Safely Home

Safely home is a story about two men. One of them is an American named Ben Fielding and the other is a Chinese man named Li Quan. Quan and Ben were roommates and best friends in college but once they graduated Harvard, they both went their separate ways. Li Quan went back to China and Ben stayed in America. Throughout the years they both changed a lot but in different ways, Ben became the manager of a big business and had a horrible family life. He was so wrapped up in his work that he never even thought of his old roomate…until he had to go to China for business! His boss suggested that he track Quan down and stay with him rather than putting the expense of a hotel room on Getz (the company) and so Ben started a search for Quan. He finally came up with an e-mail address that sounded right and he sent a message, telling about the urgent need for a place to stay. Quan replied. He was overjoyed to hear from Ben and he said that he could stay for as long as he needed! Ben, unfortunately, was not as enthusiastic about the trip, but he started packing and soon he was on his way to China. Once he got to Shanghai, he got a car and started on his way, following the directions from Quan. Not long after he had started driving did he leave the big city and civilization. He went along dirt roads and after a few hours, came to a small town. He was greeted by Quan who had not changed much except for he looked older and more worn. Ben met Quan’s family, his wife, Ming and his son, Shen. They were a nice family but they made Ben uncomfortable with the way they talked about God and asked about his family. He did not want his old friend to be disappointed in him so soon and so when Quan asked about the family. rather than telling about the divorce and the loss of his son, he just answered, “They are fine.” and left it at that.
Soon Ben was settled in but he was not used to the cramped quarters of the one room house, or cockroaches, or having to go outside with a flashlight in the middle of the night to use the bathroom! But more than the bugs and the hard floor, he did not know how to reply to their questions about his faith. He had abandoned his beliefs a long time ago, after the accident with his son and with work he did not have time for those type of nonsense things anyway so he tried as hard as he could to avoid the questions. Unfortunately for Ben, Quan noticed and next time they were alone, Ben shared about his family and son and work and how nothing just fit anymore. Quan was not disappointed as Ben had expected but he seemed to want to change Ben’s views. He invited Ben to come with them to their church on Sunday, this church was different than other churches though, it was an illegal house church. Ben did not want to get in trouble but Sunday morning came and he found himself with them on the way to do something highly illegal in the Chinese government. All went well but this experience did not change Ben. None of the odd cultured things that happened there even phased him until Quan got arrested! He was charged for distributing illegal Shenjiing (Bibles), which was a true charge, but he did not get a fair trial! Ben was horrified and angry and vowed that he would stay in China with Ming and Shen until he could pull enough strings to get Li Quan out of prison. This proved to be harder than it sounded. The Chinese government was firm about their laws and systems and they would not let Ben interfere. Another problem was that his boss did not want him using the business name so Ben was stuck trying to be a foreigner with no connections, trying to break through the Chinese government system! It was increasingly harder and more expensive to see Quan and Ben felt horrible not being able to do anything about the fact that he Safely home is a story about two men. One of them is an American named Ben Fielding and the other is a Chinese guy named Li Quan. Quan and Ben were roommates and best friends in college but once they graduated Harvard, they both went their separate ways. Li Quan went back to China and Ben stayed in America. Throughout the years they both changed a lot but in different ways, Ben became the manager of a big business and had a horrible family life. He was so wrapped up in his work that he never even thought of his old roomate…until he had to go to China for business! His boss suggested that he track Quan down and stay with him rather than putting the expense of a hotel room on Getz (the company) and so Ben started a search for Quan. He finally came up with an e-mail address that sounded right and he sent a message, telling about the urgent need for a place to stay. Quan replied. He was overjoyed to hear from Ben and he said that he could stay for as long as he needed! Ben, unfortunately, was not as enthusiastic about the trip, but he started packing and soon he was on his way to China. Once he got to Shanghai, he got a car and started on his way, following the directions from Quan. Not long after he had started driving did he leave the big city and civilization. He went along dirt roads and after a few hours, came to a small town. He was greeted by Quan who had not changed much except for he looked older and more worn. Ben met Quan’s family, his wife, Ming and his son, Shen. They were a nice family but they made Ben uncomfortable with the way they talked about God and asked about his family. He did not want his old friend to be disappointed in him so soon and so when Quan asked about the family. rather than telling about the divorce and the loss of his son, he just answered, “They are fine.” and left it at that.
Soon Ben was settled in but he was not used to the cramped quarters of the one room house, or cockroaches, or having to go outside with a flashlight in the middle of the night to use the bathroom! But more than the bugs and the hard floor, he did not know how to reply to their questions about his faith. He had abandoned his beliefs a long time ago, after the accident with his son and with work he did not have time for those type of nonsense things anyway so he tried as hard as he could to avoid the questions. Unfortunately for Ben, Quan noticed and next time they were alone, Ben shared about his family and son and work and how nothing just fit anymore. Quan was not disappointed as Ben had expected but he seemed to want to change Ben’s views. He invited Ben to come with them to their church on Sunday, this church was different than other churches though, it was an illegal house church. Ben did not want to get in trouble but Sunday morning came and he found himself with them on the way to do something highly illegal in the Chinese government. All went well but this experience did not change Ben. None of the odd cultured things that happened there even phased him until Quan got arrested! He was charged for distributing illegal Shenjiing (Bibles), which was a true charge, but he did not get a fair trial! Ben was horrified and angry and vowed that he would stay in China with Ming and Shen until he could pull enough strings to get Li Quan out of prison. This proved to be harder than it sounded. The Chinese government was firm about their laws and systems and they would not let Ben interfere. Another problem was that his boss did not want him using the business name so Ben was stuck trying to be a foreigner with no connections, trying to break through the Chinese government system! It was increasingly harder and more expensive to see Quan and Ben felt horrible not being able to do anything about the fact that he knew that Quan was being beaten severely.
Finally he decided that he needed to change. He had been asked to teach at a “underground” christian meeting and after easily 30 hours of teaching, he accepted christ.
Meanwhile, Quan was under interrogation in prison by the cruelest man that he had ever known. Quan was not giving him good answers and he was getting angry!
A week later Ben headed for home. He called his wife, telling her his whole story. Ben was saved through the most terrifying and horrible experience of his life. And that is not the end of his story or of the story of the next generation. Li Shen was not the head of a house illegally under God and he was going to have to be strong.
I would strongly recommend this book! It is really good and it teaches a lot of good lessons. I enjoyed it a lot and I would read it again and agiain! By: Maggie 2nd hour