How to Survive Being Jehovah’s Witness in China?

[Old Guy]

Believers from Shandong Province share their experience of how to avoid being identified as religious and evade persecution while practicing their faith.

 

 

by Li Mingxuan

Although not on the list of xie jiao, the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses in China are regarded as illegal. In mid-April, 17 Jehovah’s Witnesses in Xinjiang’s Korla city were indicted for “using an evil religion organization” to “incite the obstruction of law enforcement” and one for “obstructing law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization.” It is the first time that Article 300 of the Criminal Code, usually reserved for organizations listed as xie jiao, was applied against Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Jehovah’s Witnesses missionaries from abroad are considered “hostile forces” and are often deported, as part of China’s campaign to crack down on foreign religious infiltration.

To practice their faith in the hostile environment and evade persecution and arrests, Jehovah’s Witnesses across the country are forced to take various protective measures. Members of this religious organization from the eastern province of Shandong share their experience with Bitter Winter.

 

Story Source: https://bitterwinter.org/how-to-survive-being-jehovahs-witness-in-china/

 

DO NOT POST ENTIRE STORIES.  EXCERPT ONLY AND LINK TO STORY

Edited September 26, 2019 by Shawnster
Copyright

[Old]

Certainly interesting but I question the sources as this goes far beyond any description of our activity in China that  my niece or other pioneers in China would provide to a news service. It has a ring of truth to it. My niece has cancelled her email when conversations came up that far less descriptive of the work in China than is seen here.

That coul be why she is surviving into her 8th year of pioneering in China.

[Old]

Also Interesting in that we have two duplicate topics by the same poster and I thought I was Old.

[Old Guy]

Also Interesting in that we have two duplicate topics by the same poster and I thought I was Old.

Who is older? Old, or Old Guy? Old Guy is new guy when it comes to posting so there may be some duplicates as I age. Either way, I have a legitimate excuse.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk

[Igorianov]

I asume that everything, any message app even if they say are secure is NOT . 

 

With apple back a few years the gouv. Wanted to have acces to the key to read a cell ... 

Someone ppl might say " ah ! There your proof ! No one can read your cell ...." 

But i think its more a "jedi" mind trick to make belive they cant ..but in fact they know all the electronic message.  

[Stormswift]

4 hours ago, Old said:

Certainly interesting but I question the sources as this goes far beyond any description of our activity in China that  my niece or other pioneers in China would provide to a news service. It has a ring of truth to it. My niece has cancelled her email when conversations came up that far less descriptive of the work in China than is seen here.

That coul be why she is surviving into her 8th year of pioneering in China.

I'm actually with you on this one too Jerry.

 

There's a Kingdom Ministry that discourages publishers reaching out to preach to others from other countries online and certainly in person, especially if that country is experiencing difficulties as China is. Just out of safety precautions for our brothers and sisters.

 

I think this article could do similar damage, it doesn't sound like it's come from the 'official' channel at all, so it could either be fake, or perhaps some have spoken out of turn. While Jehovah can turn it to good if he chooses, I am wondering if it could do more harm than good for our brothers and sisters in China. They are finding it hard enough without things like this revealing how they are avoiding detection.

[retroHelen]

I have friends who are missionaries. They have been in Taiwan; Macao and Hong Kong. When in Macao they knew that many mainland Chinese come to Macao to shop, holiday and play at the casinos.

 

There are lots of carts at the border entry ready to talk to anyone coming through. Why so many? The Chinese are hesitant because they generally know we are restricted in mainland China, but not Macao, so they see the first cart and ignore it. Then further along the road, they see another, then another, so by this time realise it is now safe to approach them and have read all the message on the other similar carts by then. The brothers & sisters take turns being 1st 2nd and 3rd cart on each entry road, so they get a chance to talk to someone otherwise, stuck on 1st cart, they speak to no one.

