SHARING A MESSAGE: COUPLE HELPS DELIVER MESSAGE OF FAITH TO CHINA, TAIWAN

JACKSON, Mo. -- Don't tell Ron and Ina Winstead that China is unwilling to open its doors to new forms of religion.

Based on their experience, the feeling in China is just the opposite.

"The church in China is thriving," said Ron Winstead, who will return there in early July after spending 30 years with his wife as missionaries in China and Taiwan. "There may be places where it's dangerous to be a Christian, but China's not one of them. We lived there for years and openly identified ourselves as Christians. It wasn't dangerous at all."

The Winsteads have returned to the United States but aren't fully retired from mission service. They were in China during May and will return next month.

Winstead said he realized during his stay that Buddhism still is the dominant religion in China, but Christianity has a more active participation and is growing rapidly.

While some churches there choose to be secretive, many are open about their services.

"There's a verse about being both salt and light to the world," he said. "The light is more visible, but the salt is there all the time."

The Winsteads spent 15 years serving as teachers overseas. Ron taught New Testament and oral English and Ina taught oral English courses at Taiwan Baptist Theological Seminary in Taipei, Taiwan.

The couple will lead a group of teachers to China in July to teach Chinese students the English language.

Chinese teachers who are Christians often are chosen as model teachers at a greater rate than those of any other religion, Winstead said. That ratio seems to surprise even the government, he said.

"But why are they being chosen? Because they're good people, good citizens and genuinely care about their students."

A good environment

The university setting in Taiwan, an island off China, was an ideal fit for the Winsteads. It allowed them to teach and the flexible schedules offered them time to minister to students and help local churches.

Students often would gather in the Winsteads' home.

"A lot of them would go to church with us, but we were really pulled into international Christian fellowship by doing things in our home," Ina Winstead said.

The Winsteads didn't expect to begin their mission career in Taiwan. In fact, they felt a calling to Japan. But in 1971, after they were commissioned by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, there weren't suitable positions for them in Japan.

They spent their first two years in Taiwan learning the language and culture. They worked closely with local churches.

"We did a lot of youth work with the Chinese students, teaching them English," Winstead said. "We were just getting to know the students and the culture."

The Winsteads said they hope to develop international Christian fellowships in the area, with Southeast Missouri State University nearby.

Bringing a family home

The Winsteads raised three children while in China and admit it wasn't easy. Furloughs, periods of time when missionaries are required to return to the states, were difficult adjustments for the family.

"You can't stay overseas beyond five consecutive years, for the children's benefit," Ina said.

The family returned to the states for six months and frequently spoke at churches that provided them a home.

"The high school years were really tough, living in a different place every time," Ina said.

But the Winsteads always returned to China to help local churches and villages. Eventually they devoted themselves to working with poverty relief in rural areas. That work came under their association with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

But their goal was the same share their faith with people in the area. They also helped local churches and the Chinese government work together to build schools and hospitals.

The last 10 years of their stay in China were the most satisfying, Ron Winstead said.

"It's been really rewarding to get acquainted with other churches and getting them to reach out into poor areas."