“Freeze! Don’t scream. If you are not obedient, I will stab you, then your two lives will cease to exist.” A ferocious gangster with a knife threatened me, an unarmed pregnant woman.

Over ten years have passed since, but I am still haunted when I think of it now, much more often I feel grateful to God. At the crucial moment, without God’s protection, I really didn’t know what would happen!

It was in October of 2016. My husband and I bought an apartment in the special economic zone. But because it was far from the place where my husband worked, we decided to rent it out first. Before long, a middle aged man who said he himself ran a factory came to rent our apartment. He said his family would live. We talked two times, and negotiated an agreement on all aspects, such as price and so on, then we were waiting for him to pay the rent.

One afternoon, we were preparing to sign the contract when an unexpected thing happened. He guided me to the bedroom on purpose. When I was not looking, suddenly he took out a knife, pointed at my belly in which there was a seven-month-foetus, shouting loudly, “Freeze! Don’t scream. If you are not obedient, I will stab you, then your two lives will cease to exist. I specializes in this job and have ever been in prison.” I was dumbfounded by such a sudden scene. I really couldn’t believe that he may go from a soft-speaking person to a pitiless killer. I felt extremely scared, thinking: I am a dead man. What if he will threaten me with my foetus? Will he injure me? I wanted to persuade him to turn back, so I said, “If your mother knows that you are doing this job, she will be infuriated. You’re also a parent. Don’t do anything wicked….” Before I finished my words, he sneered, “Don’t try to persuade me. I’m such a man.” He said as he pushed me against the corner, had me stand against the wall, then pointed me with his fingers and roared, “Put down your cellphone. Raise up your hands. Freeze!” The moment I put down my cellphone, I was even more nervous, because it was the only way that I could contact the outside world. This time I had no way to ask for help …

Not giving me more time to think, he fiercely said, “Behave! Hand over your bank card!” As I thought that the lives of my foetus and mine are more important, I handed my bank card to him. I thought I would be all right. But unexpectedly, he twisted my arms behind my back, took out the prepared rope from his pocket, bound my hands and then tied my feet that I couldn’t move. He took out his knife from the pocket again, and waved it before my eyes, then furiously shouted, “Tell me the code quickly! If you are lying to me, I will kill you when I return. If I stab you, your two lives will cease to exist.” Seeing him point my foetus with the knife, my heart beat rather fast, thinking: What am I to do? Both my foetus and I will die with a blow from a knife. In anxiety, I thought of God. When my mother and my sister preached the gospel to me, they always exhorted me, “No matter what difficulties you meet in the future, don’t forget to pray to God. Everything is in God’s hand and is determined by God.” Thinking of this, I hurried to call out to God, “Oh God！I am willing to put all of my surroundings and the people, matters, and things in Your hand. May You lead me through the crisis.” After praying, I thought of God’s word, “Be not afraid; with My support, who could ever block this road? Remember this! Do not forget!” God is my mainstay. And He is my strong tower and my refuge. What can someone do to me? The evil man is also in God’s hand. Without God’s permission, he can never hurt a hair of my head. God’s words comfort my heart. I needn’t worry for my life and death are controlled by God’s hand. Thinking of these, my heart became much more steady and calm. Then I began to consider silently: What should I do? I remembered the Bible said, “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content” (1 Timothy 6–8). As we just bought an apartment, our savings were all used up, now we had only over eight hundred yuan. All I have to do is to keep my foetus not being scared and to keep ourselves safe. Thinking of this, I didn’t hesitate to tell him the code.

I would have thought he would let me go when he got bank card and code. In addition, I, a pregnant woman, whose hands and feet were bound, couldn’t do anything. But he didn’t intend to let me go, asking hypocritically, “By what time does your husband come back? Would you make a phone call to tell him to come back home early?” At that moment, I dared not leave God for a single moment. Then I called out to God and asked God to lead me to do things. At that time, I thought that there were only eight hundred yuan in the bank card, which hardly satisfied his greedy heart. If he held us hostage and rang my husband up to threaten him to ransom us with money, won’t it become worse？Thank God’s guidance. I refused his demands. Later, He wildly gagged my mouth with the cloth, and sealed it with the scotch tape. Closing the window and door and locking it on the inside, he got away.

I stayed in the small and stuffy room, the feeling of loneliness and fear came rushing back: My first foetus was dead from lack of oxygen. Now my mouth is bound and my nose is covered, which makes me difficult to breathe. Moreover, the door and the window are closed. My husband will come off work at eight or nine and there are five or six hours left. If I cannot take the air, I will be suffocated, to say nothing of my foetus. So I called out to God, “Oh God, I’m afraid that my foetus will die from lack of oxygen and I’m also afraid that the gangster will return back to ask for more money. Oh God! I am willing to put our life and death in your hands. May you care and keep us!”

