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Taiwan woman freed from bitterness, spiritual bondage


TAIPEI, Taiwan (BP)–When Lina Yip walked into missionary Norene Humphries’ Bible study at Grace Baptist Church in Taipei, Taiwan, she looked every bit the beautiful, successful businesswoman.
But as Humphries led the group through a study of Proverbs and the life of Solomon, she saw that the divorcee suffered under a load of bitterness. Like virtually every Taiwanese, she also lived in spiritual bondage to the eclectic mix of Buddhism, Taoism and ancestor veneration that dominates the island’s people.
“She was very bitter toward life,” said Humphries, an Oklahoman who has served as a Southern Baptist International Mission Board missionary in Asia since 1990. “She had found no answers or comfort in her religion.”
Then, four months after she began attending the Bible study, Yip asked to meet with Humphries after the session. She handed the missionary several idols, coins and astrology cards that she used to protect herself from demons and foretell her future. She asked Humphries to destroy them because she was afraid to do it herself.
Humphries obliged and then assured Yip she had nothing to fear, that all she needed was Jesus.
“Lina has been set free from darkness,” Humphries said. “What a joy to see her change from bitterness to forgiveness, from anger to joy, from jealousy to peace, from not knowing Christ’s love to sharing Christ’s love.”
Humphries gave Yip a Bible and discipled her in the weeks that followed — calling her to talk, discussing the challenges of the Christian life over Saturday lunch, passing along books to help in her spiritual growth.
“Lina never missed one of the Bible studies,” Humphries said. “She is so open to the gospel and so hungry for God’s Word. She is refreshingly open and frank with her questions. And, praise the Lord, God is healing a very traumatic experience she had in her life.
“She is looking forward to sharing what has happened in her life with her son and daughter, who are in college in the United States.”
Humphries asked Southern Baptists to pray for Yip as she shares Christ with her children, other family and friends.
She also asked for prayer for Taiwan.
“Despite the veneer of Western culture, Taiwan is very much a Chinese society,” she said. “It is a spiritually needy place, with 98 percent of its 21.5 million people lost in their sin.”