STUDYING INTENTLY: Church members come prepared each Sabbath to study and learn with Bibles, notebooks, pens, pencils, and other materials. They sit at pews designed for study with writing ledges.
Tell me more,” Meifen* insisted of her neighbor Zhu. “I need to know more.” Zhu’s answer was emphatic, “No, no, not now. I have to go. I’ll come back tomorrow and tell you more.”
Zhu was nervous discussing Bible verses of hope and encouragement at her friend’s house. In China some 40 years ago the law did not allow her to talk about God or share the gospel. She and Meifen were good friends, but if anyone—including neighbors or even children—reported what she was doing, there would be trouble for everyone involved, and probably punishment for Zhu. She was afraid, yet she knew she was doing the right thing.
It Started With a Dream
After finding Meifen sick one day, Zhu visited her friend frequently to help her during her illness. Then one night Zhu had a dream that troubled her because of its vividness and urgency. She felt it held personal meaning for her. She told her husband about the dream and asked him to help her interpret it.
“I dreamed I was home and that I had one seed,” Zhu told her husband. “Then a very real voice told me that I should go to my neighbor Meifen’s house and plant this seed in her front yard. Then Meifen and I took care of it and watered it, and in time it grew to be a thin, small tree. The tree grew and had a large trunk and many, many branches that spread out and up, until it was a massive tree with thousands of leaves. Then the dream ended and I woke up.
“It was not like other dreams,” she added. “I’m sure there is a meaning and that I must do something.” Read More
