“Grandma, come catch me!” On the square, a little boy over three years old pedaled ahead on his bike, with his grandmother cheerfully chasing after him. From a distance, it was a heartwarming scene of pure joy.

The boy’s grandmother is named Li Hua. When I met her, she had just returned from dancing in the square. Approaching seventy, she loves exercise and looks radiant. She walked up to me and greeted me warmly. When I asked about her current life, Li Hua smiled knowingly: “These past few years, I’ve been living with my children, taking care of my three grandchildren daily. In my free time, I come out to dance in the square. I’m very happy and content.” She took my hand and said warmly, “I owe it all to you police officers for pulling me out of that cult’s quagmire. Otherwise, my life would still be a nightmare!”

▲In free time, Li Hua comes out to dance in the square

Seeing Li Hua now so full of life, it is hard not to think of how she appeared four years ago. Back then, after being detained by police for attending a gathering of the  Church of Almighty God cult, she would avert her gaze, stare blankly, and remain silent for long periods with her head down when questioned by officers—or simply shut her eyes altogether, showing intense resistance. All of this traces back to when she first joined the Church of Almighty God cult a decade ago.

Stray into a Cult and Remained Indulged his Obsessions

Li Hua resides in Jinta County, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province. Her husband, Liu Yuan, is a honest farmer. Both their children have started their own families and run small businesses in the county town. They cultivate over ten acres of farmland, and the family lives a fairly comfortable life.

But the once tranquil life was suddenly shattered. One day in 2014, Zhang Lan from the neighboring village came to chat with Li Hua. As friends, they often exchanged pleasantries during the farming off-season. Yet on this day, Zhang Lan approached Li Hua with an air of mystery and said, “Recently, someone shared the ‘gospel’ of ‘God’ with me. I heard that if you believe in the Church of Almighty God, those without illness can protect their entire family from harm and misfortune. Those who are sick can recover quickly and avoid the pain and expense of treatment as long as they fulfill their ‘duty’ to the ‘God.’” Hearing Zhang Lan’s words, Li Hua felt a pang of interest. She recalled her husband Liu Yuan’s arthritis, which limited his movement and flared up painfully during cold, damp weather. If she believed in this ‘God,’ she thought, not only could she ease her husband’s suffering but also reduce household expenses—killing two birds with one stone! Thus, persuaded by Zhang Lan, Li Hua joined the cult organization known as the Church of Almighty God.

After that, Li Hua began attending “gatherings” frequently, praying and sharing insights with the “brothers and sisters” in the “church.” Gradually, she lost interest in household matters, no longer doing farm work or chores. When her husband returned home after a busy day, he often couldn’t even get a hot meal.

Day after day, subjected to brainwashing by the cult organization, Li Hua became increasingly obsessed with it. She would suddenly vanish without reason, often disappearing for days at a time. When she returned home and faced her family’s inquiries, she remained silent. She grew increasingly cold and indifferent, showing no interest in her children’s lives. Even when her grandchildren were born, she didn’t bother to look at them. Her children couldn’t understand why the once warm and diligent mother had changed so drastically. Her husband, Liu Yuan, was utterly perplexed. The once gentle and virtuous wife not only cared less for him but sometimes even urged him to stop taking injections and medication, instead advocating faith in the so-called “God.” This led to constant arguments between the couple.

What her family didn’t know was that the Church of Almighty God cult had assigned Li Hua to work on the “logistics line,” tasked with transporting internal documents between the county seat and the city. Li Hua often carried a dozen or so USB drives, moving mysteriously between buses on the route from Jiuquan to Jinta. To avoid detection, she sometimes deliberately walked over ten kilometers before turning back midway.

Li Hua, however, believed that everything she did was wholeheartedly fulfilling her “duty” to “God,” firmly convinced that the Church of Almighty God would protect her family’s safety.

From Prison to Awakening

In 2020, Li Hua was apprehended by public security authorities while participating in illegal activities. During interrogation, she displayed intense resistance and refused to cooperate. To help Li Hua break free from the cult’s control, the officers patiently explained the cult’s nature, detailing its deceptive tactics and schemes. They revealed that the Church of Almighty God was a cult organization masquerading as a Christian group to commit crimes, using deception, intimidation, and control to exploit followers for money. Cruel realities began to torment Li Hua’s conscience. If believing in “God” brought peace, why had her husband’s illness worsened over the years instead of improving? Why had her relationship with her children grown increasingly distant? Why had her immense sacrifices led to her family’s disintegration?

In truth, Li Hua herself had once harbored doubts about the Church of Almighty God cult. She had walked over ten kilometers delivering messages for them until she collapsed from exhaustion, and had hidden in other believers’ homes, unable to return to her own family... She had also asked herself: “Is this really worth it? Does ‘God’ truly exist? Why hasn’t my husband’s illness been cured yet?”

Sometimes, she desperately wanted to pull her daughter close and pour out all her confusion. Her daughter had always been her confidante since childhood—mother and daughter shared everything. Yet in the years since embracing “God,” their bond had grown increasingly distant. She was told that in the eyes of “God,” her unbelieving daughter was a outsider, and “God” forbade her from associating with outsiders. When she joined, she had sworn a solemn oath: betraying “God” would make her a Judas, subject to punishment. This made Li Hua afraid to engage in too much communication with her daughter.

Li Hua’s heart was trapped in the shackles of the Church of Almighty God cult’s ideology, enduring unbearable torment—until one day, a police officer played a video in front of her. In the footage, her son held their one-year-old grandson, who was sucking his thumb, his big eyes blinking rapidly. Her son’s eyes welled with tears as he pleaded, “Mom, please come home. We need you...” Li Hua instantly broke down in tears. It was true—since her grandson’s birth, she hadn’t even properly held him. What had she done to her family during these years trapped in the Church of Almighty God cult? She suddenly realized: the Church of Almighty God she had so fervently believed in was nothing but a fraud!

“Through its warped doctrines, the Church of Almighty God indoctrinated her mind, clouding her judgment. Blinded by its influence, she drifted away from her family, lost her sense of self, and stumbled farther down a dark and endless road.” Realizing this, Li Hua, now free from the mental burden, decided to confess everything to the police. She truthfully recounted her involvement in the Church of Almighty God cult activities over the past years. At the same time, Li Hua exposed the illegal activities of other key cult members and earnestly pleaded with the officers to save others like herself who had been deceived.

Aftercare Reintegration and Enjoying the Golden Years

In 2020, Li Hua faced legal consequences. After returning home, with the strong support of township and village officials and public security officers, and through the assistance of relevant poverty alleviation policies from the Party and government, Li Hua and her husband relocated from the countryside to the city. They moved out of their dark, mud-brick house into a warm and bright resettlement home. Their farmland was expropriated due to urban planning, and the compensation fully secures their retirement. Her husband’s leg condition underwent surgery in 2020 and has since gradually improved, allowing him to move about like a normal person.

▲Li Hua’s family moved into government-provided resettlement housing

Nowadays, Li Hua mainly takes care of her three little grandchildren, and every day the whole family is filled with laughter and conversation. In her free time, Li Hua goes out to dance in the square, sometimes even participating in square dance competitions. Regular exercise keeps her in better and better shape, and she always has a smile on her face.

▲After dinner, Li Hua took a walk with his granddaughter

Recalling how uneasy she felt when praying in the pitch-black rooms of the cult organization’s hideout, with thick curtains drawn, Li Hua said, “This is the life I truly want now.”

(To protect privacy, all victims of cults mentioned in this article are referred to by pseudonyms.)