Source:                    www.ChinaAid.org

Date:                         February 22, 2022

 

(Ezhou, Hubei Province, China—February 21, 2022) On February 18, Pastor Hao Zhiwei of a house church located in Ezhou wrote a second letter to her son—Paul, telling him that she has God’s amazing peace with her after being imprisoned and sleeps well in jail. She was sentenced to 8 years on the charge of “fraud” by Hubei Province Ezhou City Echeng District Court in the first trial on February 11, 2022. 

On February 11, 2022, Paul, Pastor Hao Zhiwei’s oldest son, wrote a letter to his mom after learning that she was given an eight-year sentence. He asked about her condition because they had not seen each other for a while.

After Pastor Hao Zhiwei was imprisoned, her little son, Moses, who is an elementary schooler, started to suffer from severe depression. Pastor Hao’s husband passed away in 2018. When she was initially arrested, Paul, her oldest son, took care of his little brother, but Paul left home and went to college in 2020. Moses had to live alone because the authorities had already incarcerated his mom for a long time. He dropped out of school last semester and locked himself in his room every day. He has only one meal each day (the sisters of the church cook for him) and is unwilling to communicate with others. Pastor Hao said that she was heartbroken to hear that news. 

Paul returned home in the winter break recently and talked with his brother, and Moses agreed to go back to school. 

Paul said that he was speechless when he learned that his mom was sentenced to 8 years. He has not let Moses know because he wants Moses to focus on school. He said, “I believe that it is God’s will regardless of any result, and God refines our heart using the matter.” 

Pastor Hao received her children’s letter for the first time in her over-2-year imprisonment starting July 31, 2019. She responded to Pau’s letter and said that the 2-year-and-7-month imprisonment made her grow a lot.

Pastor Hao disclosed that her inmate received their verdict on February 10— a 12-year sentence. The inmate lost sleep for over a week. Pastor Hao received her verdict of the first trial on February 11. However, she did not sleep on the first night only, so she prayed hard. Now she sleeps well. She asks her children not to worry about her, saying that God’s amazing peace is with her. 

 

 

 

Pastor Hao Zhiwei's second letter to her son Paul
(Photo: ChinaAid source)

 

 

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