Seven years ago, when you were attending the general council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in Ottawa, I was in prison in Taiwan. I had helped a human rights leader who was sought by the police, so I was imprisoned and became a prisoner of conscience.

I was in prison for four years, three months and twenty-one days. Many of you sustained me and my family with your love and constant prayers. So I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to you all.

Many people asked me whether I felt that the 4-year imprisonment was a great loss. My answer has been that the 4-year imprisonment was a great blessing. I deeply felt that the Lord changed my grief to a great joy. In Jn 16.20 Jesus said: "I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy." It was true that the Lord turned everything I encountered during these years into a great blessing both to me and to my family.

Now, I would like to share with you why I feel that my imprisonment was a great blessing.

God gave me more friends

Usually when people were arrested and imprisoned as political prisoners in Taiwan, they became very lonely, because they would lose many friends; even their parents, wives, brothers and sisters would not dare to visit them.

But the Lord gave me many friends when I felt lonely and depressed in prison. I received many letters from Taiwan. Europe, North America, Latin America. Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands.

The churches in the UK, USA, Canada. Germany, Australia. Japan, Korea, Taiwan and elsewhere. sent their representatives to visit me in prison or my family at home.

WARC sent its general secretary, Dr Perret, to visit me and my family many times. WARC also informed many churches throughout the world of my case, and asked many people to pray for me and my family. Even Pope John Paul II sent his representative to visit me in prison. I was greatly comforted by you, your church, and many Christians throughout the world. Through all these precious experiences I reaffirmed that all Christians around the world are united in one body in Christ, transcending nationalities, races, cultures, languages and theological backgrounds. Surely, the Lord turned my grief into a great joy by giving me many new friends.

The Lord sent me as a missionary to the prisoners

No pastor was permitted to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the prison. But the Lord sent me there as a prisoner. I was able to live with other prisoners from different backgrounds. There were businessmen. soldiers, government officers, fishermen, engineers. gangster bosses and young people who had committed robbery, murder and other crimes. It was a great opportunity for me to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ to my fellow prisoners. The more I preached the gospel, the more I felt it was impossible for me to convert anyone. But in spite of our human weakness, the Lord changed many of them to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ.

One day there came a young man who had spent many years of his life in prison. He hated Christianity very much. so he harshly opposed me many times when I preached. I thought that this man would never become a Christian. But several months later, this young man came to me and said: "Mr Kao. I will become a Christian. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Saviour." I really could not believe what I had heard. But, the Lord really changed him into a new person. Everyday he read the Bible, he became very eager to study English, mathematics, physics and so on. He felt that the Lord wanted him to equip himself with more knowledge and wisdom. He told me later that, before he came to believe in Jesus, he felt that society was very unfair to him, so he was determined to harm the society by any means possible. But, after he became a Christian, he was determined to love God and all human beings in all ways possible and with everything he had.

Surely, the Lord turned my grief into a great joy by showing me that he is the living Saviour.

The Lord enabled our church to grow

The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) is now 124 years old. Twenty-four years ago, when the church celebrated its 100th anniversary, it accomplished the "Double the Church Movement". Our church membership doubled in ten years. But after that it was very difficult for our church to grow. Especially when I became the general secretary in 1970, the membership of our church even showed a slight decrease for two or three years. Because of this, when I was arrested and imprisoned in 1980, many people said, "Now, the members of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan will all go away, and all PCT churches will close down."

It was truly a very difficult time for our church in Taiwan. It seemed that the PCT was going to disappear from the world.

Nevertheless, the Lord was merciful to our church. God increased our church membership during the most difficult times. Step by step. During the past ten years, our church membership increased from approximately 160,000 to more than 200,000. The Lord added more than 40,000 members to our church, in spite of our human weakness and human powerlessness.

The Lord gave us greater love

On the 10th of December 1979, there happened the Kaoshiung incident in Taiwan. Lawyer Lin and many human rights leaders were arrested and imprisoned. Two months later, on the 28th of February 1980, while Lawyer Lin and other human rights leaders were on trial in the military court, there happened a bloody tragedy in Lawyer Lin's house.

Someone got into Lawyer Lin's house and cruelly injured his eldest daughter, and killed his 60-year old mother and twin daughters. Mrs Lin was in the court with Mr Lin, so they could escape from the tragedy. But later, someone informed them about the tragedy. They were so shocked that they fainted many times. They felt they lost everything, so they were in despair.

Many people felt very sorry for Mr and Mrs Lin, but no one dared to visit them, because they feared that the same tragedy would happen to them if they visited the Lins. Nevertheless. some of our pastors and church members visited them many times and invited them to attend the prayer meetings and the Bible study for political prisoners and their families. After several months Lawyer Lin became a very sincere inquirer, and Mrs Lin a wonderful Chrtistian.

On the 15th of August, 1984, that was 5 years ago today, both Lawyer Lin and I were released. Then Mr and Mrs Lin asked me to conduct the funeral service of their mother and twin daughters according to the Christian way. I was very moved by their decision so I said I would.

Several months later, I conducted the funeral service of Mr and Mrs Lin's mother and twin daughters. Many people attended. After the funeral, we all went to the grave yard. It was a beautiful place like a park.

But the thing that most impressed me was the two phrases which were engraved on the memorial stone.

The first phrase was from 1 Corinthians 13.4-7: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The second phrase was from "A Prayer of St. Frances of Assisi". Mr Lin quoted seven lines from it: "Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is darkness, light. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand. To be loved as to love."

Surely, God turned my grief to great joy by giving Mr and Mrs Lin great hope and greater love. So, through 4 years imprisonment I reaffirmed that Jesus Christ is love, justice and almighty. Only Jesus is the living Saviour for all human beings.

Lastly I would like to quote from one of my poems which I wrote in prison. It is entitled "God's way".

I asked the Lord for a bunch of fresh flowers
but instead he gave me an ugly cactus
with many thorns.

I asked the Lord for some beautiful butterflies
but instead he gave me many ugly
and dreadful worms.

I was threatened,
I was disappointed.
I mourned.

But after many days,
suddenly,
I saw the cactus bloom
with many beautiful flowers.

And those worms
became beautiful butterflies
flying in the Spring wind.

God's way is the best way.

So, let us trust in the Lord, and move forward with two legs. One leg is evangelization, and the other one is social concern.

May the Lord bless us all. Amen!