1979
A trip to China and the honest response of a friend gave me the second Vision Brick.
In Hong Kong, Almighty God gave me keen insight into how my own self-centeredness often determined how I nurtured my children.
Little could I have guessed, when I cried out to God on behalf of my own children that He would teach me in Hong Kong one of the most profound truths for child nurturing. Joe, my husband, served with Open Doors with Brother Andrew. We were bringing Bibles to Christians in China. My Heavenly Father had an amazing surprise for me.
After delivering the Bibles, we returned to Hong Kong (HK) for a few days. Upon arrival in HK, we were told that we would have the honor of visiting a family who had just recently escaped from China. We had heard some of their story so we were excited to meet them.
The next day, we sat crowded in the family’s kitchenette. As tea was served, it was hard to imagine we were sitting with the husband/wife “team” of whom we had heard so many stories. They both had the courage to distribute and teach the contents of an “Illegal Book” called the Bible.
Hours later, they continued recollecting their frightening story.
During the 1966 “Cultural Revolution,” members of a fierce military squad forced themselves into the family’s home. The Red Guard spent three days and three nights ransacking their house. The family was not allowed to eat or sleep during that time. The Red Guard had come for one reason: Discover illegal Bibles and teaching materials to assist in training small groups.
When they couldn’t find the Bibles they took the family outside and beat the parents. Then they beat the children in front of the parents.
Amazingly! Not one of the children renounced Jesus.
“Do you want Communism or Christianity?” the oldest brother was asked. “Christianity” he responded.
They took him outside and beat him until he began to bleed internally.
A friend suggested to the mother that she take her son to the hospital. There she was told her son would die, with little time left in his eleven-year-old body. The son asked…
“Mom, come pray for me I’m going.”
She prayed over him. He closed
his eyes with a smile on his face.
I carefully watched this woman who had lost her eleven-year-old son, dying at the hands of his satanic persecutors. “Mama, how do you raise a child, so that at the age of 11 he will not renounce Jesus, though he be beaten to death? I quietly asked. My own son had recently turned eleven. I cried out to God, “What would Joseph have done? What would I have done?”
I will never forget how she looked me in the eye — with her amazing reply: “There are three things you must do.”
- “From the time your children are born, you must teach them to never renounce Jesus or another Christian. Your life may be dependent on that other believer.”
- Secondly, you must pray sacrificially for your children. That means you are praying so much for your children that you are giving up things you want for yourself but instead pray for your children.”
- I will never forget the little chuckle she gave before she continued, “Third, and this is hardest for you in the West. You must let your children suffer.They will never grow strong if they don’t suffer. If there is nothing natural that causes suffering in their life, then create a reason for them to suffer.” I cannot forget her astonishing reply.
I was so excited when I got home. These sounded like such good sound principles to follow. I could hardly wait to share her teaching with my friends. I shared it with my best friend and, as I told the story, she wept.
When I finished, she looked at me, while speaking these words: “But Wanda, if my children suffer, then I will suffer and I don’t want to suffer.
It was one of the greatest “ah-ha” moments of my life. What a surprise, a teaching I wasn’t expecting.
Vision Brick Two
When serving children meet the REAL needs of children;
not what makes adults feel comfortable.
What Children NEED
When you begin to put children’s NEEDS before adults’ WANTS your children’s ministry will begin to look very different.
Hear the story directly from the second eldest son Dr. Daniel Wong
Vision Brick 1: EXCELLENCE
Vision Brick 3: EVERY ADULT COMMITTED
Vision Brick 4: TRAIN EACH CHILD ACCORDING TO GOD’S DESIGN
