Today on the China Compass Podcast I interviewed my good friend and China co-laborer Denny (aka, William Ekvall Simpson) the day before his sentencing in federal court on July 3, 2024, for singing and praying in front of a Nashville abortion clinic back in 2021.

We spend most of our time discussing our evangelistic adventures in China (7:18), including stories of being chased in the middle of the night with his teenage son and multiple arrests by the Commies (with his teenage daughters).

We also discuss Denny's favorite Chinese place (Summer River, Gansu) and missionary martyr (William Ekvall Simpson) who loaned Denny his name for a season so he could get back into China.

*Visit PrayforChina.us (@chinaadventures on X) to learn how to pray more strategically for all of China.*

We finish by discussing how to pray for Denny and the ten who were being sentenced in Nashville. (47:21)

*Thankfully, Denny was NOT given prison time* by the judge, even though he gave wonderfully bold testimony to the truth in his public statement just before she passed sentence:

https://chinacall.substack.com/p/missionary-arrested-in-nashville

*He was given six months of House Arrest, followed by three years of probation. It is unclear when this will begin, depending on appeals.

Please bookmark Denny's extensive online used bookstore, which is one of the primary ways he supports his family and ministry: https://www.remnantbooks.org/

Welcome to Remnant Books. Our specialty is quality new and used Christian books.  We're sure you'll find that special book whether you're looking for books regarding Church History, Homeschool curriculum, Theology, Evangelism, Missions, Apologetics, Creation/Evolution, Classics, Biographies, or rare, out-of-print Christian titles. 

Welcome to the China Compass Podcast! After I defend my China bonafides, we begin by looking at the flights that are (and are not) available between the US and the Mainland this year (1:40)…

https://simpleflying.com/airlines-with-most-us-china-flights-summer-2024/

Next we look at why many of China’s millionaires are fleeing (5:44) (and how they get their $ out), followed by why I think we shouldn’t be concerned about “most” of the US land being bought by Chinese nationals (10:31) …

https://www.newsweek.com/china-millionaires-leaving-country-1916427

https://nypost.com/2024/06/20/us-news/chinese-owned-farmland-next-to-19-us-military-bases/

CCP is brought to you by Pray for China (www.PrayforChina.us). (15:46) Get daily prayer reminders on Insta or X: @chinaadventures. Here’s today’s post about Shizuishan in Ningxia…

June 26 - Pray for Shizuishan (“Stony Beak Mtn”), in arid Ningxia (宁夏) Province in north-central China. Home to millions of Chinese Muslims, Ningxia is paired with western Missouri for prayer: https://prayforchina.us/states/missouri.html

For more info:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shizuishan

https://www.asiaharvest.org/christians-in-china-stats/ningxia

After explaining why Halal entrepreneurs in Ningxia are struggling (22:11), it's time for an extended story time… https://www.economist.com/china/2024/05/09/in-todays-china-to-get-rich-is-perilous

First, I talk about my first miserable night in Ningxia, then the two (literal) darkest experiences of my life and losing my brakes on a family road trip across China, and finally hitchhiking with two of my young kids after stupidly running out of gas on a cold night. (26:47)

Finally, after this week’s China Compass Q&A about Chinese Road Trips (41:13), I share the testimony (48:16) of sacrificial missionary, Dr. George King, and his connection to Wiliiam Borden.

https://www.asiaharvest.org/china-resources/gansu/1927-george-king (Also see: www.BordenofYale.com)

Here's the "losing my brakes on a 14k ft. pass" accident article I mentioned during the final segment:

https://chinacall.substack.com/p/runaway-van-14700-feet

Welcome to the China Compass Podcast! After a reminder as to why I am doing this podcast (0:44)), we begin by looking at China’s loosening of visa requirements for (most) foreigners (1:50)…

https://skift.com/2024/06/17/china-expands-visa-waiver-program-list-more-countries-added/amp/

https://skift.com/2024/01/01/china-eases-visa-rules-for-u-s-tourists/

Next we look at the relative strength of China’s currency, the “yuan” or “RMB” and the drastic drop in expats working in China since the pandemic (9:02)…

https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/06/13/chinas-currency-is-not-as-influential-as-once-imagined (Paywall)

https://www.ft.com/content/dfd5c399-976f-4f0b-8a1b-fbac495100b6

CCP is brought to you by Pray for China. (Get daily prayer reminders on Insta or X: @chinaadventures)

Today we are looking at Sichuan Province (16:43), which is matched up with central Texas for prayer:  https://prayforchina.us/states/texas.html

After an overview of beautiful Sichuan, its story time (25:00). I talk about one of the most interesting nights of my life, running from angry dogs, school principals, and my own conscience high up on the Tibetan Plateau.

