“I Hid my Bible in the Pig Sty”

0
1570
SHARE
Long Qinmei is well known amongst the Miao church for her love and knowledge of the Scriptures.

YUNNAN, China – What if your Bible smells of pig’s manure? Would you still read it? Long Qinmei did. Because it was her one and only Bible.

During the Cultural Revolution, Long Qinmei kept her Miao language (language of the Miao people group, an ethnic minority group in Southwest China) New Testament Bible inside a box and hid it in a pig sty when authorities raided her house. And when she kept mum about the names of her church leaders, she was initially given seven years’ imprisonment.

“By God’s grace, the sentence was reduced to nine months. I was 34 then,” recalled Long, a Miao Christian, who is 86 today, with eyesight and hearing still sharp and stamina still strong. “I was so happy to recover my Bible from the pig sty after I was released!”

Born into a Christian family of whom her grandfather was an elder and her father a preacher, Granny Long has developed a deep longing for God. “My father left a huge impact on my life. Despite suffering from arthritis, he would use a crutch for support to climb up a hill at five in the morning to pray before Sunday service,” shared Long.

Single all her life, Granny Long lives alone but enjoys the solitude with God. At six every morning, Granny Long would meet with God as she takes time to pray, read and meditate on His Word. Despite only having grade four education, Granny Long reads both the Chinese and Miao language.

A copy of the Bible in the Miao script

It is not surprising that elderly as she is, Granny Long gets invited to many churches to preach, share the gospel and do home visits. In fact, she is well-known amongst the Miao Church for her love and knowledge of the Scriptures. The living waters within her flow out to refresh many lives.

Upon receiving the Miao Bible, she is full of gratitude towards sponsors from United Bible Societies, “Because of your love offering to the Bible translation work, many living in poverty can access the Bible and benefit from God’s Word, and God’s name is glorified.”

 

Written by: Lydia Zhang and Tan Lay Leng
Photo: UBS CP
2020 © United Bible Societies China Partnership

 

Translating the Bible for Ethnic Minorities in China

Granny Long’s dedication to God’s Word is such an inspiration! Praise God that she and fellow believers from the Miao ethnic group have access to the Scriptures in their mother tongue language.

With the support of United Bible Societies (UBS), the Miao Church in Yunnan Province completed the translation of the Old Testament and the Miao Bible was launched in 2009. Since then, the Miao Christians have been able to have the whole Bible in their own language. UBS continues to support the Churches in China in the translation of other ethnic minority languages so that these Christians are able to read the Word of God and hear the gospel in their heart language.

If you would like to support the work of Bible Translation in China, please write or speak to your respective Bible Societies, designating your donation to “Supporting Bible Translation in China”. For a list of Bible Societies and their contact details, please visit this page.