Da Wei in China

Da Wei in China has been arrested multiple times as he seeks to do what so many others around the world can do freely: tell young people about Jesus. The opposition almost took him to breaking point – that was until you stepped in and provided support that felt like an ‘angel’s embrace’.

When Da Wei* was arrested for involvement in a Christian school called Voyagers, he discovered the police had a 23-page profile on him detailing his life as a believer. It was the same for his co-workers. “They even recorded incidents that we almost forgot,” he recalls.  

It wasn’t Da Wei’s first brush with persecution. He had previously been detained for 17 days after involvement in a youth camp. He held onto his faith back then, and he’s done so ever since, even as the hostility he’s encountered has intensified.  

A generational calling 

Da Wei is passionate about the next generation of believers in China. Voyagers, which he took the lead in founding, provides education and discipleship for children, particularly those from challenging backgrounds.  

Its vision goes back to an encounter Da Wei had with a Buddhist family of five in 2013, not long after his first arrest. They had made the pilgrimage to the Lhasa Holy Ground, the centre of Tibetan Buddhism. They did it by foot and it took a year. Inspired by their dedication, Da Wei asked the eldest son if it was worth it. “This is our highest honour,” he said. 

“How can we compare our Christian next generation with the Buddhist next generation?” Da Wei pondered. “God, is there anything that I can do to help pass down Christian values to the next generation?”  

From that, Voyagers was born. “The students are provided with a new opportunity to accept Jesus and be transformed by Him,” Da Wei explains. “I believe that we are the clay, and the Lord is our Potter, and all we are the work of His hand (Isaiah 64:8). The changes in these children’s lives make us feel that all our efforts are worth it.” 

However, because of suffocating surveillance and restrictive laws, including a ban on under 18s from engaging in religious activities, those efforts have been pushed to the limit on countless occasions. 

Caught by an undercover officer 

Voyagers was six years old when Da Wei was arrested alongside his coworkers and he discovered the 23-pages of intel they had on him. After being interrogated, they were given two options: a prison sentence of at least three years that could rise to seven years, plus a hefty fine; or the confiscation of their school property. They went for the latter. 

It meant that, after their release, the school had to relocate several times with some 50 students as they sought to continue their ministry whilst evading the authorities. “Why were we discovered again?” Da Wei asked after another occasion when the police interrupted their activities. “Because we shared the gospel.”  

Once, they bravely took to a local square to evangelise, only to encounter an undercover officer. Students and teachers were detained for six hours, the school was raided, and Da Wei was interrogated a further four times.  

A chance encounter 

Wearied by incessant persecution, Da Wei cried out, “Lord, I want to give up now. It’s not that I don’t want to continue. We just can’t find any places to stay.”  

In response, he felt the Holy Spirit give him the words of Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” 

He then waited for God’s help – and it came through you!  

After a chance encounter with Open Doors partners, he was given support to obtain a new venue for Voyagers, plus other help, including persecution survival training. “I deeply feel the importance of companionship and the warmth of fellowship,” Da Wei says. Children from the school have since gone on to serve in church ministry in China and abroad. 

“Thank you – your prayers and support are like an angel’s embrace, a beam of light in the darkness, and a charcoal fire in the cold,” he adds. “It’s tangible, powerful and heartwarming.” 

“Every time I see him, he reminds me of the resilient wild grass in the open field, which has survived many violent storms and rains, and still uses its tenacious vitality to fill a field,” an Open Doors local partner says of Da Wei. 

His life echoes the endurance of so many leaders reaching the younger generation in China. As Da Wei testifies, your continued prayers and support are crucial to this mission. Thank you for standing with our family in China as they seek to follow Jesus in an increasingly challenging environment.  

*Name changed for security reasons