My China Exile Story (3)

This article is an autobiographical record of the exile from China of missionary Yong-Sun CHO who was arrested by Chinese “national security (Guer Bao 国保)” agents from January 5th to 18th of 2018. This article describes the exile process of missionaries from China, which took place just before church gathering disappeared in almost every church in China in early February 2020 due to the severe religious oppression of the Chinese Communist regime. Currently, Chinese underground church members cannot gather in church buildings but have services in their own houses. <Editor>

Longing for a miracle, but…

It was Monday morning. After praying to the Lord at dawn, I looked out. The white snow was covering the whole world, and as I watched the snow continuously falling, I cried. It was as if the Lord was saying, ‘Well done. Thank you.’ whiling him ending my life in China.

I had simple breakfast and took the subway. The National Police Agency was near the Imperial Tomb of Nurhaci (努尔哈赤), the first emperor of the Qing (淸) Dynasty. I got off the subway and came out up to the ground. From the subway station to the destination, I had to walk about 200 meters along the wall of the Imperial Tomb. I cried again, walking on the street.

It felt like that a handful of blood was pouring out of my body whenever I walked on a path which was covered with white snow. When I walked on the street, I felt like I was seeing a fantasy of a red rose blooming on each place that I made a step. Then I meditated on my Lord’s walk on the Golgotha hillside. How would he have felt when he had walked on the way up to the cross to save the human being? A bit, a little bit, I could relate myself to the Lord who walked on the road to Golgotha.

In the hall of the National Police Agency, a person from Guer Bao (国保) and two young people were waiting for me. He bowed to me and asked for a handshake. I was hoping for a miracle at that moment. It was because one of the Chinese Christian brothers I taught had relationships with many people in society, and he told me that he could take action to make it go away if the person who caught me is not a Guer Bao (国保) agent.

Until then, I didn’t know the person who caught me was a Guer Bao (国保) agent; so, I was having little but very eager expectations and hopes that might come from the brother. I was hoping that when the person (the Guer Bao (国保) agent) meets me, he just tell me to go home. However, he asked me to go up of the main building and led me to the elevator. I got into the elevator and went to upstairs with him. My body was going up, but my mind seemed to go down and down.

10 days given to prepare to leave

I had been guessing what will happen to some extent because I heard how the missionaries were arrested and investigated. I thought that perhaps there would be a desk and documents about me. I also predicted that “Guer Bao (国保)” people would ask some questions.

However, it was not so. I was taken to a place like an office with several police officers and they made me to sit on a couch. Subsequently, they wrote a police document about me. But there was not much they asked me directly. They just made a police document on the computer with the matters that the agent of Guer Bao (国保) heard from me on Friday. The person typing for the document sometimes asked me for details of the matters that I had told on Friday.

Soon after, the police report was completed. The Guer Bao (国保) agent read out what was written on the report. He made me to sign with my index finger. The report was very simple. It was written that I broke Chinese religious laws and preached to the Chinese, I admit that and I will wait for clemency of China.

The police report of me ended like that, and the Guer Bao (国保) agent told me that I have ten (10) days to prepare to leave. Right after, a person who looked like on the top rung among the Guer Bao (国保) agents said that I should be kept in custody until I depart. But then, the Guer Bao (国保) agent said it is not necessary to keep me in custody. I was almost detained for ten days in the Chinese National Police Agency.

All my investigations and administrative proceedings ended so simple. I came out from the Chinese National Police Agency with some Guer Bao (国保) agents. They told me where I can take the subway. I shook my hand with them, saying ‘Chai Chien’ (再见), which is a Chinese farewell.

Even if I go back to China after five years later, I will not be able to do missionary works openly since the people of “Guer Bao (国保)” belonging to Ministry of State Security of the People’s Republic of China (中华人民共和国国家安全部) know about me and they will keep an eye on me. However, even if I can’t do missionary activities in mainland China, I will go back to China and see my Chinese members and especially my disciples. <<to be continued>>

Missionary Yong-Sun CHO  | A member of Global Mission Society (GMS). After he was expelled from China, he has been continuing mission for China on the Internet and he teaches students at World Mission Seminary. [Gospel Prayer News]

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