Introduction
During Presbyterian Louisa Vaughan’s 16 years as a missionary in China (October 1896-January 1912) she led no fewer than 1,500 women to Jesus. The converts came from the classes she taught each year, made up of unconverted women who assembled to learn about Jesus.
Location of Dongjia’an (Dung Kia An), close to Mount Lao
Ministry in Dongjia’an (Spring of 1903)
After investing 5 years in language study, Louisa Vaughan acquired the language skills needed to begin teaching the Bible. Her first class was in the village of Dongjia’an with a group of 25 pre-Christian ladies (inquirers), the group of which was assembled by a Chinese pastor.
Vaughan was to teach these ladies in this school for 10 days, covering the basics of Christianity, believing that it would lead them to the point of being able to make the decision to place their faith in Jesus for their salvation.
Vaughan commenced her opportunity with great excitement, but that excitement declined rapidly as she heard one of her uneducated students telling her that she couldn’t teach her anything, because:
…her heart and mind were as hard and dark as mahogany wood.
Another of the ladies told her that:
She knew nothing; that she had never learned a thing in her life; and, anyway, how could she be expected to study with her children to care for…?
And another said:
It was very nice of you to come teach us, Miss Vaughan, but I can’t learn; I’m too old.
The others in the class were of the same condition; never having been to school, they could not read, and they had been taught since they were children that:
They had no brains.
Not only had they never studied–they had no desire to learn!
Overwhelming Discouragement
Taking her situation to God, in prayer Vaughan said:
This is my task and it is humanly impossible.
She then heard a response to that statement:
With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Presbyterian missionary Louisa Vaughan
Extraordinary Prayer (and Faith!)
Hearing God’s voice rekindled Vaughan’s faith, especially in the promise as found in John 14:13-14:
You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
With renewed faith, Vaughan began to pray for God:
► To forgive her students.
► To pour out His Holy Spirit upon them, convincing them of sin, of righteousness and of the world to come.
► To reveal Jesus to them as their personal Savior.
► To cleanse them from their sins by the blood of Jesus.
► To fill them with the Holy Spirit.
► To return them to their homes as a witness for Jesus.
Back in the Classroom
With renewed hope Vaughan returned to her class and taught them this simple prayer:
Heavenly Father, forgive me my sins, cleanse me from them in the precious blood of Christ, and fill me with the Holy Spirit; I ask in Jesus’ name.
The first day showed no sign that the prayer had taken root, but by the afternoon of the second day, while kneeling down praying that same simple short prayer,
…one of the women began to weep out a confession of her sins.
They rose from their knees and greeted the new convert and welcomed her into the family of God. During the next few days woman after woman embraced Christ as her Savior, until the entire class of 25 were rejoicing in their new relationship with Jesus and with one another.
Eager Students
Following the entire class’s conversion they turned into extremely eager students, consuming all of Vaughan’s time in their quest to learn more.
One Hundred Percent Success—1,500 Converts
Vaughan indicated that over her remaining 10 years she spent in China she held about 5-6 similar classes per year, with not a single student leaving her class unsaved (potentially 1,500 conversions from these classes alone).
Conversion Outside the Classroom
The following is but one example of the undoubtedly many that were converted to Christ through the witness of those saved in Vaughan’s classes.
Class of women (1903)
Testimony of Mrs. Wang
Mrs. Wang, a woman from the village that Vaughan was teaching in, out of curiosity went to see the foreign woman who could speak the Chinese language. She heard Vaughn leading her class in the common prayer she teaches them, and this woman asked if she could learn that prayer, and Vaughn agreed to teach her as she joined the class.
Later that day, while in the class, reciting that prayer on their knees,
Mrs. Wang began to sob, confessing her sins and pleading with the Lord to forgive her and to cleanse her heart and save her.
Mrs. Wang then asked:
Can the Lord Jesus save my husband?
She then explained that he was a drunk, and:
I’ve never known him to come home sober since I married him (31 years ago).
Mrs. Wang went on to explain that her husband drinks so much that he spends all their money on alcohol and she and her children never have enough food to eat, nor do they have sufficient clothing in the winter. Vaughn then united the class together in prayer for that man’s salvation.
After two weeks of prayer for that man, Vaughn had to leave that village and go to another assignment. After a year she returned to that same village, and upon the start-up of a new class there, she was greeted by Mrs. Wang who told her what the Lord had done during her absence.
Mrs. Wang’s Testimony
After Mrs. Wang turned to Jesus and away from ancestral worship and superstitions, she told her husband that she had become a Christian. He became so infuriated that he beat her to the point that she was laid up for a month, becoming dependent on her small son to cook and care for her.
During the following six months, Mrs. Wang kept praying for her husband, amid his persecution. Then one day he came home sober, the first time she ever saw him like that. She then asked:
What is the matter with you?
And he replied:
That’s what I came to ask you. What is the matter with me? Am I out of my mind?
He then told her his experience:
Today when I had finished my business in the market, I went across to the wine shop, and just as I was lifting my foot over the threshold, a voice inside my body said very loudly,
Don’t go in there, go home! Don’t go in there, go home!
I was so startled that I dropped my purse and spilled all my coins on the ground.
I tried to make myself quiet by thinking that it must have been some boys making fun of me. I went across the street and searched a man’s courtyard and looked carefully around the corners of his house to find the boys who had called to me. I looked up and down the street, but there was not a soul in sight. There were many men in the wine shop, though; I could hear their voices and what they said. I walked over there again. I was very much puzzled and called myself a fool. But again as I lifted my foot over the threshold there came that voice, louder and more insistent than ever:
Don’t go in there, go home! Don’t go in there, go home!”
I came right home as fast as I could. I am very much frightened. Do you think I am losing my mind, or am I already mad? What is the matter with me?’
Mrs. Wang then explained that it was Jesus speaking to him, and she then shared the Gospel with him. He then said:
Well, why didn’t you tell me this before? I didn’t understand. I’ll never drink any more in my life.
Mr. Wang was converted to Christ that day and held to his word to never drink alcohol again. His entire family then became members of the church, and they sent their children to a Christian school.
Chinese Church (1903)
Sources
► Answered or Unanswered? Miracles of Faith in China by Louisa Vaughan
► Shandong: Inside the Greatest Christian Revival in History by Paul Hattaway
Return to List of Revival Stories
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