Water to Fire: the Prison Years
Sarah’s Journey of Faith Volumes 1 and 2 bear the account
of a young woman’s true life experiences during the six years she spent in a
Chinese prison and labor camps. This review gives details for the latter book,
Volume 2.
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When Sarah wrote her books it was with a specific mission
in mind. Her desire is to raise awareness of the persecuted church in current day
China among the Body of Christ. Her hope
is to expose the injustice bestowed on Christian’s by the Chinese government,
so that believer’s will be released from prison and permitted to worship Jesus
freely.
When I first glanced through the book I thought, “Oh, it’s another devotional and Bible
study.” Then I started to read. Only being a few pages in I realized it wasn’t
a devotional at all, but actually an unfolding of a young Christian’s life in a
country where faith in Jesus Christ is forbidden.
Although Sarah doesn’t give detailed or graphic
information of her transformation or the “reality show” version of her time
spent in prison, you can imagine how the events play out in your mind as you
read.
In order to understand what took place in the six year
time span in prison, you need to be aware of certain cultural facts in China
and the legal issues when it comes to Christianity. There is restricted freedom of religion in
that country and it is against the law to believe in Jesus Christ.
Communist China for the most part is almost 45%
non-religious, with only 8% being Christian. Those who turn from the “normal” religious
customs of their nation are punished severely, tortured and sometimes even to
the point of death. They are punished
for what governmental officials call “breaking harmony” in the country by
following cult practice, referring to the belief in Jesus Christ.
China is among the nations that deny the right to
practice religious freedoms such as witnessing and is identified as a violent
nation (and district) meaning it persecutes Christians. They commit torturous
acts on the individuals until they renounce their faith in the Lord. Sarah was one of those who received such punishment
for her faith.
In the video produced by VOTM (The Voice of the Martyr) “Sarah’s Trail of Blood,” she portrays herself reenacting the events of her first
arrest. This short six minute vignette
powerfully conveys what really happens in nations that forbid people to follow Jesus.
I shared this on my Daily Favor blog Strings of Christmas Lights post and that I
would also be adding this review to round out the article subject.
In the acknowledgement section, Sarah dedicates the book
to her mother and you can clearly see why.
Throughout the book Sarah’s mother plays a vital role in her faith, the
prison years and the aftermath when she finally says good-bye for the last time
before her exile from China. The
relationship between the two women is inspiring and it helps build the
foundation of how God and the help of her mother were the key to Sarah’s
survival.
When I think of my early Christian years I can still see
myself in various churches, praying, singing and openly participating in religious
activities. My mother’s impact on my
life has influenced much of what I do when it comes to religion or my
faith. Not once have these activities led
me to exile or collecting dung piles!
Beginning Basics
The book is set up as a thirty (30) day interactive book
with each day having the reader reflect on the life lesson and ending in
prayer.
This is actually the second book in the series. Sarah’s
Journey of Faith was based on the years before she came to Christ. In the first
book she shares some of the background and culture in the part of China where
she was raised.
Her second book “Sarah’s Journey of Faith – Water to Fire: The Prison Years” discusses her conversion and the events that took place
with the government and her six prison years.
Before we’re taken on the prison journey, Sarah gives a
little more background of how her father and family responded to her
conversion. The tides turned completely when she announced she had accepted
Christ as her Savior. The events she
shares are heartbreaking and could easily have led her into returning to the
father's beliefs, but that didn’t happen because Sarah was always mindful of what
Jesus did for her on the cross.
Make-Up of the Book
The chapters are set up as thirty days for reading
sessions, not thirty days in prison. Daily
readings aren’t very long (only a few pages), but are thought driven. Each “day” begins with a verse to ponder as
you progress through each lesson. Most
are from the book of Acts, the life of Jesus and Paul or the early church.
They end with Sarah asking the reader a question where we
put ourselves in a certain situation contemplating what we would or should do
as a believer. Following the question
there is a place to write (journal) what you experience during the session or
in some aspect in your own life. At the bottom of the section Sarah invites us
to jot down a short prayer reflecting on what the Holy Spirit has revealed to
them on that given day.
The chapters/days are chronologically listed by the events
that transpired in Sarah’s life during her prison time and in labor camps. They are divided into sections so it’s easy
to follow and understand.
There are basically three parts, even though there are
sub-categories relating to each time of imprisonment. The first part is entitled “Called to Be an
Evangelist. Here we discover how Sarah was converted to
Christianity and the events that led to her being sent away from her home and
family.
In part one we learn about the activities schedule of
when Sarah was sent to “Heaven School” which is a seminary college. Here is
where she received her Biblical training in becoming a missionary evangelist for
Jesus. The day began for each of the thirty
plus students at 5:30 a.m. with the class retiring to bed at 10:00 p.m. daily.
