A journey to Christ
So with the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart. It can no more be explained than can the movement of the wind. A person may not be able to tell the exact time or place, or trace all the circumstances in the process of conversion; but this does not prove him to be unconverted. By an agency as unseen as the wind, Christ is constantly working upon the heart. Little by little, perhaps unconsciously to the receiver, impressions are made that tend to draw the soul to Christ. These may be received through meditating upon Him, through reading the Scriptures, or through hearing the word from the living preacher. Suddenly, as the Spirit comes with more direct appeal, the soul gladly surrenders itself to Jesus. By many this is called sudden conversion; but it is the result of long wooing by the Spirit of God--a patient, protracted process." -- The Desire of Ages, pgs. 144-145
In Shanghai,
People's Republic of China, Lijun Wan (SAHP'95) had no idea that a spiritual
change was about to take place in his life.
"I never expected to go abroad and study," says Lijun. "Throughout high school my main focus was to aid in the development of my own country. That is still my goal today."
In 1989, Lijun graduated from high school and took the college entrance exam. The events at Tiananmen Square were also taking place at this time and the future of education in China was unstable. Being concerned that their son achieve his dream of being a scientist, Lijun's parents urged him to consider going abroad to study.
"I did not have any friends or relatives in the United States," reflects Lijun. "My parents found me a sponsor for legal purposes who lived in Huntington Beach.
"I didn't know where Huntington Beach was, so I looked it up on a map. It seemed to be very close to Los Angeles, so I looked up the zip code for Los Angeles."
Lijun went to the library and consulted a Peterson's Guide and selected schools solely based on their zip code.
Most of the schools Lijun contacted sent information to him, but when he read the bulletin from La Sierra University (at that time Loma Linda University&endash;La Sierra campus) he noticed that they had strict guidelines for their students.
"I translated the bulletin information to my parents and they were impressed with the conservative environment," he shares. "I was a pretty rowdy kid while growing up, and they knew I would be easily influenced by my environment."
Being born in mainland China, which
is a Communist country, Lijun had no background regarding the Christian
religion. To him it existed as part of the culture of the Western world.
"None of us placed too much emphasis on the Christian aspect of the school." He adds, "We thought that just helped to provide a secure environment for me to be in."
Lijun then went about the task of returning applications to various universities. To his amazement La Sierra University was the first one to respond. He noticed that all the other schools returned materials to him through regular mail, and La Sierra University was the only one to send express mail each time they had correspondence.
He recalls, "My mom said, 'Just because of that, you're going to go to that school.'"
Lijun completed the admissions process and arrived on the La Sierra University campus on September 7, 1990.
Nelson Thomas, EdD, president, Walla Walla College, College Place, Washington, who was the international student advisor at La Sierra University at that time, was Lijun's sole contact throughout the application process.
"I talked to him while I was still in China to clear up some things," Lijun remarks. "He was so kind, I felt instantly drawn to the place."
Before school started, Lijun faced a major obstacle: the tuition was very high at the school and he did not have any assistance from his country. Because of the foreign exchange policy in his country he was allowed to bring only a limited amount of money into the United States. He then turned to Dr. Thomas for advice. He told Dr. Thomas about his financial situation and that he might not be able to register for school.
"Dr. Thomas reminded me that they did not provide monies for international students," Lijun says. "I told him that I came to this country with the purpose to go to school. I asked him if he could think of anyone who could help."
Dr. Thomas went to the financial aid office and the director said he thought he could help. Lijun's grades from high school were good, so they granted him a merit scholarship. Because of his leadership experience in high school as secretary general of the student association, he also received a leadership scholarship.
"This was of some help to me, but it still wasn't enough," he remembers. "I decided that I would enroll for the first quarter, go as far as I could, and hope that other assistance would come.
"After the first quarter of school, Mrs. Iris Landa heard about my situation and said that she might be able to find me a private donor. She found a donor who gave $10,000 towards my education."
Lijun made it through his first year at La Sierra University, obtained employment, and made a lot of friends.
"I made friends who were good-hearted Adventist people, and they took me into their family just like I was their child."
He continues, "I still felt awkward, like there was some kind of barrier between us, but they were so open with me and had no barriers."
During his three years at La Sierra University, Lijun took the required courses in religion. He often debated with his friends regarding the existence of God. He even challenged his friends to prove that God existed. His friends countered and asked him to prove that He did not exist.
Lijun explains, "I told them that I was raised in a culture that told us that God never existed. They were raised in a culture that, before they had the ability to think for themselves, forced them into religion; thus, they believe it is true.
"I not only debated this point with my friends, but I started debating within myself. The reason I debated with them is because I wanted to convince myself."
Lijun transferred to Loma Linda University to start the medical technology program. He recalls that, at that time, his spiritual life was "flat" and that he rarely went to church. When people would ask if he was a Christian, he would give answers based on the circumstance.
In the spring of 1995, Lijun applied for medical school. He had made up his mind that even if he applied to medical school or graduate school, there was no way he was going to apply to Loma Linda University.
"I'd had enough of Loma Linda -- going to chapel, going to church, and I never really felt a sense of God," he confides. "I made excuses about the weather, the earthquakes, anything I could think of.
