Ministry News

God's ‘Best Will'

Details

Tuesday, 10 March 2009 12:27

Lou Yuanqi, a Chinese pastor imprisoned in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region before the Beijing Olympics last year, received a verdict of "insufficient evidence" on charges that he used "superstition to undermine the law," according to the Chinese Public Security Bureau (PSB) and U.S.-based persecution watchdog China Aid. Yet despite the court acknowledging that "the facts used in the case are not clear" and submitting a final verdict that returns the case to the PSB, the house-church pastor remains in prison.

Lou, who led a small group along with his wife, Wang Wenxiu, was first detained last May in Xinjiang and thrown in prison. In December, court officers beat his 18-year-old daughter following his trial as she attempted to speak with him while being rushed to a police car. Yet throughout their persecution, Wang and her family, along with other believers, continue to meet as a church. "This [imprisonment] is God's best will," Lou's wife said upon hearing of believers worldwide praying for her family. "It is His promise. It is the grace of the Lord. How could we be worthy of awakening so many brothers' and sisters' prayers for us? The cross of Jesus encourages us to move forward. I am very joyful and full of gratitude for all of the prayer support." [christiannewswire.com, 3/6/09]