After praying, I thought God’s word, “Almighty God, the Head of all things, wields His kingly power from His throne. He rules over the universe and all things, and He is in the act of guiding us on the whole earth. We shall at every moment be close to Him, and come before Him in quietness, never missing a single moment, and with lessons for us to learn at all times. Everything, from the surrounding environment to people, affairs, and things, all exist by permission of His throne. Do not on any account let grievances arise in your heart, or God will not bestow His grace upon you. … We have within us the resurrected life of Christ. Undeniably, we lack faith in the presence of God: Would that God would put true faith within us. Sweet indeed is the word of God! God’s word is potent medicine! It puts to shame the devils and Satan! Grasping God’s word gives us support. His word acts fast to save our hearts! It dispels all things and sets all at peace.” God’s word gave me faith and strength, letting me understand that everything is controlled by God and all things in the entire universe are under the dominion of God. Only when we believe in God, rely on Him and look upon Him wholeheartedly can we overcome all difficulties! Today I faced this surrounding, regardless of the results, I believed that it is controlled by the hands of God. At that moment, I dared not leave God in my heart for a single moment. I could only put myself in God’s hand. Then, my frightened heart calmed slowly. Suddenly, I thought if I ripped the tape up with the doorknob, I would breathe normally. Afterward, I moved to the window, little by little, and opened the window through my head against the window handle. In this way, I solved the problem of lacking the oxygen. Thank God! I knew it was altogether the wisdom and strength God gave me.

I sat on the windowsill, looking at the blue sky outside the window. The time passed one second and one minute at a time. It was getting dark. The light of the hospital opposite was lit up at six on time. I thought: After two or three hours, my husband will come back. All I have to do is to pull through this time.

It wasn’t long before my younger sister’s husband arrived at my home. When he saw the room I stayed and the washroom opposite were bound with a rope, he hurriedly called the police. More than twenty minutes later, the police came and opened the door. My younger sister’s husband told me: I called up to you, but I couldn’t get through, then I called my brother-in-law. He said that he had to work overtime tonight and would come back over ten o’clock. I worry that you are in trouble, so I came to see you ahead of time.” Hearing his words, I even more experienced God’s almightiness and sovereignty. It was altogether God’s protection that made me get through this robbery during my seventh month of pregnancy. God’s word says, “Man’s heart and spirit are held in the hand of God, everything of his life is beheld in the eyes of God. Regardless of whether or not you believe this, any and all things, whether living or dead, will shift, change, renew, and disappear in accordance with God’s thoughts. Such is the way in which God presides over all things.” What is impossible for man is possible for God. Everything is possible. God has such authority and power. He controls and dominions over all things in the world. This practical experience also made me feel that our hearts and soul, as well as all people, events and the things around us will shift and change according to God’s thoughts. I really experienced God’s omnipotence and His rule!

In the evening, my husband returned home. Seeing that we were safe, he held me, saying, “Thank God’s care and protection. It is well that you are safe.” We watched a kidnapping case on the television: In order to gain money, the bandits took the child of the hero hostage, and tried to extort one million yuan. They bound the child’s hands and feet, and left her alone in the remote poor house. The girl cried for her parents… Thinking back of the experience in the afternoon, if I hadn’t believed in God, I would have been confused, living in pain and not knowing what to do. Having watched the news, my husband said to me excitedly, “It is God you believe in who protects you! It has been a long time that you haven’t had a meeting! Go and find your brothers and sisters tomorrow. You must believe in God properly.” Hearing his words, I shed remorse tears. Thinking back of that period of time, I was busy keeping house since I bought the apartment and I totally forgot spiritual devotions and gatherings. Nevertheless, God didn’t give me up. When I was in dangerous environment, He guided me, led me and comforted me with His words. I thought to myself: From now on, I must believe in God sincerely, pursue the truth, and live up to His salvation to me.

Then, I attended the meetings regularly, performed the duty actively. Moreover, I prayed to God to entrust the rest of my life and the life of my child to His hands and let Him dictate and arrange for us. When my husband saw God’s almightiness and domination, he also accepted God’s kingdom gospel. We truly thank God’s love and salvation!

In the twinkling of an eye, over ten years have passed. During these years, God has cared and protected our family with His love. I feel that only when we have a place for God in our hearts can we feel peace and happiness.