Reflections on the Propaganda Department of the East German Communist Party
Reflections on the Propaganda Department of the East German Communist Party
Ding Tong Gan and He Li Shan, husband and wife
A few years ago, Pastor Li Xiou Quan gave Tong Gan a book titled “The Second Half of Life.” It's a well-written bestseller. A special subtitle on its cover reads: "Shifting from Pursuing Success to Pursuing Value and Meaning." Last year, when we decided to retire in early 2006, we began to think about how to live a more meaningful life. In 2004, we participated in a short-term mission trip to Paris, France. Then, in April 2005, we had the opportunity to broaden our horizons further by traveling to Germany with five brothers and sisters from Beitang Church. Our visit, spanning over ten days from West Germany to East Germany, included visits to four cities and many fellowships and churches, leaving a deep impression.
In 2005, due to an ankle injury, I was unable to attend the Southeast Summer Conference. However, Tong Gan brought back exciting news. Three pioneering workers from the East German Campus Ministry came to the conference to share their vision for the ministry. Thrilled, Tong Gan invited them to Atlanta for more sharing and acquaintance. After a few days together, we gained a more concrete understanding of their ministry and needs. We saw that the wave of Chinese students had swept across Europe, with students there numbering several times more than those in the US. However, after graduation, they had difficulty finding jobs, leading most students to return to China one after another, becoming a natural and effective means for the Gospel to return to China.
Ever since 1997, when I started to work with Congan, I have had opportunities 
After flying directly to Frankfurt, we took the ICE high-speed train to Dresden. At the end of last year, the East German campus ministry established a center here, and Pastor Fan and his wife spend most of the year living here. Two days later, student representatives from the Cannes Bible Study group picked us up and took us by train for an hour and a half to our destination, Chemnitz. Currently, the East German ministry has eight campus Bible study groups in fourteen campuses that have been contacted. It is said that Chemnitz has a group of very earnest Christians. It is God's grace that the coworkers are entrusting such a good group of students to us. At 10:30 that evening, we finally arrived at the new apartment the students had prepared for us, feeling like we were entering a “new home.” We were so amazed by the students“ care, thoughtfulness, meticulousness, and love. It was indeed a case of ”small but complete,“ with everything from a desk, wardrobe, and bed to dish soap, a rag, and toothpicks all provided in the small studio apartment. Wow! The only children born in the 1980s are not as pampered as one might imagine! The next day, a newly married couple, ”Old Pei" and his wife, accompanied us shopping, which further impressed us with these students.
On the first Sunday, I took over the Sunday sermon, and on the second Sunday, I added Li Shan’s Sunday school—“Introduction to the New Testament.” The students have a great spiritual appetite, and as a result, two evangelistic meetings were arranged consecutively on campus. The students themselves designed exquisite posters and posted them around campus to invite their friends. Later, we held another evangelistic meeting in Dresden, borrowing an audiovisual classroom at the university. In early June, I partnered with Brother Chen Yimao for a four-day edification camp. On the first Saturday of each month, the students in Cannes specially arranged a four-hour fasting and prayer meeting. Although they have not been believers for long, their love for the Lord and their reliance on Him are so pure and assured. Every Sunday, we arrange for different students or couples to come over for dinner and conversation, to share their thoughts, vent their frustrations, and offer them the warmth of home. Sometimes, even lunchtime needs to be utilized. Thursday’s program was even more exciting. First, there was dinner prepared by Li Shan for fifteen to sixteen people, and then Tong Gan led the students in inductive Bible study on Romans. The students would do their homework first, and then Tong Gan would analyze and explain each part. The students were extremely enthusiastic. Every Friday and Saturday, there are five Bible study groups on the Cannes campus, and we all attend them separately. Every Sunday, in addition to the morning worship service and Sunday school, my wife and I take a 45-minute train ride in the afternoon to minister to the Bible study group at the Freiberg campus.
In addition to the two regular Bible study groups, we also visited Dresden, Cottbus, and Leipzig, where we had special topic discussions. Indeed, it is a fellowship where teachers are truly stationed to provide care, and the students grow rapidly. On the first Sunday evening after our arrival in Chemnitz, we had “dumpling making,” followed by “making fried cakes,” and “eating hot pot in June.” We quickly bonded with the students and became like family. Tong Gan is busy every day supplying the students with spiritual food, while Li Shan is happily busy supplying them with physical food every day. Every time we see them “eating heartily” and “gobbling down their food,” no matter how many dishes we prepare, the plates are “emptied clean,” and our exhaustion is quickly forgotten. The children's hearts are so pure; they tell us whatever is on their minds. However, matters of dating and relationships often give us a headache and make us worry about them. These are temptations that arise from loneliness, homesickness, coupled with pressure from language, studies, and finances.
Before going to East Germany, we didn't know how we would spend these two months in ideological indoctrination, but what we did know was that after returning home, we deeply realized how quickly these two months had passed! After our return, the students still communicated with us via MSN and Skype, as if we had never left. They are our spiritual children. May this small effort of ours build up more people for the Kingdom. We are merely instruments in God's hands; may the Lord continue to use us.