Those who attend this school know it’s not like the ordinary
place of higher education. Heaven School
isn’t the typical Bible college, but is a training ground preparing them on how
to survive also referred to as “Preparing for Flight.” Students learn how to
avoid being arrested, their escape and how to remain in faith to Jesus through
it all even if they end up in prison or are martyred.
It is in this part of the book we begin to understand the
secret underground house church and how much at risk the people are once they
turn their life over to the Lord. One
thing in particular that I picked up on was how the believers in her village
protected one another. They were willing to hide them in their “safe” homes
like we read in the Diary of Anne Frank, only this is happening in the
twenty-first century! There is an
unbelievable bond between Christians that I have yet to witness here in
America.
Parts Two & Three
Here Sarah discusses her baptisms, one by water and the
other by the fire of the Holy Ghost. By
day seven Sarah begins to walk us through her time and experiences that led her
to being arrested and when the torture began.
She shares how each of the three arrests were different,
the time in labor camps and the pressure that came from family visitations
asking her to renounce her faith in Jesus.
Sarah admits that there were times when she felt the urge to give in and
sign documents by the government, but God gave her strength each time it became
more difficult not to turn her back on what she had come to believe as the
truth.
Sarah begins to describe her torture and persecution for
simply being a Christian. She never
thought of herself as a criminal she says, but after her arrest Sarah was
shunned, abused and mistreated by her beloved family, friends and yes, country.
We get a glimpse of what it is like in present day in China
in the life of a Christian. The secret
life of a person who follows after “The Way”, referring to Jesus as the first
church was recognized, when they converted.
Sarah shares daily activities, what holidays were like, secret prayer
meetings, the underground house churches, the rarity of a Bible and how she hid
her most prized possession (a small New Testament) on prison grounds.
During her six years of incarceration, Sarah had many “jobs”
depending on which prison she was in at the time. The harshest time was during
her sentences at Lao Jiao, the worst labor camp. The days consisted of long hours of labor,
little sleep, meager portions of food and scarce medical care.
Overview
Reading through the book was easy, especially being in a
large print font type. It flows and even
though it’s set up for a thirty day period.
The first time I read it I couldn’t put it down wanting to find out what
happened next.
Although the storyline is intriguing, full of suspense
captivating us to read on, that’s not why Sarah shares her story. The main message of Sarah’s Journey of Faith Volume 2 lies in the thought provoking questions she asks at the end of each day’s
reading.
After you read each one you can’t simply write down a few
words or notes to “describe what you’ve learned” kind of things thinking you have
finished the assignment. They make you
question your own life, belief, walk with God and faith to the point you want
to do something.
Here is a sample of a few of the questions in the book we
are asked to answer in our own lives.
“How hard is it to
surrender (all) your possessions even when the cause is good or loving?” This is something Sarah had to do if she was
to serve the Lord.
“Has the Lord ever
taken you to a place, a situation that you felt inadequate?”
Sarah talks about those she served with and the injustice
showed them by the Chinese government.
She tells how like Joseph in the Old Testament in the Bible, she found
favor in prison by the guards and inmates.
We learn how she escapes from prison and was re-arrested,
her release and final exile from China where she left everything behind from
possessions to family. The book goes on
to cover how her Christian friends sacrificed for her so she could carry out
her mission concerning the persecuted church in this present age.
The First Step
Coming to the close of the book, day thirty (30) is
really the first step to an entirely new way of life for Sarah. As she prepared
to embark on a world she never knew, we empathize with her envisioning what it
must have been like. I remarked to my
husband that her journey reminded me of the film “The Great Escape”, when each
part of the escape had to be meticulously planned and where they learned to trust
people they never met.
Sarah describes her journey and how with each encounter
her trust in the Holy Spirit grew as did her faith and favor from God.
“With testimonies, new clothes to meet important people,
and a Wuchang fish, I was ready to begin my month long
voyage to America.” – Sarah
You’ll have to read why Sarah packed a fish as I don’t
want to share all the goodies of the book.
Sarah’s Journey of Faith Vol. 2 has humor, suspense, intrigue, joy and rays
of hope scattered through its pages.
Our last encounter of Sarah’s journey in China has us
envisioning her standing in the train station waving good-bye to people she
would see no more. Suspense builds as we
read each secret activity in leading up to Sarah’s freedom as she approaches the
borders edges, crossing waters alone to a new life and country she would now
call home.
I really enjoyed this book and was enlightened to even more aspects of a believer's life in a "hostile" country. Through all Sarah has endured, she has learned that in
doing the will of the Lord all a believer needs to do is simply trust Him. He will be with you throughout the journey.
Purchase Sarah’s Journey of Faith Volume 2
Book Specifics:
Available in eBook and Hard copy versions.
Easy Read Large Print Softbound 156 text pages.
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I
know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also. Click on the above tab “Tell Me” for more
information on becoming a child of the Savior.
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Scripture
reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Gateway BibleImage credit: Google Images or Dreamstime Creative Common License if not specified.
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Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief. Review is that of site author Favored1 and may not necessarily be that of the book author.
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