More info on Early Rain (Pastor Wang Yi): https://chinapartnership.org/early-rain-covenant-church/

More info on the Sichuan Earthquake: https://www.britannica.com/event/Sichuan-earthquake-of-2008

We conclude with this week’s China Compass Q&A about Chinese Cuisine (37:43)…

https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/mala-chicken/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dapanji

***Check out all our various resources and activities... www.PrayGiveGo.us

Welcome to the China Compass Podcast!

Today we start with an article about an LGBT Taiwanese arrested (rightfully) in China (2:10), and how China sometimes does the right thing (for the wrong reasons), including persecuting cults…

https://www.voanews.com/amp/detention-of-two-taiwanese-in-china-sparks-concern-about-personal-safety/7651055.html

Next we look at the long-standing frustration of foreigners being forbidden from most Chinese hotels (9:38). 

https://www.ft.com/content/bd2ea766-21f0-436d-b32b-26f8be640052 (Paywall)

Then a couple articles about North Korean trash balloons (13:09), which leads us into discussion of our adopted province of the day, Lucky Forest (Jilin), which shares a long border with North Korea (15:24).

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/International/wireStory/north-korea-resumes-flying-balloons-bid-drop-trash-110954597

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/06/11/nation-world-news/seoul-activists-develop-smart-balloons-to-send-messages-deep-into-north-korea/

CCP is brought to you by Pray for China: https://prayforchina.us/ Find your province to pray for today!

After an overview of beautiful Jilin (16:25), it is story time (21:54). I share about my one and only visit to a Christian hotel in China, followed by my account of being detained along the North Korean border as a suspected spy.

Get daily prayer reminders on X: @chinaadventures

I spent a few days here back in the summer of 2003, which I remember esp. for the “Christian Hotel” I stumbled upon in the town of Meihekou, where all the workers were reading their Bibles!

Jilin (Literally: Lucky Forest) is paired up with all 6 New England states for prayer: www.PrayforChina.us

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonghua

https://www.asiaharvest.org/china-resources/jilin

#prayforchina

On this edition of China Compass I discuss the 35th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre (1:40). Then I give my first and favorite impressions of Beijing (14:50), telling some of my favorite stories from the Chinese capital, including the miracle of getting my son’s very first visa. Finally, a little Q&A, focusing on cultural questions (33:59).

Pray for China, focusing this week on Beijing! We have missionary friends there who covet your prayers for their family: www.PrayforChina.us

Tiananmen links:

https://bitterwinter.org/thirty-years-after-tiananmen-and-religion/

https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/30-years-later-what-christians-should-know-about-china-s-horrific-tiananmen-square-massacre/

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/11/magazine/the-pilgrimage-from-tiananmen-square.html

And lots of shocking details here…

https://factsanddetails.com/china/cat2/sub7/entry-7461.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests_and_massacre

The very helpful and fascinating Chai Ling biography I referenced…

A Heart for Freedom: The Remarkable Journey of a Young Dissident, Her Daring Escape, and Her Quest to Free China's Daughters https://a.co/d/0KWT3ca

Finally, the dragon article I mentioned in the Q&A…

https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythic-creatures/dragons/asian-dragons

Welcome to the China Compass Podcast! Today's news takes us back to Taiwan (0:42) and an article that says pretty much what I articulated in the first podcast a few weeks ago:

www.businessinsider.com/us-missing-how-china-could-seize-taiwan-without-invading-experts-2024-5

Next, we look at the hypocritical Chinese gov't complaints about unfair deportations:

https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/new-haven/china-says-students-including-those-at-yale-subjected-to-interrogations-and-deportations-at-us-entry-points/

CCP is brought to you by Pray for China: https://prayforchina.us/

Today's provincial prayer focus takes us to far west China's Xinjiang, which is the primarily home of the oppressed Uyghur Muslims: https://www.asiaharvest.org/china-resources/xinjiang

After an overview of beautiful Xinjiang (5:58), and a look at some of the difficulties, then its story time. I share about my epic overland journey through Xinjiang, and subsequent flights to Japan, in 2015 (14:36).