"Then one day, I decided that before I would apply to other schools, I would apply for Loma Linda's early decision program. I realized that, once I was accepted, there was no turning back."
While Lijun was at La Sierra University, he married. The marriage ended, however, before he began medical school.
"Life was pretty tough," he recounts. "Dr. Thorn, the dean of admissions for the School of Medicine, offered me a deferment. I remember thinking, 'If I don't go ahead and go to school now, I won't know how to go on with my life.'"
Lijun started school. Up to that point, he still felt in his heart that God did not exist. He remembers experiences when he would be driving -- just when he was about to get in an accident, he would hear a voice say "watch out" or "stop." He had heard people tell similar stories in church and they would say, "God has saved me." Lijun didn't realize that it was God speaking to him until he started to believe that God existed. Until then, he just thought it was a strange occurrence.
Medical school started, and kept Lijun very busy. He was emotionally exhausted.
"Every night when I would go to bed, I would go through this battle about right and wrong."
Lijun continues, "There was a lot of emotional struggling going on inside of me, but I felt if I thought through it, it would disappear."
Every night he would go to bed and have the same struggle with the same thoughts over and over again, never finding a resolution. Then one night -- a change.
"I thought to myself, 'I wonder if it will work. If I just pray to God and ask Him to clear my mind out, and if that works, I may give Him another thought,'" he recalls. "So I prayed this prayer. 'Dear God, I am really, really troubled and hurt, and I am asking You to open my heart and clean it out so that I see my way down the road.'
"I remember it being a very simple prayer, not really asking for anything in particular, but for His guidance. After praying, I fell peacefully asleep with none of the thoughts that I had been struggling with."
The next morning Lijun woke up and sat on the bed and looked out of the window. He had a totally refreshed new feeling. He wondered what the difference was, never thinking to give God the credit. He just went about his daily routine. Then the struggle began again.
"I was on rotation, and Dr. Harvey Elder asked me, 'Lijun, how is your life?' I said, 'Doing great.' He said, 'How is your relationship with your ex-wife?' I said, 'We are friends.' He said, 'How is your spiritual life?' I thought to myself that I couldn't lie, but my spiritual life was nothing. I tried to pick out the highlights, so I told him about the prayer.
"As I was telling him the story, I was thinking to myself, 'Lijun, once again you are struggling with a painful problem. Why don't you just learn your lesson -- relying on yourself just does not work.'"
Lijun went home that night and repeated the same prayer he had said weeks before, but this time he felt he had to have faith in his prayer. The next morning, the same new feeling was there. Lijun tried to think about the problem that had been weighing on him, but he could not arouse any pain. He thanked God, knowing then He truly existed.
Over the next few weeks Lijun continued to feel the power of God in his life. He had never owned a Bible, so on a chapel card he wrote his prayer request to get one for his birthday.
"I knew that I could buy a Bible, and I also knew that all of the freshman medical students would be receiving one, but I wanted it to be something really special," admits Lijun. "Then over the weekend right before my birthday, I got a call from Myrna Schlenker at president Lyn Behren's office. The message she left said, 'Give us a call as soon as you can.' I wondered what kind of trouble I had caused.
"Monday morning I called, and Myrna asked if I would stop by the office before chapel on Wednesday morning. I was in denial and thought they couldn't be giving me a Bible for my birthday. I went, and Dr. Behrens came out with her usual pleasant smile. She said, 'Happy birthday, we have a special present for you.' I knew it was a Bible, and I was speechless. This is the Bible that I always carry to church."
A few weeks later, Lijun was leaving church, and he wondered what he could do to thank God for all the joy He had brought to his life.
"Baptism came to my mind," he noted. "Nothing can thank God better than if I devote my life to Him."
Lijun went to the church office and was told he could select any pastor to study with. Randy Roberts, Dmin, MDiv, MA, assistant professor of practical theology in the Faculty of Religion, came to his mind. Lijun had taken a class from him, and Dr. Roberts had left a deep impression in his mind.
The next time Lijun saw Dr. Roberts was at a medical school retreat.
"The sermon was excellent," recounts Lijun. "It was on healing ministry. I heard that Dr. Roberts was very busy co-pastoring in another area, but I gave him a call anyway, knowing that God would work everything out."
Dr. Roberts agreed to meet every Wednesday afternoon, making the Bible come alive for Lijun.
"I think that my spiritual conversion is what put everything that I have learned together," states Lijun. "Before, everything was just facts. Once I believed in God, they all became life, and that is the difference."
Lijun was baptized in the University Church of Seventh-day Adventists on May 3, 1997. If he mentioned all of the names of the people that brought him to that day, the list would go on and on. But he especially wants to thank Dr. Nelson Thomas, Mrs. Iris Landa, Dr. and Mrs. Roger Tatum, Dr. and Mrs. Albert Sanchez and family, Dr. Richard Hubbard, Dr. Lyn Behrens, Ms. Linh Wan, and Dr. Randy Roberts.
In the last session Lijun and Dr. Roberts had before he was baptized, Lijun offered the simple, but powerful prayer: "I thank you, oh God, for saving me, forgiving me, and for making me your child."
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