“Halt, or we’ll shoot!!” came the rough command from the shadows along the deserted road.
The two young Chinese missionaries stopped and quickly put up their hands. They had walked fifteen miles that day, and it was now late in the afternoon. They were beginning to look for a place to stay for the night, but this command stopped them!
Ling and Sun stood very still as the bandits moved toward them. They had guns in their hands, and the men looked very rough. “Give us your money!” one of them demanded.
“All the money we have is in our bundle,” explained Ling. “We are missionaries telling about the love of the Lord Jesus Christ for men just like you.”
“Quiet!” said the leader of the bandits as they searched through the missionaries’ belongings.
The bandits found the small roll of paper money, took it and quickly moved back into the bushes. They left the missionaries’ Bibles, hymnbooks and changes of clothing, but with only seventeen cents. Ling and Sun were fifteen miles from home with no food, no place to spend the night and no money to buy the things they needed. They knelt down beside the road and thanked the Lord for keeping them from being hurt by the bandits. Then they asked that their present needs might be taken care of, if it was His will.
As they continued walking again along the road they were startled by someone running up behind them. But instead of the rough command to “Halt!", a gentle voice somewhat out of breath said, “I wish you peace. My name is Ping An. What are your names?”
“Mine is Ling,” replied the older one. “This man’s name is Sun. Ping An is a Christian name. Are you a Christian?”
“Yes,” said Ping An. “I know the Lord Jesus Christ as my own Saviour. Will you come and spend the night in my home?”
“I don’t understand,” answered Ling. “You don’t know who we are.”
“Yes, I do,” replied Ping An. “You are Christian missionaries, and you were robbed by bandits about one mile down this road.” Ping An went on to explain: “I was working in the field back there and saw the bandits stop you. Of course, I could not get right up close to see what was happening. I was able to get close enough to hear you say you were gospel preachers, and I saw them take your money. I also saw you kneel and pray.”
“I went back to my work not knowing what to do, but a voice inside of me said, ‘Follow those men and invite them to your home."'
That was how God provided for Ling and Sun. They found Christian friends and were taken to their home. They had good food, a good place to sleep and they didn’t even have to use their seventeen cents. When they left the next day they carried a gift of money to pay for the day’s expenses. Can God pride? Ask the missionaries, Ling and Sun.
ML-01/25/1981