Wang* and Li* grew up in areas of China where there are very few minorities. God has led them to live among the Hui and proclaim the Gospel. This is their story.
I (Wang) grew up in a Christian family, and I heard the Gospel from a young age. My wife (Li) heard the Gospel from her grandmother and also came to believe at a young age. After we were married, God led us to move and live among Hui people. When we first arrived in this city, we were told that Hui had negative thoughts about all Han people. We were told they were cunning, so I avoided Hui people.
However, after living in the city for a while, we heard from other believers how important it was to share the Gospel with minority peoples who have never heard. Other believers disicipled us and gave us a vision to share the Gospel with the Hui.
Many Chinese believers talk about taking the Good News back to Jerusalem. Now, we have realized it is important to start by proclaiming the Gospel in Western China first to the Hui and other minority groups before we journey to other countries. God has given us a burden for the Hui.
In the city, we were very afraid of the Hui at first, but we went out into villages and realized that Hui are very hospitable. The more we interacted with Hui people, the more we loved them and longed to share the Gospel with them.
God quickly showed us that we do not need to fear the Hui. My wife grew up in an area that did not have any minority people. She was even more nervous than I was when we moved into a Hui community. However, a village person came and bought some food from us, and he also gave us a gift. We realized how hospitable Hui people are, and over time our fear has diminished.
In the Book of Revelation, we read about people from every nation, tongue, and tribe worshipping God around His throne. It is not important what color a person is or what clothes they wear. Everyone needs to hear the Good News. When we began to understand this, we started sharing more and more with Hui people.
I would go to Hui villages and develop relationships with imams. As they taught me about the Qur’an, I would find similarities with the Bible and share them. I would encourage them to start reading the Bible.
One time I was able to talk with an older man and share stories with him. He told me that I taught better than his imam. He went and told all his relatives that I understand Hui people and know their stories. He opened doors for me to share stories in several communities. People would gather and ask me to tell stories from the Bible.
I began to joke with them that they were all unbelievers because they did not know their own Scriptures. I encouraged all of them to start reading the Bible. I was a little afraid they might get mad and start beating me. However, they asked me to tell them more. Sometimes I would get invited to peoples’ homes.
Some imams would want to argue with us, but we would just tell them that we follow the one true God, and that the Bible says Jesus is the only way. Imams know when we are coming to their communities. Even though we disagree, they still want to talk and hear stories from the Bible.
How can we pray for Hui people?
Pray that more and more believers will care about the Hui people, pray for the Hui and serve the Hui.
How can we pray for Han people?
Pray that Han believers will have a vision for sharing the Gospel with Hui people. May the discrimination end, and may more and more Han believers begin loving the Hui and sharing the Gospel with their Hui neighbors.
How can we pray for you?
Pray that God will provide more and more persons of peace who are ready to hear the Gospel and spread the Gospel. We have been doing this work for a long time now; yet we still face anxiety as we go into new places. We have seen very little fruit. Pray that God will give us boldness to proclaim the Gospel often and to trust that the Holy Spirit is working.
Please also be praying for our kids that they will be able to get a good education.
*names changed to protect identities