.

What!

Were you reported for spreading the gospel?

Nope.

Were you followed to a meeting?

Nope.

Was your phone monitored? (No.)

Oh, then were you …

No.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, so what exactly happened?

The "jail" I'm talking about is my home.

My dad kept me locked up at home.

He didn't find out you believe in God, did he?

Don't even ask.

What happened?

He found out I believe in Almighty God and he pushes me to stop every day.

He never lets up!

It's not easy believing in God when you live with a Communist Party official.

You're not kidding!

My father, secretary of political and legal affairs. (Yeah?)

In charge of religions.

Would he ever agree to me believing in God?

The Chinese Communist Party (Yes?)

says that if national cadres or their relatives believe in God,

they're fired the second it's found out!

That's right.

You'll have to believe in secret.

That day I came home after my meeting,

and I saw an angry look on his face.

What happened?

He found the book of God's word I had hid in my dresser.

It looks like she has a domestic spiritual battle coming up.

"Xiaolan, do you believe in Almighty God?

Did you just come back from a meeting?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong!

The central government issued many documents demanding that we suppress religious belief.

They want to fully eliminate house churches,

especially The Church of Almighty God,

they won't stop until they stamp it out completely!"

He is implementing the central government's guidelines at home!

"The CCP is brutal with anybody who believes in God.

If you dare believe in God in China, you must have a death wish!

I'm warning you, you better quit believing in Almighty God!"

How the CCP takes "care" of things is always worse than you'd imagine.

Your dad is right about that.

I can understand his fear of me being arrested and going to jail.

It's natural that he'd worry.

That's why I had to use reason and sentiment to change his mind.

Right, just lay out the facts and explain things to him.

I went to the kitchen to get him a cup of tea. (Yes?)

"Dad,

remember how I was so focused on myself before I started believing in God?

I spent all my time amusing myself, wasting my life away,

I was selfish and stubborn.

I caused you and Mom a lot of worry."

That's just how young people are.

"Then I believed in God and read Almighty God's words,

I understood the truth,

and saw the world's darkness and evil clearly."

That's right!

"I practice according to God's word and want to be an honest person,

with normal humanity, walking the correct path.

This was all because Almighty God saved me!"

And was his attitude better after you told him that?

My dad said, (Yes?)

"I admit you've changed since believing in God.

I know believing in God is good."

That's right.

"But the Communist Party doesn't allow belief in God!"

You'll be persecuted if you're a believer.

"Xiaolan,

you're too young,

and you don't understand the Communist Party.

They're atheist and they hate believers more than anyone.

Sometimes you go to jail, sometimes they kill you!"

And they don't even need a reason.

"If they arrest you, I won't be able to help you.

I'm forbidding you from believing for your own good!"

What did you say?

"Dad, I know everything you're telling me."

"But you still believe?"

"Dad, the world is so dark and evil today."

That's right.

"People have been corrupted so deeply.

If we don't believe in God and repent,

we'll be destroyed in the disaster."

Mankind is corrupt and needs God's salvation.

"Alright, enough. I don't believe any of that!"

A typical atheist.

"I'm a Communist Party official, they pay my salary,

and I work for them.

It's forbidden for Christians to exist in a Communist member's family!"

The CCP sure has turned your dad into a loyal party member!

Yes, they have!

And as soon as I heard my dad's words, I …

Were you wavering?

I told him exactly what I thought. (Oh?)

"Dad,

I'll listen to you in everything else,

but in the matter of belief, I have my views and position.

No matter what you say, I'll believe in God."

Her statement is clear and her position is firm.

I might have been clear, but my dad couldn't accept it.

Why not?

"I spent all that time talking, and you didn't hear any of it!"

He's angry now.

"If you don't listen to me, not only will you end up in jail,

but I'll lose my job.

You're my daughter! Do what I say!"

Communist Party officials also use their power to oppress at home,

even on their own children!

Just when he finished speaking, I heard a bang!

What was it?

He slammed the door and left.

And then I was under lock and key.

That's terrible.

No, it wasn't. (It wasn't?)

My dad and my mom put me under 24-hour surveillance!

They really feel like watching you!

One day, I had a meeting, so I told my dad …

Yes?

