"Keep quiet, keep your head down, don't draw attention to yourself and don't make eye contact."
We paid attention but I was determined to try to get some photos. My discreteness was not discrete enough and my phone was promptly confiscated at the first passport checkpoint. It was placed in the little red box.
Our goal was to get through 4 checkpoints with guards who only spoke Chinese. It was definitely intimidating. Our family of five was separated when two of the boys and I were detained for questioning and bag searches. They found one of our bibles and sent us on our way. We didn't meet up with the rest of the family for two more check points. And I lost my coffee. Brutal - just brutal. ;-)
When we finally entered the elevator to take us up to the 2nd floor, we were home free and greeted with praise and snacks for getting the bibles through. As well as the uniting of our family all together again.
We began our church service in a hushed and quiet way as if we were in an "underground" church, hiding from authorities that would persecute us. We sang and read scripture by candlelight.
It was sobering. It makes me thankful for the freedom we do have to practice our faith, but - it also made me realize how close we are, even in our own country, to loosing that freedom. The war on Christians is on our soil, it's in our State and it's close to home.
