Recently my wife and I returned to our old country --- China. The purpose of this trip was mainly to visit our relatives. Additionally, should the opportunity arise, we also wished to visit the saints and churches, and preach the gospel there. What we report here is just what we had experienced during the time we were there. Surely, it cannot represent the complete picture regarding today's church situation in China, rather, it is from a small angle to see one part of the whole. That is all.

As we know generally, the Chinese government has never felt at ease with the church and Christianity since coming to power. Although they have relaxed quite much during the open years of further development in the past decade, they nevertheless still like to supervise and oversee all the church meetings. No doubt, there is considerable misunderstanding between the two sides, as well as between the churches there and abroad. Thus,the government, at least officially, forbids any home gatherings, particularly towards the Lord's Recovery. The recent movement of a certain evil group there has caused more troubles and problems, and made the whole situation even worse than before. In consequence, it gives more reasons for the government to control all the religious groups. This indeed is a sad story in China today.

The entire Christianity there seems to be very deserted and isolated. No new vision or revelation can be known or heard. It is a kind of wilderness. Only a small number of saints, who can be seen and discovered here and there, still take the ground, bear the testimony and exalt the name of Jesus at a high cost. That is the only hope there.

At our first stop in the city of H, we visited one brother in the Lord. He was saved in our locality and returned to China not long ago. He is presently very lonely and has no fellowship with the local saints. However, we did manage to preach the gospel to our relatives whenever we felt both the time and location were right and proper.

Our second stop was the city Y where my wife's relatives live. My father-in-law has been a devoted Christian since 1940s, and cites and recites daily verses from the Bible even today at the advanced age of 94. A couple of years ago, one day he walked to the church building as part of his daily practice, he tumbled and broke his hip and thigh. Sadly, this accident permanently disabled him, and he could no longer make the church meetings without others' help. Nevertheless he still keeps his spirit high and rejoices in the Lord always. We spent some really good time at his bedside, as well as over meals in the restaurants.

In the same city we also visited an old Christian who had served in the local church there before the Chinese communists took over the mainland. Unfortunately, all his level of understanding of the truth and his spiritual life still remain the same as many years ago. We had two regrets in that city. One was that we had intended to visit an older sister who has been in the church since 1940s, but in the end we found no time to do it. The other was that we did not fulfill our desire to visit a brother in the Lord's Recovery. He had been jailed several times and was still under a kind of house arrest. Paying a visit to him would definitely cause some troubles to our relatives, which of course we did not wish to bring upon them. However, we did pray and fellowship with the other saints in that city.

We were invited by our best friends, a couple and also saints in the Lord, to the city Z one day. In the next evening we were asked to baptize one brother and one sister in our hotel bathtub. This is totally unexpected. What can we say except hallelujah. Baptism in Christianity in mainland China is held only once a year, and whosoever wished to be baptized must first pass a certain examination. Examples of several years passing by without baptism can be heard almost everywhere in China. We also met with two local elders and one female pastor. Their fellowship was shallow and in a very much religious way, and made us ill at ease. We dare not to say much about the high truths, God's economy, etc., as they are aware of the Lord's Recovery which is forbidden openly by the Chinese government at the present time.

I realize there is not much to say in this short report. However, it is what we had seen, heard and experienced during our recent visit there.

Bro. Joseph