Sunday, February 20, 2005
NOVELS BY RETIRED MISSIONARY TO CHINA RELATE HORRIFIC INTENSITY OF PERSECUTION SINCE 1949
By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA (ANS) -- In “Red Runs The River,” author and retired missionary to China, Rev. Anthony G. Bollback “tells an unforgettable, authentic, historical story revealing the horrific intensity of the persecution suffered by Christians in China since 1949.”  (Pictured: Cover for Red River).

Bollback’s website says that, “Based on personal experience and first-hand knowledge, the author weaves an intriguing story of two committed young people who will not give up their faith in Christ even though it cost them dearly. Imprisoned, tortured, cruelly beaten for their faith, they cling to the promises of God during some of the darkest hours in China's history.”

A review of the book says: “At the time they are torn apart by the war, Anching makes a promise that he will find Meiling again even if it takes the rest of his life. Follow both of them through years of struggle, unbelievable suffering for the cause of Christ, and an intense determination against all odds to find each other again.”

Now, “Exiles of Hope -- The Story of China’s Persecuted Church, Vol. 2,”
continues to weave an intriguing story of two committed young people who will not give up their faith in Christ even though it cost them dearly. Imprisoned, tortured, cruelly beaten for their faith, they cling to the promises of God during some of the darkest hours in China's history. (Pictured: Cover for Exiles of Hope).

As a sequel to “Red Runs the River,” “Exiles of Hope -- The Story of China's Persecuted Church, Vol. 2” continues the suspenseful story of Anching and Meiling, two Chinese young people who are determined to trust Jesus in every circumstance following the bitter takeover of their homeland by the Communists. Torn apart by war and unable to communicate with each other for years, they never lose hope of being reunited.

The website review says: “Anching, who escaped into Hong Kong when the Nationalist army was defeated, finds himself in a refugee camp where conditions are hopeless and cruelty dominates. Although his life is threatened more than once as he challenges evil, he presses forward with urgency to share Christ to the struggling refugees. It is during this time that he meets a fine Christian woman and questions whether it is foolish to hold to his promise to Meiling. He wonders if she is even alive, but eventually puts his doubts to rest and continues to trust God to find her, even though it might take the rest of his life.

The review states: “Although Meiling does not know if Anching is alive either, she, too, persists in serving God and believing that He will bring them together in His time. Confined to a prison commune far away from her family, she finds ways to share her faith and disciple new believers. Her eventual release results in more disappointment, but God transforms her circumstances into service for Him. She becomes a Bible woman, fearlessly replacing the elderly Bible woman who has been beaten to death for her faith.

It continues: “It is on a rare visit to her home, that Meiling experiences the unusual privilege of listening to Scripture being beamed into China via short wave radio. One day when as she is sitting in a secret padded closet so she can copy the Scripture being dictated over the radio, she realizes she is listening to the voice of her beloved Anching. He is alive! Although she daily struggles to survive, she has renewed hope that one day she will see Anching.

“What seems impossible becomes an emerging dream when Meiling makes contact with Anching through a circuitous route, and he decides to do the unthinkable and return to China to find her. His determination to serve God along the way results in imprisonment and brutal beatings, but also God’s intervention and deliverance.

The website adds: “Slowly Anching makes his way toward Meiling. Always depending on God’s provision as he serves Him in the small hamlets and villages along the way, he finds that even a dying pig becomes one of God’s props that helps him reach his goal.

“Throughout the amazing story of Anching and Meiling – who themselves are composites of the many faithful Christians in China that endured bitter persecution – the ringing truth is the hope they place in Jesus.

“Again and again, this story demonstrates that with God all things are possible for those who obey and trust Him implicitly. It is a story of grace and courage, of setbacks and miraculous interventions, and it is the story of a determined man and a hopeful young woman who God reunites in the end.”

Please visit the web site http://www.bollback.com and read Window On China and information about his books and how to obtain them.

The book “Red Runs the River” is now available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble at their regular prices (currently $16.99 plus postage with Amazon.Com). The book “Exiles of Hope” is in final editing and cover design.
Anyone wishing to place an order for the first book should e-mail the author (kahu@juno.com)  to arrange to send a check for $16.00 total.

You may also contact Rev. Anthony G Bollback in writing at:
1622 Calvin Circle
Kissimmee, Fl 34746