Two servants of the Lord, Kia and Ly, were on a Gospel preaching tour when they came to Hsia Uan, in the vicinity of Kingtzekuan. They preached the way of salvation to the villagers, several of whom were stirred by the straight-forward testimony of hope through Jesus Christ. Receiving the message, and saved by faith, these united in forming the nucleus of a new church in the place.

Hu-Hsi-Kuei was one of the first converts. He was so enthralled by the story of the life of Jesus as told in a revival meeting that he exclaimed when the meeting was still in progress: "How greatly this Man must have loved !"

"That's right, and He loves just as much to-day. On wings of love, He flew over land and sea to our country's coast, from where He penetrated to the interior where you live and where to-day you are hearing His word preached. Whosoever comes to Him, finds an everlasting Saviour," continued the evangelist after Hu's outburst.

Hu-Kuei felt strangely moved within. He had a powerful impression that this Jesus was a Saviour after his own heart. Long had he known himself to be a sinner, but never had he heard of anything like "forgiveness of sins." This blind man took God at His word; he came and found peace which Jesus had promised that he should find.

Singing and shouting with joy, a man raced through the village's main street on the following Sunday. People thought he was mad, and so flattened themselves against their house walls in the hopes he would not see them. Some, however, recognized the figure.

"It was old blind Hu," they said.

"But how can a blind man like him run so fast and confidently ?" others asked.

"He believes in the foreign God now. Perhaps his new-found God has cured him," suggested a third group.

Hu, for it was really him, continued his headlong pace unconcernedly. Close to the street's dead end, he swung to the left, into a narrow alley, passed six houses, turned to the right and entered Kao's courtyard, where meeting were being held at the time. Dashing into the throng in the midst of the service as Evangelist Ly was reading his text, Hu shouted as loudly as he could:

"I can see, I can see. Jesus cured me early this morning while I was having my devotional period and was praying. The Saviour I have is glorious. Praise His name for evermore. "

The congregation were thrilled. Think of it: Hu was in their midst, Hu not blind but seeing. It was a miracle, divinely wrought. A man who had been blind for as many years as Hu and who then had regained his vision could not be ignored. This was tangible proof that theirs was the only true God. Praise and thanksgiving ascended to their Almighty Lord.

He was married, but his wife had borne no children. She was afflicted with a pitiful malady closely resembling the Biblical issue of blood. For two long years she had been plagued by this disorder, which eventually made her and her husband most apprehensive. She was not a Christian--indeed, had scarcely heard of the foreign God before her husband came home that memorable evening and told how he had become a disciple of Jesus, God's Son. However, following that occasion she noted that a great change had really become apparent in her husband. When he received his sight, she felt herself being drawn closer to this new religion, for she had never imagined that anyone could restore her husband's vision. Her sins became more and more real to her as the days passed by, until they became a terrific burden which she could no longer bear. There had to be a change in her life too. She called her husband and begged him to pray for her, and thus a prayer meeting started. In the small adobe hut there, the wife found her way to the same peace which her husband had found, a peace which Jesus alone can give. Jesus also intervened and healed her entirely from her malady.

An enriching period characterized by great blessing came to Hu's home. Two years later his wife gave birth to a lovely little boy. God showed His goodness to them in little things and big things. His blessing was a proof that their spiritual lives were steadily growing under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Their home was ever open to the servants of God; and Hu after two years labouring in the Lord's vineyard received the well-deserved title of honour, "The Good Soul of the Village."

**** In the same village, though in the opposite direction, lived Li Chin Si. This woman, like Hu, had been blind for many years. She was married, but this fact did not prevent her from performing all the household drudgery, unaided by her husband.

The miracles which had happened in the lives of Hu and his wife soon became items of gossip. The story went from house to house throughout the village and reached blind Li. When she heard the account, she had a desire to hear more about this foreign God who had the gifts of healing and soul-satisfaction.

Li found it no easy matter to leave her house. Seldom did she come into contact with her neighbours, and on that account she was more or less isolated by her loneliness. But the day on which she decided to come into touch with the Christians, she was fortunate. One of her neighbours who herself was a real Christian was reminded by the Lord to visit Li and ask if she would like to go to a meeting. Li's surprise was unspeakable when the neighbour woman came. Beaming all over, Li thanked the lady for her invitation. This was an intervention of Fate, or perhaps it was the foreign God who had begun to work in her heart.

Arm in arm, the two women walked down the narrow side street which led on to the village main street. One of them was doubly blind. Her eyes were unable to see one millimetre ahead; she couldn't see the sun shining so beautifully from a cloudless sky, the carefree children at play, the wonderful flower hues and the white blossoms on the fruit trees. She could only hear the children's glad laughter and smell the pleasant aroma of the flowers. But her spiritual eyes were not so hopelessly blind. Their longing for sight gave her a dawning hope for life.

The other woman was saved and happy. Though not an old wayfarer on Heaven's road, her faith was developing promisingly, and the congregation regarded her as a coming evangelist for the Lord. While walking along with blind Li, she felt a strong urge to pray for this neighbour of hers. In retrospect, she thought of her hour of prayer that very morning. God had been so near to her in an experience that she neither had before nor even dreamed that she would ever have. Instantly she understood there was something the Lord wished her to do, and did not hesitatie to pray: "Thy will be done." That she received orders to visit her blind neighbour did not amaze her in the least. She was a child in the faith and had an unshakable trust in the guidance and protection of her heavenly Father. As this soul had been entrusted to her, the least she could do was to spend her time praying for blind Li.

