China's Underground School
When we think of seminaries, it’s typically on a beautiful campus, with classrooms full of light from nearby windows. Rarely do we think of seminary schools being held in an underground cave, shrouded in secrecy. But that’s exactly what WorldServe’s seminary school looks like in a rural area in China.
On a recent visit to China, a team of WorldServe supporters were introduced to our underground seminary school and witnessed first hand the high cost of following the Lord in China.
They visited the secret seminary school one evening. Dressed in dark clothing, they ran silently across a field and crawled through the small cave opening undetected.
While there they learned the real sacrifice these students make on a daily basis. For six months of the year, these students live in the cave, leaving infrequently and only under the protective cover of darkness.
Their day starts at 6 a.m., with prayer and devotion. Around 8 a.m. the students receive their first meal of the day, which is a bun with mincemeat. They usually don’t eat again until dinner, which features the same “meal” as breakfast. Their intense education takes place between these two small meals.
After a rigorous day of learning, they fall asleep on a bed of hay on the cave floor.
“We live with such entitlement that everything should be fair. It’s hard to get your head around their world.”