 

Mainland Chinese JWs  have a chance of sharing in the work in Macao, arriving as tourists without any literature as it is provided when they arrive. One was particularly helping and said she works back home with a sister in a factory and cannot acknowledge she knows her at work just in case one of them is questioned by authorities. Chinese are very traditional, not easy nor safe to convince older ones of anything new or Christian/Western where she is, no older ones in her congregation/small group - she is the oldest and in her 20s .

 

Friends used to do Bible Studies by Skype, but this stopped when they realised they were being watched and one couple studying from Hong Kong, saw their study on screen being broken into and arrested and then the screen was unplugged/went off.

[Old]

1 hour ago, retroHelen said:

I have friends who are missionaries. They have been in Taiwan; Macao and Hong Kong. When in Macao they knew that many mainland Chinese come to Macao to shop, holiday and play at the casinos.

 

There are lots of carts at the border entry ready to talk to anyone coming through. Why so many? The Chinese are hesitant because they generally know we are restricted in mainland China, but not Macao, so they see the first cart and ignore it. Then further along the road, they see another, then another, so by this time realise it is now safe to approach them and have read all the message on the other similar carts by then. The brothers & sisters take turns being 1st 2nd and 3rd cart on each entry road, so they get a chance to talk to someone otherwise, stuck on 1st cart, they speak to no one.

 

Mainland Chinese JWs  have a chance of sharing in the work in Macao, arriving as tourists without any literature as it is provided when they arrive. One was particularly helping and said she works back home with a sister in a factory and cannot acknowledge she knows her at work just in case one of them is questioned by authorities. Chinese are very traditional, not easy nor safe to convince older ones of anything new or Christian/Western where she is, no older ones in her congregation/small group - she is the oldest and in her 20s .

 

Friends used to do Bible Studies by Skype, but this stopped when they realised they were being watched and one couple studying from Hong Kong, saw their study on screen being broken into and arrested and then the screen was unplugged/went off.

I had forwarded a picture of carts at the Hong Kong side of the border to my neice with the comment "What is this in Hong kong". She immediatly went deep under ground, no reply. A few weeks later she emailed my daughter Leslie with a new email address and using a lot of code words to the effect that someone, to be un-named, had jeopradised her security by sending a news item from Hong kong. I have been afraid to say anything by email since then. We have had her back in Oregon for a visit but I let Leslie be the go-between here to China.. My ears still burn. 

[Tortuga]

3 minutes ago, Old said:

A few weeks later she emailed my daughter Leslie

How is Leslie doing? Did they stay at their SKE assignment location?

[Old]

Just now, Tortuga said:

How is Leslie doing? Did they stay at their SKE assignment location?

No, they were relieved of there assignment having fulfilled their commitment. They are now in Everett WA, still pioneering. Interesting: when he started looking for work his old employer called him and said they had a place for him on the west coast, live where you want and gave him the option to work his own hours,  just need to meet quotas and no need to fillout a daily work report, which was something he had tried to negotiate, prior to SKE, to enable their pioneering, and they fired him for such a request. Now he is west coat sales manger for one of the biggest shoe wholesalers in the US. He works mainly from home on the phone and is out of town only a couple of nights a month. They are involved heavily in the LDC.

[sunshine]

We must pray for the friends in China - being a part of TKOTN they will be under much pressure now 

[Thesauron]

We must pray for the friends in China - being a part of TKOTN they will be under much pressure now 

They are ‘no part of the world’. It’s worth remembering. That is why it hates them. (Joh 15:19)

[califlorican]

We really shouldn’t be spreading this information. We received letters in the past saying to PLEASE not share any information with well-meaning friends and family, including how meetings were arranged, methods of preaching, etc. I know the friends are always curious and love to stay in the know, but this is not information anyone outside of the country needs to know. 

 

I’m back in the states and haven’t contacted anyone back there since we left last year. It’s just not worth the risk to me personally. I hope our foreigner friends there are able to stay as long as possible! And I know the local friends are always receiving what they need ❤️