1950 - Geoffrey Bull

Tibet
1947 to 1953

In October 1950, communist forces fought against the Tibetan army. Geoffrey was staying with the general of the Tibetan army at the time. The fighting ended with the Tibetan general surrendering and Geoffrey went with him as an interpreter. They arrested Geoffrey and he was subjected to ‘intense and prolonged interrogation’. For ten months he was in solitary confinement, then he was imprisoned alongside Chinese prisoners and forced to endure a Marxist education. God was his only hope during his imprisonment. He writes, ‘When…the tempest had passed, the mighty rock beneath my feet was standing still, and I can say with all my heart the Lord Jesus Christ is my Saviour and my Lord. His love will never let me go.’ Geoffrey was sent for trial at the highest court in southwest China, which meant that he was given better food and quarters, and some medical treatment. In 1953, he was expelled from China and escorted to Hong Kong. He had no passport, no money and did not know anyone in Hong Kong. But, as he walked across the border he was greeted by a fellow missionary and childhood friend, Raymond Guyatt.

When…the tempest had passed, the mighty rock beneath my feet was standing still