Aged man’s long journey to seek his wife- a victim of the Church of Almighty God (a missing person’s report attached)

2018-07-03

Four years on,

Where are you, my better half?

Our son and grandson are waiting for you,

80-year-old mom also yearns for you

……

Four years ago, He Shuifeng ran away from home alone. Since then, her husband Chen Yuejin has embarked on a journey to find her.

What instigated her to leave her family and send no message back?

What has happened to this family?

Happiness

59-year-old Chen Yuejin was a farmer and carpenter for more than 10 years. His wife He Shuifeng was a part-time worker in an adjacent factory. The elder of their two sons, a businessman, married a rural primary school teacher in 2007. The following year, they welcomed a little girl, so He Shuifeng quit her job to attend to her daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

At the end of 2011, the elder son opened a small supermarket next to their house. At that time, the little girl had started kindergarten. As a consequence, the elderly couple took over the supermarket. Chen continued to do carpentry work every day and returned at a fixed time, while He Shuifeng went back to cook and do the laundry.

Chen liked to have a couple of drinks of wine from the supermarket with the tasty dishes prepared by his wife after work. Their son and daughter-in-law would also rush home to eat dinner family, thus the family had regular gatherings full of chatter and laughter and were the envy of many in the village.

Omen

From 2012, He Shuifeng and several women often went out at night. When asked about it, she fobbed Chen off by saying that she was dealing with religious issues, so Chen didn’t pay much attention.

But after that, frequent outings and weird behavior started to raise doubts. One day, illiterate He Shuifeng brought back a huge pile of books and refused to explain what they were for. Rumors were going round about He Shuifeng, hence Chen discovered that his wife believed in the cult named “Church of Almighty God.” When He Shuifeng went out, Chen burned all her cult books, which caused a row between Chen and his wife.

Nothing changed after the quarrel. He Shuifeng was still a cult follower and Chen gave up dissuading her due to her obstinacy. But a single slip can cause a lasting sorrow.

One morning in September 2013, He Shuifeng told Chen that she was going out for a few days. Chen agreed without hesitation. When he came back from the supermarket, he found that He Shuifeng had already left with a few clothes and money, but without her ID card and cellphone.

Chen was not that anxious at first but, as time passed, he became worried and searched for his wife with his family, without luck, before he turned to the police for help. Unfortunately, as the police could find no trace of her, Chen began the long journey to seek his wife by himself.

Bitterness

Chen was not in the mood for business and closed the supermarket soon afterwards. His sons and daughter-in-law no longer had meals at home, and his granddaughter was taken care of by her maternal grandmother. As a result, Chen always drowned his grief with a bottle.

As He Shuifeng didn’t take her ID card, Chen thought that she would not be able to go far. Therefore, he searched all around the town. He would peep inside locked houses and was taken for a thief on several occasions. Scold and sneer didn’t hinder him. Any information about He Shuifeng would serve as a clue for him, but every outing ended up with disappointment.

“Our elder son had a baby boy this year, and our younger son has got a girlfriend. My 80-year-old mother-in-law misses my wife a lot. In addition, my wife is 55 years old already, her social insurance remains to be drawn…” said Chen. All these things are waiting for He Shuifeng, but her life is uncertain now. Tears trickle down Chen's cheeks as he thinks about that.

He added that several of her fellow cult followers were seriously ill and sent back late at night. Hence he assumed that his wife is still in good health.

Chen has determined to wait for his wife until she returns.