In the 71 years since China became Communist, the Lord has laughed at efforts to destroy His kingdom, and He has overseen the greatest revival in history, with the Church in China growing from about one million believers to well over 100 million!

We would like to share a precious testimony from Sister Hu, who in 2018 shared the amazing story of how their house church movement started in northeast China.

"Some years ago, my son fell seriously ill with a kidney disease. I visited numerous temples where I earnestly worshiped all the idols, but he got worse. Then someone at the hospital told me that if I believed in Jesus my son could be healed.

I had no idea how to pray to this Jesus, or even what 'prayer' was. How many times must I pray? What words should I recite and what postures should I take? It occurred to me that I should take my son to Beijing and shout aloud to Jesus on the streets, in the hope that this mysterious person would hear me and find us. However, I lacked the money to travel to Beijing or to make offerings to Jesus once I found him.

My fellow workers at the factory all laughed at me when I pleaded for their help to sell my house so I could take my son to Beijing. I cried so hard that I had a stroke and was unable to talk. Feeling ashamed, my co-workers loaded me onto a cart and pushed it to a medical clinic. Two doctors treated me, and strangely one of them said, 'God must have a plan for your life.' I found his comment very odd.

Still guilt-ridden because of the way they had treated me, my co-workers had a change of heart and decided to help raise money for our trip. I had no idea where to go once we reached Beijing, but the hospital administrator also had to go to Beijing for a meeting, so he accompanied us on the long train journey.

I felt overwhelmed by the crowds of people and the hustle and bustle of the big city, but the administrator took us to a hospital, where there happened to be a doctor who specialized in kidney disease. He took one look at my son and said he must be admitted immediately. We stayed in Beijing, with my son receiving treatment as I recovered from my stroke.

One day I visited a big cathedral in the city. It was the first time I had ~ ever set foot inside a church building, but somehow I felt at home. I began attending services there, and some sisters encouraged me to follow Jesus and dedicate my son to Him. I told God that if he healed my son, I would always serve Him and would share the Gospel with as many people as I could.

My son's condition improved, but then he suffered a setback and the doctor said there was no hope. I asked Jesus to heal him, and from that moment my son improved, although he still needed treatment.

We traveled back home on the train, and I told my boss I had enough money either to buy food or to pay the medical bills, but not both. I was perplexed about what to do, but then I remembered my vow to God, so I quit my job and began sharing the Gospel with everyone I met. Soon, a small group of believers emerged, and we began a class to train evangelists and pastors. The fellowship grew quickly and became so large that it caused traffic jams in our town whenever we held a service! We rented a larger building to meet in.

Over time, the Holy Spirit revealed that we should focus on two things: evangelizing the lost and training leaders. We formed teams with five people in each, and we targeted 18 towns with the Gospel. As we approached each town we prayed, and then we would look for the poorest household to share the Good News of Jesus with.

Each team was supported by an intercession and fasting chain, which operated around the clock, with believers rotating in two-hour shifts. We fasted for seven days before a campaign, and to this day we still gather every morning at 4:30 a.m. for prayer, even in winter when it's minus 30 degrees outside.

In the first 15 towns many people believed our message, and we formed new churches in each place. The final three towns were further away, so we had to ride bicycles long distances to reach them. Miraculously, in one town the officials let us use the municipal loudspeaker, to ensure that everyone could hear the message. Many people believed and more churches were formed.

Our meetings were always crowded. Some who came were demon possessed, but when we prayed they were completely delivered. Many others were healed from deafness and other ailments. At first, we had many sisters but only one brother on our teams. We asked God to add 100 new brothers. and after the first evangelistic campaigns, we found that was exactly the number of men who had been converted.

Later, we added mercy ministries to help the sick, elderly, and orphans. Now, our church has grown to 40,000 believers, and we have 1,000 evangelists and pastors. We have seen God perform many remarkable things, which have helped spread His salvation message more widely. Some towns have been so thoroughly saturated with the Gospel that now over 80 percent of the people are Christians.

Jesus has been so good to us. What a wonderful Lord! He has been our best friend and He sticks closer than a brother. The doctor in Beijing told me that my son would never have children, but now his daughter is ten-years-old!

In recent years we have faced fresh challenges, as the government's strict new religious policies have taken effect. We are under great pressure to compromise, but we are determined to fully obey Jesus, and we will continue to evangelize, regardless of the cost.

This is the story of how our churches were formed and grew. Please understand that it has not been human strength that has accomplished any of this! Rather, it has all been the work of the King of Kings, who said: "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty" (Zechariah 4:6).

In our final newsletter of 2020, we have included our latest China Bible distribution map, showing the provinces where each of the Bibles we have produced over the years has ended up. By the miraculous hand of God, the project continues to operate full steam. As long as the Lord continues to hold the door open, we plan to keep helping our brothers and sisters in the Chinese house churches have access to God's Word. If you would like to support the China Bible Fund, donations can be made by mailing a check with the enclosed yellow Response form, or by giving either one-time or monthly support via our secure website.