Half an hour later the two women were seated on the hard wooden benches in Mrs. Tsong's capacious room. Evangelist Kia rose before the little gathering and read about the women at the sepulchre. Blind Li had never heard anything to compare with it. Words which before had been absolutely unfamiliar to her now took on shape and meaning. "He is risen !" The glorious message of the angels seemed to be words of the most exquisite music. Pure and clear-cut, the intensely inspiring tones shattered open the gates of brass shutting in her sight, and revealed an unsurpassed panorama before her while Kia spoke.

The measureless love of the Son of God which constrained Him to leave His heavenly glory, assume the form of man and live in a world on the brink of chaos gave her the realization that she was loved.

The stories of His miracles of healing, of His subduing the tempest, of His being a friend to all mankind, and showing Himself as the sympathetic helper of sinners and the comforter of the sick and poor in their need and distress, unlocked the possibility of her being saved.

Evangelist Kia, who had never been so imbued with uplifting inspiration as on that day, knew that God would reveal His mercy in a special way during the meeting. His eyes sought those sick at heart and saw many, but they came to rest on blind Li. In his heart he heard a Voice whisper: "She is a chosen vessel. Tell her that all is done. This is her day of decision and grace."

Sitting there, the woman noticed that the evangelist was speaking only to her. She grasped the saving hand stetched out to her, sank down on her knees and came into the light of His Presence. God showed that He was cognizant of her disablility during the session of prayer. As tears ran down her wrinkled cheeks, her sight returned, and Li arose bewildered. Many years had passed since she last saw a person. Therefore it wasn't surprising that she acted a little strangely. She stumbled across to Mrs. Tsong, who happened to be nearest, and stroked her face, hair and clothing with her hands while she sobbed in her joy. The women undersood this outbreak of happiness on the part of Li, who was bubbling over with the joy of becoming normal again. They embraced her each in turn, and shared in her praise with unaffected delight.

To this congregation, which numbered fourteen souls, God added the fifteenth.

Li-Chin-Si's marital life was like that of most other Chinese women. Her husband tyrannized over her, and after her conversion, instead of softening, he maintained that she had been poisioned by the foreign God teaching. Every day she was exposed to the most cunningly conceived mockery and the foulest blasphemies. Soundly he castigated her with cudgels and bamboo rods, for it was a matter of knocking the accursed foreign vagaries out of her head. He dragged her to the temple and threw her down in front of the family gods. If she wouldn't renounce her Jesus and worship her old gods he would continue to beat her until life itself hung in the balance. No matter how much he threatened, she stood true. Salvation lay deeper than he could reach. Every time he whipped her he whipped her body. Her soul was free and outside the scope of time and place.

A man finds it humiliating to admit that he's beaten. Although unwilling, the husband had to admit it. Each time he struck her, he felt his conscience tweaking his better nature, and so he cursed more than ever, in an effort to deaden his accusing conscience, which caused him to react in such a way that he could no longer look his wife unflinchingly in the eyes. When he chanced to meet them, they shone with such an unselfish and unreproachful love that he felt shamefacedness overcome him. It was beyond his comprehension that his wife could take all his beating and still love him. There was probably something to the teaching of the foreign God. Perhaps he ought to accompany his wife to the next service, and find out what this foreign God was like. She had not been able to attend many meetings recently-- naturally, on account of the thrashings she had endured. He would stop belabouring her so devilishly.

The change in her husband soon became apparent to the wife. The first thing she noticed was that he no longer struck her so viciously. The last time he had only hit her six times and then, casting the stick down, had hurried to the door. On her knees she had crawled to her prayer stool hidden in a corner of the kitchen, bowed over it and thanked the Lord her God for listening to her petitions. At the same time she had prayed for power and boldness from above to enable her to ask her husband to go along with her to church the next time she felt strong enough.

The opportunity came one Sunday morning as they sat at the breakfast table. The husband ate in silence while she herself barely nibbled at the food for agitation. A question hovered often on her lips, but as often she lost heart, until finally she stammered forth her plea: "I was thinking of going to church this morning at Wang's. Couldn't you come along ? "

Taken aback, her husband didn't know what to do. Of late he had become conscious of a strong desire pulling him towards the foreign God. On the other hand, there was the congregation who no doubt knew about his cruel treatment of his wife. It wouldn't be easy to face them, but fortunately his desiret to be better acquainted with the God whom his wife adored prompted the answer.

"I'll willingly accompany you. We''ll start as soon as you are ready."

Her preparation were soon over. As she made herself ready, she prayed forcefully and earnestly to her God that He might step in and save her husband.

God heard her prayer, for her husband was saved that very forenoon. A spirit of revival ruled the meeting, and the husband who had come close to the kingdom of God through the prayers of his wife was plucked as ripe fruit.

The husband and wife came to a settlement and a clean atmosphere dominated as they started afresh. Both possessed the hope of eternal salvation and joy, and both wished to share their happiness with others. Through their faith, many heathen were introduced to the Living God.