China has two churches: The official church, known as the House Church. More than ever, the Church is thriving in China. Many lives are being changed and people are finding hope in both of these communities of faith. The children of China, like Lin live in a tension that is greater than most could imagine Not only do they meet religious challenges, they confront an enormous amount of social and educational pressure from their teachers and families. Typically, Chinese children go to school from early in the morning until late afternoon. By American standards, their schools are strict. In a Chinese classroom, you won’t find finger paintings, bright story books or even a single crayon. You won’t hear children singing songs or running around the room in an afternoon game break. Instead, it is common to find teachers who belittle and shame the children to improve classroom performance. After school the children tackle an enormous pile of homework before retiring to bed. The stakes are high for these children, their entire future rests on educational performance from elementary on. The better a child does in each level of school determines his or her advancement into the next level of education. There is no pulling up your bootstraps and hitting the books in high school so you can get into a good college; career possibilities and paths are set in elementary. When your career begins on your very first day of school, there is little relief.

But for the children who are lucky enough to attend an underground Sunday School, fun awaits. In Sunday School they get to color, play games, and sing songs. The things that most children take for granted in the States are pure joy to Chinese children. As they soak up the Bible lessons and songs, hope fills their little hearts and prepares them for returning to the pressures of another grueling week of school.

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