You can also read my account here: https://chinacall.substack.com/p/aksu-to-okinawa?r=1zhx0p

(Due to time constraints, I skipped the China Compass Questions segment this week)

Email me comments or questions @ china.myadventures[@]gmail dot com

Get daily prayer reminders on X: @chinaadventures

Here's the one for today, which paired up perfectly with today's Xinjiang focus...

In this special bonus episode of the China Compass Podcast, I reminisce on my former life in China from the perspective of now being banned for the past six years.

This is the first podcast I have done without any notes at all, mainly because I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to say. I like the way it turned out, except for one short interruption in the middle when I was distracted by a loud noise upstairs.

Here's the link to the full text version of Chapter Seven from my book:

https://chinacall.substack.com/p/deportation-day-may-25-2018

And here's the promo and link to the book itself:

Unbeaten: Confronting the Lies (and Laughter) of the Chinese Communist Police

This is the story of my arrest, interrogation, and deportation from China on May 25, 2018. First available in print on April 30, 2024, which was the 6th anniversary of my initial arrest, you can get it on Amazon: Unbeaten.vip

Other Notes:

Mobilizing Andean Missionaries for Tibet

www.tibetAndina.com

Pray for China: Every Province, Every County

www.PrayforChina.us

Pray4Gansu: Oklahoma's Sister State

www.Pray4Gansu.com

Welcome to today’s bonus episode of the China Compass Podcast!

Happy 200th Birthday to John G. Paton!

Tears for Tanna: The Perseverance of John G. Paton and the Transformation of Tanna

The autobiography of the “King of the Cannibals” who lost everything but his life during his first few years on the forsaken island of Tanna. I reformatted and edited this classic book, which was officially released on May 24, 2024, John G. Paton’s 200th birthday.

JohnGPaton.com

In this episode, I discuss the following and more...

*Special thanks to Toby Sumpter for his talk on John G. Paton at the Christ Church Missions Conference (Download on the ChristKirk App), and for writing the Foreword to Tears for Tanna.

On this edition of the CCP, Ben discusses the “deportation” of Chinese illegals and a recent article comparing Tibet with Gaza (6:01). Next he introduces Tibet (14:30). News about the Dalai Lama comes next (16:31), followed by fascinating stories (21:40) of four (illegal) visits to the Forbidden Land. Finally, he gives a quick intro to the Tibetan language (42:38) and shares a couple of book recommendations.

Contact: @chinaadventures / [email protected]

Sponsor: Pray for China - http://PrayforChina.us 

(Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Northern Utah/Colorado adopt Tibet for prayer)

Resources: God Spoke Tibetan - https://a.co/d/3Bt1ZpM

Tibet: Roof of the World by Paul Hattaway -  https://www.asiaharvest.org/bookstore/Tibet-The-Roof-of-the-World-The-China-Chronicles-N%C2%BA4-p282172673

Sources:

China and US resume deportations as Chinese rush in from southern border - https://apnews.com/article/china-immigration-border-deportation-mayorkas-514f42ee56e80fe7eb7f9fcc71c4d55c

American hypocrisy over Tibet and Gaza boggles the mind - https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3260699/american-hypocrisy-over-tibet-and-gaza-boggles-mind

Tibetan singer arrested for song lamenting Dalai Lama’s absence - https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/singer-arrested-song-lamenting-dalai-lamas-absence-05142024170837.html

How Tibetans are pushing back against China's involvement in Dalai Lama's succession - https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/how-tibetans-are-pushing-back-against-chinas-involvement-in-dalai-lamas-succession-101714504756704.html

On this CCP, Ben discusses the evolution of tourism in China. Next he introduces Qinghai (9:50), home to a big, beautiful inland sea and never-ending solar panels. He shares stories (20:11) from his first visit to the province with his brother in 2003, when they were just teenagers. They played a lot of catch and had a number of “adventures”. Finally, he ends with a China Compass Q&A re:the Peoples of China (41:56)

Contact:

X: @chinaadventures

Email: [email protected]

Sponsor: Pray for China - http://PrayforChina.us 

(New Mexico, West Texas, & Southern Colorado adopt Qinghai for prayer)

Resources:

My Deportation Story - http://Unbeaten.vip

Operation China - https://www.asiaharvest.org/people-group-profiles

References:

Chinese Tourism soars but foreigners stay away - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-68982645.amp

Qinghai Has an Ocean of Solar Power, but Nowhere to Store It -

https://www.caixinglobal.com/2024-01-08/cover-story-qinghai-has-an-ocean-of-solar-power-but-nowhere-to-store-it-102154083.html