8. He Led Me Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death Again

Many women in the labor reformation camp were illiterate. Therefore, every time we needed to write the concluding report about reformation, the cadre assigned me to help the group of the old or weak to write down their reports according to what they said. In the whole female squad, except me, there was another Christian who was a peasant woman. She was very faithful and devoted to the Lord. Usually two of us dared not be close to each other in case people accused us as "counter revolutionist establishing contact." Later, because I needed to help her for the concluding report, I had chances to be with her alone. We encouraged each other. I told her we should pray for all nations. She felt after she enlarged the prayer scope, she was very joyful in the Spirit. Under that kind of power, each time we got together we worried whether this would bring us big trouble. The fear left a foothold for the devil. Maybe she was afraid that I might tell others about it. The more she thought about it, the more she was frightened. So she confessed her crime to the government--that she had told me some words of countering revolution and of superstition. All of a sudden black clouds blotted out the sky. The group leader had been very angry at me because I did not give her more of the food mailed to me from home. (It was a custom in the labor farm to bribe.) She took advantage of it to initiate the whole group in making a big noise to expose and criticize me. They forced me to write a report. It seemed that I could not avoid having my sentence increased for the third time. However, from their criticism I realized that this Christian only confessed what she told me. She did not mention what I had said. That night after I came back from the struggle meeting, I was downcast and my heart was faint. I did not know how to write the report or how to pray. Next day, it snowed heavily, and as I swept the snow from the passageway, I felt my situation was like being in an ice cellar. A female supervisor came over, and I asked her: "The group asked me to write a report, but I did not say anything related to counter revolution to her. How can I write it?" She answered: "If you did not do it, you just say you did not. You simply report what you said and confess your mistakes. That will do." God used her words to open my heart and I decided not to speak to them about the spiritual affairs. I just reported according to the fact that this Christian was loyal and loved the country, but from her tune of words, I could tell that she did not give up her faith which she had admitted by herself. In such a way, I handed in the report. Thanks be to God. At first it seemed to be a great issue shaking the whole crowd. The group leader initiated the whole group to attack me seriously. God moved the heart of the cadre who decided not to investigate it any more. Because of the grace of the Lord, I opened my luggage and sang praise, and waited peacefully for the time of my release. At first I had prepared for their searching and had sorted out my luggage. I thought that I could no longer stay in the barn for silkworm breeding as gatekeeper. Who knew that God dispersed this disaster into nothing!