A Sister’s Heart-Breaking Story

Meishu, a female Christian living in Pantang Town, Tongshan County, Jiangsu Province, has been arrested by the police many times. In addition to detention, she has suffered from torture and group-rape by the government’s agents. The following is her story.

One day in February 1992, about 2:00pm, we were worshiping at Rong Li’s house in Lijing Village, Damiao Town. Suddenly, Zhi-bing Sun, an office at United Front Line Department of Damiao Township and several policemen broke into our meeting place. They shouted: “House churches are prohibited by the government. All of you should go home now; otherwise we will deal with you at night! We will have somebody to beat you up! You will have no way to find justice even you are beaten to death!” Around 11:00 o’clock that night, I was woken up by the screams from the next room. Then two men showed up at our door, shouting “We are sent here by the police. Let’s how we are going to deal with you!” One man lifted my quilt and then tore my clothes apart. His hands touched all my body. I was so scared that I screamed loudly. Then he used one hand to choke my neck and used the other hand to grab and rub my breasts. He pulled my breast so hard that I felt my heart was pulled out. Then his hand moved down to my private… I tried my best to struggle but unable to escape from the Satan’s evil hand… At the meantime, I heard a young sister’s scream. We were such group-raped for about two hours. He saw me struggling very hard, and then hit my head with something. I lost my consciousness. It was already dawn when I woke up. I was frightened when I saw my kid’s face and head covered with blood. Then I realized that my head was broken last night. My touched the lesion and found it was about 3-cm long and the hairs were stuck together with the blood. I saw other sisters were sitting with blank eyes. They were raped, too. Among the victims, the oldest was more than 60-year-old; the youngest was only 17 or 18. To disperse us, the police came in the morning and tore down the house. They also destroyed all the cooking utensils. Before they left, they beat us again.

Later in July, we were gathering at Mountain Eagle in Wushao Town. Police from the Township Police Station came and tore down our newly-built house. They smashed all cooking pots and dinning cutlery. After taking away all the valuables from us, they sent us to Pantang Town Police Station. I was beaten up and then cuffed together with a sister to a window. At the night, numerous mosquitoes kept biting us. We endured to the morning. A policeman put another kind of cuff on my right hand. Right after it was put on, I heard a click and it became tighter, making me feel that my bones were broken. This cuff would tighten if I moved. I tried to keep still. However, the police put my cuffed hand on the ground. Then he trampled my five fingers. My whole body was trembling because of the unbearable pain. He taunted, “Bitch! How are you? Feel good? How come your god did not protect you?” I was detained for two days this time.

In December, we were arrested again because of assembling. At Pantang Town Police Station, the team leader Zhenzhong Cao grabbed my hair, pulled up, and slapped on my face, abusing, “Shame of you! Assembling every day would feed you?” Another old officer in uniform ordered me to kneel down in the yard. Just after I knelt down, he kicked me on the ground, and then pulled me up and punched me head and face. I collapsed down on the ground, and he forced me to get up and kneel down. He continued beating me. I really could not bear the pain. But he did not stop. He ordered me to take of my coat with only a shirt on, and sit on the ground with bared feet. The temperature was about -7^oC (19^oF). My body was trembling. After a short while, I felt my body became stiff and numb. After more an hour, I was then allowed to get up. By that time, I was hardly able to walk. This time I was detained for six days. And I was not given any food for the whole period.

After several days, I was arrested to Wushao Town Police Station because of assembling. During the interrogation, because I said “Thank God”, the police put my hands on the ground and struck with bricks. He abused, “Bitch! Let you thank God!” Then I said again. He then struck again for 7 to 8 times. My skin was ripped off, blood running out. We were released in the afternoon.

In the morning on April 26^th, 1996, we were gathering in Mountain Eagle. The police came again. They again destroyed everything including the house we just built. Then we were taken to Wushao Town Police Station. The Political Protection Section Head ordered us kneel down on the concrete in the yard. In that year, the weather became hot very early. It was noontime and the temperature was at 38^oC (100^oF). Our sweat was like rain drops and soaked our clothes in a short time. I felt very dizzy, my stomachs nauseated, my mind blank. They would beat us when we failed to keep body straight. The old Section Head abused, “Fuxx! Believe in God?! Beat you to death! Now I am the god!” When I was unable to kneel, he placed four pieces of brick on my legs to force me kneel straight. I was almost ready to kill myself. In such way, we knelt under the burning sun for about two hours. When I got up, my legs were unable to walk. In the afternoon, we were sent to Pantang Town Police Station, where I was detained for seven days.

Dear Brothers and Sisters: Your heart should feel pain! Your spirit should be moved! Pray for those persecuted brothers and sisters because of the name of our lord! Give out your helping hand to your brothers and sisters!

Brothers and Sisters: Do you forget what Lord Jesus told us? He repeatedly asked Peter, “Do you truly love me more than these?... Feed my lambs. …Take care of my sheep.” What an earnest expectation! Asking Peter means asking every one of us who believes in Him and rejects the world!

At the end of the world, He will surely ask us how we “love one and other”, and how we take care of one of the least of these. (Matthew 25: 31-46). We are all Christians. We are all His flock. However, we should be the sheep but not the goats! We must do our best to be on the right side and be careful not to fall to the left side!

-- Brother Li