(ChinaAid, Midland, TX) Pastor John Cao recently wrote another poem from prison. This is his second poem newest poem since the release of Living Lyrics, which you can purchase here.
Pastor John Cao’s mother gave her son passages of the Bible in prison, namely the Gospel of Matthew. John wrote back and dated his response December 21, 2021. The following was his response and poem:
Dear mother, you had written Chapter 24 verse 27 of the Gospel of Matthew for me, and I have recited it. These verses are Jesus asking the disciples to act immediately after hearing the Lord’s words. I will use quatrains to express my thoughts after reading.
Set off on a journey at the Lord’s Command
Roots set on solid rock will not falter
On the days of gusty winds and powerful blows,
Hold on tightly and receive mighty protection
Chinese Communist authorities arrested Pastor John Cao as he crossed the China-Myanmar border in 2017. Cao returned from China after setting up Bible schools for children in Myanmar, offering education and the gospel.
The court sentenced Pastor John Cao for seven years for the baseless charge of “illegally crossing the national border.” Similarly, authorities arrested An Yankui and several congregants of Taiyuan Xuncheng Reformed Church for the same charge. All of these cases contain similarities: all of the defendants owned legal Chinese passports, filed travel visas legally, and attended or participated in some sort of religious activity outside of China.
Despite his seven-year sentence, Pastor John Cao wrote a collection of poems which ChinaAid published. Living Lyrics: Poems from Prison offers his spiritual insights from his prison cell and highlights the perseverance of the persecuted church.
