My name is Mr. Ma. I am a work unit leader in a large government-owned factory. Life has been very troubling this past year. There have been many changes. Even though I am Hui, I am expected to be a member of the Communist Party.  In the past, this detail was often overlooked. Now it is enforced. The trouble is, I don’t agree with the Party. They say that there is no god, but I believe in Allah. They say that my primary allegiance should be to the government, but Islam teaches that my primary allegiance is to Allah. They say that my country and my job should come first, but I think my faith and my family are most important. As you can see, we disagree on many things. And yet, what can I do? I must keep working hard to provide for my family. The result is that I lead a double life. I pretend to obey the leaders and act like I fully support what they say and do. But secretly I continue to observe my faith by going to the mosque and fasting during important holidays. It’s risky business, but I have no choice. I must follow the ways of Islam in order to earn Allah’s favor. My eternal future is dependent upon it.

I’m from a small town in a neighboring province. My parents and many of my relatives still live there. Recently we had a big problem. The government wanted to tear down our place of worship. They told my relatives that they must worship at home, not together. We have always worshipped together at the local mosque. It is our way of life. It’s central to our culture and our faith. We pray together, fast together, and celebrate important holidays together at the mosque. If the government tears it down, they do much more than tear down our place of worship. They completely disrupt our communal way of life.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what to do.  I have no peace and my mind is filled with questions. How can I escape the mounting pressure that I face? Where can I best provide a good life for my wife and four children? How will my children have the opportunity to experience our faith and culture in the face of so much change and opposition? It seems like my only option is to move abroad. To take my family to a place where we can be free from this control and oppression. But where can we go and how will we get there? My passport has been collected by my employer so that I cannot freely travel. And even if I could, where would I get all of the money needed to move my family to a new country? And is there a place that will let us in? And what about my parents and others relatives? And what would I do for work? It seems impossible. Unattainable. Hopeless. Oh how I wish that I would wake up from this terrible dream and find things as they once were. All I long for is freedom…freedom to worship, freedom to raise my children in Islam, and freedom from this oppressive control.

Prayer Requests

• Pray that God will speak to Mr. Ma in dreams and visions and will reveal to him that true freedom is found in Christ alone.
• Pray that Mr. Ma will discover the truth of Jesus’ words in John 14:6: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Pray that He will find everlasting peace in Jesus.
• Pray that Mr. Ma will have many opportunities to hear about Jesus in his workplace.
• Pray that Mr. Ma will be the first of many in his family and community to trust in Jesus and that many more will follow Jesus through the example of his changed life.
• Pray that Chinese Christians will go to the town where Mr. Ma is from and will boldly and clearly proclaim Jesus to the Hui community there.

The picture is not of the storyteller in order to protect the identities of those who have shared their stories and lives with us over the years.