Safely Home

Posted by LisaV | 0 comments

At first, I thought this book would be too heavy for me, too difficult to bear. However, as I started reading the first chapter, I found myself engulfed by the story of two college roommates, one Chinese and the other American, who met at Harvard and were about to be reunited 20 years later.

The Chinese man, Li Quan, became a devout Christian at Harvard and returned to China after college. He married Minghua and they had one son, Li Shen. The American, Ben Fielding, became a successful businessman but was divorced with two daughters. Their lives intersect in China and, through dialogue, the author weaved the history of Christianity in China and the work of Chinese Christians in the present time. Randy Alcorn also provided a heavenly perspective on the Christian martyrs who have passed from this life to the next.

As an American of Chinese heritage, I felt an immediate affinity for the characters in this novel. The author deftly mixes English and Pinyin (Americanized Mandarin) to make the characters come to life. I can picture the people so clearly, hear their voices, and feel their joy and pain. The book made their emotions so raw and real, I found tears trickling down my face on several occasions mixed with laughter at the unexpected moments of humor. Quoting Scripture, the book also challenged my soul to purify my faith in Jesus, share it with others, and take an eternal view of life rather than simply a temporal one.

Ever since Missionary Tony Fox visited our church in October 2006 and shared his ministry to Chinese Christians, my heart has been moved to pray for our persecuted brethren and learn more about them. Our family has gained knowledge by subscribing to newsletters published by The Voice of the Martyrs and Gospel for Asia and supporting them financially when we can. May we continue to pray for the persecuted church and for ourselves, that our faith would be pure before God.

Lisa (aka Morning Rose) has been teaching her two elementary-aged sons for four years and incorporating study, work, service, and play into their homeschooling days. She enjoys reading, writing, and photography and blogs publicly at Pockets of Time and privately at Scooter and B.