My Ruth Journey
Personal stories of my Christian faith, my mother, and my Christian life in the United States.
My name is Jinghong Cai. I was born and raised in Communist China and came to faith in Jesus Christ — a journey I never expected, and one that changed everything.
Here I gather my personal stories: my walk from atheism to Christianity, my memories of my mother, and my life as a Christian in the United States — the churches that welcomed me, the people God placed in my path, and the freedom to worship openly.
My Stories of Faith
From my first home church to my mother's memory, and the Christian life I found in America.
Bicycle Girl
I grew up on a bike, literally, in "bicycle kingdom" – China. In 2008, my salary as a college lecturer was about US$180 a month. Living in a mammoth metropolis like Beijing, with six rings of highways encircling the city, I needed transportation to take my son to and from school and go to work three part-time jobs in different locations.
The Mysterious Death of a Christian in China
Chinese New Year is coming soon. It reminds me of my first and also last reunion with the old girls and old boys from high school before the 2008 Chinese New Year. As we chatted and drank tea, the organizer, who used to be our class monitor, casually said, "Yuanming will never make it to our reunion."
Conquering Fear
"We cannot track you when you are in the U.S." ChinaAid, a Christian association in the U.S. that defends freedom of religion in China, recently published an article I wrote about a Chinese pastor that was detained by authorities and, in general, the deplorable situation of religious freedom in China.
My First Home Church
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). On March 12, 2014, China Aid Association reported that a Christian woman was arrested by the police on Christmas Day. The charge was engaging in a Christmas celebration in public and preaching the Gospel on Christmas Day.
The Leftover Grain
And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, "Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor." (Ruth 2:2) I grew up in a Chinese family with a strict rule: you had to pick every grain of rice dropped on the floor and eat all the bread crumbs on the dining table.
Taking the Lord's Name in Vain
"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." (Exodus 20:7) I just read an ABC-13 report that nine Chinese nationals, together with others from different countries, illegally crossed the Texas-Mexican border into the United States.
Sundays at the Movies … With Jesus
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Every Sunday morning, the movie theater Athena Grand in Athens, Ohio, has a special public – young couples with their babies and toddlers, grandmas and grandpas holding each other\'s hands, college students, musicians donning guitars and other portable instruments.
"No One Can Serve Two Masters"
The desire to obtain the best things in life is human nature. As Christians, however, we are called to make a choice. It is not surprising that in the regions of China where Christianity is growing, Communist Party members must profess atheism, and prospective Communist Party members must renounce religious beliefs.
My American Education: "A Ticket to Hell?"
Twenty-one centuries ago, Jesus said: "Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free." Recently, a newspaper published by China\'s Communist Party "declared" that Western values are a "ticket to hell." Ironically, I found it is just the opposite.
Rejoicing in the Holy Spirit at a Pentecostal Rally
"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place." I recently participated in a Pentecostal rally held by several local churches to celebrate Pentecost Sunday. This was my first time at a Pentecostal rally.
The Crucifix on the Wall
One of the churches on campus carries the name "Christ The King." Every night, on my way home from the library, I stop by the church and pray outside the building. The altar is surrounded by windows. From the outside, I usually was able to clearly see the crucifix above the altar, under the diffused ceiling lights.
My Christian Landmark
Anastasia Lin, Miss Canada 2015, was barred from attending the 65th annual Miss World contest held on the southern Chinese island of Hainan this week, only because of her outspoken advocacy for human rights and religious freedom in China.
Let's Pray for America
September 11 marked the tenth year of my arrival in the United States and the beginning of my American Dream. That day also is indelibly etched in the collective consciousness of the nation – On September 11, 2001, 19 radical Islamic terrorists hijacked four fuel-loaded US commercial airplanes bound for West Coast destinations.
From Ruth's Journey to Free China Blog
I started writing blogs in 2014, after watching the news about a Chinese pastor in Henan Province who was arrested. The pastor was persecuted by the local government because his church was growing too fast and attracting way too many believers. Later, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for defending the property of his church.
God's Plan
I am a shy person and have always been afraid of speaking in public, especially talking about myself. One reason is that I grew up in China, where any disclosure of personal belief or opinion would possibly land you in prison. However, recently I was invited to be a guest speaker at a regional campus of a well-known Christian university in Columbus, Ohio… and I accepted.
Faith, Family, Freedom
Years ago, I talked in a radio show about my life as a woman in China and my experience as a Chinese Christian. Why would you have to choose between your faith, your family and your freedom?
America Allows Me to Dream Again
A nightmare has been haunting me since I left China. In those terrible dreams, I go back home to see my elderly parents, then I get trapped in China, and find no way back to the United States.
My Heavenly Father Saved My Parents from COVID in China
(A Christian\'s Testimony) Isaiah 1:17 says, "Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed." In 2014, my Christian faith began to grow after I found and joined a home church.
What I Learned from Serving the Needy at My Church's Soup Kitchen
My church has a soup kitchen that serves a hot meal every evening, Monday through Friday. I started volunteering at the kitchen this year, as I felt the call to serve God with love in action.
"Love the People God Gives You"
A famous Bible verse from Jesus is "if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." My mustard seed was planted by an American professor who taught at a Chinese university in the mid-1980s.
A Chinese Dissident in the U.S.: My only Status Is Christian
While volunteering at my church’s soup kitchen, I often serve dinner to homeless individuals and new immigrants, many of whom speak little English. A recurring question emerges from these interactions, “Where are you from?”
God Is Never Late
It was Tuesday afternoon. As usual, I finished my office work and headed to the church to help with the soup kitchen, serving dinner to the homeless.
From Atheist to Christian: My Journey, Guided by His Amazing Grace
I first learned about Christmas when I had just started college. Ms. Norris, my American professor, secretly took us to an underground church in China.
Counting Blessings in the Land of the Free
Two hundred years ago, American lawyer Francis Scott Key set out to negotiate the release of prisoners but was instead detained aboard a British ship.
My Mother
I last saw my mother in January 2009. She passed away in February 2025, and for 15 years, I never had the chance to see her again.
My Mother and China's Communal Canteens: From Shared Meals to Shared Suffering
In the late 1950s—during the Great Leap Forward (1958–1962)—the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a bold but tragic experiment. Free communal canteens were set up across the nation as part of the people\'s commune system.
The Two American Women God Sent to Shape My Christian Journey
I began attending a women\'s Bible study this fall, where we often were asked, "Who influenced you?" At the end of the semester, I had the chance to share my testimony with my classmates.
America's Independence, My Freedom: What the Fourth of July Means to Me
The day after Independence Day, Sunday, our church choir director led us in singing a patriotic hymn and offered a heartfelt prayer for America.
A Chinese Learned Generosity and Integrity in the United States
Growing up in Communist China, I heard endless lessons about morality — yet rarely saw them practiced. It was in America that I finally learned what generosity and integrity truly mean.