Heavenly Strains: The Lisu Transformation
By George Thomas, Donna Testa
CBN News
August 9, 2008
CBNNews.com -- BEIJING, China - In the ancient city of Li Jiang it is as though time has stood still.
This mountainous region of China's Yunnan Province is home to a variety of Chinese minority tribes who's history and culture are centuries old. Each tribe practices their own unique customs and religions. Some of them are Tibetan Buddhists but most practice some form of animism or demon-worship.
Here, life is hard and godless. The field work is laborious and alcohol is a refuge to get through the day to day existence.
But nestled amongst the snow capped mountains, one village has separated itself from the oppression of the others. As you enter the village of the Lisu people you are greeted with music and songs from Heaven.
English missionary James O. Fraser settled in Yunnan in the early 1900s. At the age of 22, he devoted his life to leading the Lisu to God.
"A long time ago, white-skinned people, the foreign missionaries came here to teach us," said the leader of the Lisu.
Fraser created a written Lisu script and then translated the New Testament and hymns. In 1916, hundreds of families - who for generations had been steeped in demon worship - began accepting a new faith: faith in Jesus Christ.
"Our faith has been passed down from generation to generation," said the Lisu leader.
Christianity spread like wildfire through the mountains with thousands coming to Christ.
Gifted in music, the Lisu sung their oral history long before they had a written language.
Their leader said, "The songs were taught to us by our elders. We have heard these songs since we were very little."
Even today, as they gather to worship, they still sing the hymns translated by Fraser as well as new ones they have written themselves.
Out of the 480,000 Lisu today, an estimated 200,000 are Christians.
"Our church has so many believers, but the place we meet in is so small,'" said the Lisu leader. We wanted to build a bigger church, but we didn't have the money to do so."
But that hasn't stopped the Lisu from gathering together to worship God. Here music has no walls and today their songs and testimony are touching countless people across Southern China.
Original broadcast August 19, 2007.
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