"Dad, I have something to do, I'm going out."

Did he let you?

Yes!

He's your father,

he doesn't wanna be too hard on you.

Oh really?

Huh?

He was very hard on me!

What happened then?

My dad, while reading the newspaper, said, (Yeah?)

"You're her mother, you go with her."

Oh! So, he made your mom become your bodyguard?

That's right!

My mom watched me during the day and stayed with me at night. (Wow!)

I didn't have any freedom at all.

Like a bird in a cage.

I couldn't go to meetings or see my brothers and sisters.

It was absolute torture! Awful!

I wanted—(Hey!)

You didn't do anything crazy, did you?

I wanted to sing.

Then sing.

That's right.

Hey, you can't just suffer. Pray to God!

Right, relying on God is the wisest thing to do.

That's right!

I prayed, and read a passage of God's word.

Well, share it with us.

Amen!

Listening to God's word gives us faith!

Exactly!

Even though I lost my church life, and couldn't see my brothers and sisters,

God was with me,

leading me and making my faith stronger. (Yes.)

I grew spiritually.

Thanks to God's guidance.

My dad could control my movements,

but he couldn't stop my heart from following God.

At home I could still read God's word and be near God.

This is the kind of witness Christians should have!

But just after I had managed to calm down,

a huge wave came along and struck me.

What huge wave?

One day, my dad wasn't at home,

and I was secretly listening to hymns of God's word.

And?

Suddenly, the door of my "jail" burst open.

What?

Oh, the door of my room.

It's your dad?

That's correct.

Oh no!

"Xiaolan, are you still singing those hymns?

There was a new policy from the central government,

they're starting a national 'One Hundred Day Battle,'

involving police and armed forces

to do a blanket search and roundup of all believers in Almighty God."

The CCP's tides of oppression of God's chosen people

come in one wave after another.

"Don't you see how bad this situation is?

The central government wants to dig out every last believer in Almighty God."

That's awful!

"Listen, you will never go to another meeting,

you're not reading The Word Appears in the Flesh anymore either!"

The CCP oppresses believers to the point that they can't even read God's word at home.

I can't tell you how furious I was!

Of course you were!

I remembered God's word, (What?)

The CCP persecutes Christians while declaring China's "religious freedom" abroad.

Nothing could be more shameless!

Seeing the CCP's true face of resistance to God

only strengthened my faith that I should follow God.

Thanks be to God!

I was determined, so I said to my dad, (Yeah?)

"Dad, you can ask me to do anything else,

but I will never give up belief in God."

That must have just made him way angrier!

That's right.

My dad stood right up and raised his hand.

To hit you? (I closed my eyes.)

Waiting to be struck.

That's what I thought too.

So, what happened?

"I'll say it one last time,

it's either God or your parents?"

What'd you say?

"Dad, I want both."

And yet you can't have it.

"You need to make a choice!"

They're making this so hard.

Exactly.

On one side the parents who raised me,

on the other the God who gave me breath and life.

It was a hard choice for me.

Then pray to God!

Right!

After I prayed, I said to my dad,

"Dad, I believe in Almighty God, and that will never change."

This is the right choice to make.

But my dad wouldn't have it.

He started slamming things around.

What was he doing?

Smashing my phone and my computer.

What?

Then picking up a lighter …

To start a fire?

To burn my book of God's words. (This …)

Without even thinking I grabbed for it.

What happened?

Whack, whack, slapped in the face.

Oh no! He actually hit you.

I looked up at my father's familiar, yet strange and ruthless face.

I felt like I had been doused with cold water.

Completely discouraged!

"So you're all grown up now? You're a big girl?

If you won't listen to me, then you're not my daughter!

Get out!"

That's ruthless!

"Dad,

you're really sending me away just because I believe in God?"

Really!

When my mom saw how angry my dad was,

she got frantic.

Oh?

She grabbed him and pulled him out of the room.

I heard the door slam, and I was locked inside again.

She was locked up again.

I had never imagined

that the father who once loved me would ever see me as the enemy.

He jailed me in my own home, and completely cut me off.

The CCP caused this evil.

All I wanted to do was believe in God, read God's word, and walk the correct path.