Zhu Desheng and Wang Pei, who live in a third-tier city in southern China, sacrificed a lot to ensure their son, Peter, received a Christian education.
They decided not to place him into the school system, where he would be exposed to atheistic and Marxist propaganda. Instead, they homeschooled Peter using a mix of curricula from Chinese public schools and homeschool material from the American Christian curriculum publisher Abeka. Neighbors reported Peter for not going to school, so he started staying inside his family’s apartment during the day. Without peers, he felt isolated and lonely.
So the family decided to enroll Peter at an international Christian boarding school in the Philippines. Peter quickly adapted, joining the school’s American football team and running track and field. As he reached his senior year last fall, he applied for several Christian universities in the US, and in April he got accepted to Biola University in California.
Yet in June, as Peter prepared to apply for a student visa for the fall, his father learned that US consulates had suspended visa interviews for Chinese students and visiting scholars.
Suddenly, Peter’s education plan was in upheaval. Scrambling, they began researching colleges in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Germany as backup options.
“We were in a tough spot, not knowing how God would lead our child,” Zhu reflected.