The rainbow never sets

said at the beginning."

"So, is there a way out?" "Yes, there is. As I have said, Jesus saw people struggling with this problem, and so he said to them: 'Your sins are forgiven.' He healed them, he made them whole."

"What, just like that?" "Without putting any conditions on them, he just forgave them, and took away their guilt. It was his great love for all people that brought this about."

"But what has this got to do with my guilt today?" "He was put on a cross to die, tortured and killed like a criminal, although he had done no wrong. He did not resist it, he let it happen to him. Then God made him appear among the living again, to show that Jesus lives on in the forgiveness and love of his followers and of his church."

"You mean, the church here in Shanghai today can take away my guilt?"

"Yes, you see, the Spirit of Jesus, his love for all, lives on in the church. And that, in simple words, is the gospel, the good news in a nutshell."

"This sounds too good to be true, but I can't believe it." "This is just it, all you need to do is to believe it, to trust in Jesus. He accepts you as you are. He loves you with no strings attached. Why don't you see for yourself at the Community Church. That's where people meet on Sundays."

Unfortunately, I'll never know whether he actually became a christian, but he certainly was a serious enquirer.

When pressed for some statistics, Mr. Shen of the Community Church estimated that in China there would be now over four million christians, four times the number before the communists took over. The main reason for this increase was thought to be the indigenisation of the church. He also thought that the materialism of communism had not brought any spiritual satisfaction.

Talking about feeling guilty, I had good reason to feel so the following morning. I had resisted several times the black market money changers on the streets, but this time I fell for the temptation. I thought of our friend in the park the day before, none of us are perfect and we are all in need of forgiveness. The rate was 50 yuan in foreign exchange currency (FEC) for 75 Renminbi (RMB). China had then a dual currency system, the FEC for foreigners and RMB for locals, and the official rate was one to one. We could spend the RMB on local purchases, taxis (some drivers asked for FEC), buses meals and the like.

In another park we happened on an impromptu opera, sung by two ladies, accompanied by two stringed instruments. A crowd just sat around and enjoyed the singing.

Not far from Shanghai lies the ancient city of Suzhou, once the seat of

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