Christopher Yuan - Out of a Far Country: A Gay Sons Journey to God. A Broken Mothers Search for Hope.

Praise for
Out of a Far Country

Christopher Yuan and Angela Yuan have told the story of their miraculous journey from broken lives, relationships, and dreams to a place of hope and healing. Out of a Far Country brings home the living truth that in the midst of a broken and hurting world, God is at work to redeem, renew, and reconcile his beloved. Im particularly happy to endorse this book because Christopher, like myself, was broken in prison and redeemed by Christ.

C HUCK C OLSON , founder of Prison Fellowship and the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview

Out of a Far Country reads like a modern rendition of the prodigal son parable, only it is more gripping. The journey taken by Christopher Yuan is rarely documented. Be prepared, for the raw emotions of both mother and son authentically mark every page. The spiritual lessons to be gained from this book are many. May it gain a vast audience!

J. P AUL N YQUIST , PhD, president of Moody Bible Institute

This is a moving account of how an Asian mothers fragile love turns into a prayerful, patient, and tenacious force of forgiveness. It is also a gripping narrative of a sons search for belonging and meaning. Out of a Far Country breeds hope in every despairing heart.

L ISA E SPINELI C HINN , director of International Student Ministries for InterVarsity/USA

The Good Shepherd knows his sheep and calls them by name. Christopher Yuan, trapped in a life of drugs and sexual addiction, heard that call and rose to follow Jesus. His and his mothers account of that rising is a profound story of redemption that all of us in this broken generation need to hear.

D UANE L ITFIN , president emeritus of Wheaton College in Illinois

Relevant, courageous, fascinating, and much more. I have known the Yuans for many years, and their walk is in line with their talk. This important and needed story goes against the wind, but it is one hundred percent in the right direction.

D R . G EORGE V ERWER , founder and former international director of Operation Mobilisation

Out of a Far Country is a true-life parable of saving grace for a prodigal mother and a wayward son who needed Gods forgiveness. Their story will warm the heart and lift the spirit of every parent who prays for a wandering child and every believer who needs to be reminded why the gospel is good news.

D R . P HILIP G. R YKEN , president of Wheaton College in Illinois

At one point, Angela and Christopher were living worlds apart. I have heard their story countless times, and it never grows old. I know you will be amazed by the God who did the impossible to bring this mother and son back together.

A LAN C HAMBERS , president of Exodus International

This is the story of Gods persistent chase of a wayward son through the prayers and love of a determined mother. But even more, it is a testimony to the fact that loving God is a far more satisfying pursuit than following our own desires. I am thankful that Christopher and Angela are willing to be so transparent about their journey. Christophers desire to follow Christ regardless of the struggle stands as a model for all who desire to love God with all their heart.

D R . J OSEPH M. S TOWELL , president of Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan

God snatched Christopher Yuan from a desperately empty life and offered him the hope of Jesus Christ. This is a story of Gods redemption, love, and mercy in the midst of overwhelming sin and a heart that was far from God. Get two copies of this bookyou will want to give one to a friend who needs Jesus.

D R . J AMES M ACDONALD , senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, Illinois

O UT OF A F AR C OUNTRY
P UBLISHED BY W ATER B ROOK P RESS
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. Scripture quotations marked ( KJV ) are taken from the King James Version. Scripture quotations marked ( MSG ) are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( NASB ) are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org).

The story that is told in this book is entirely true. In an effort to safeguard the privacy of individuals whose lives have touched the lives of the authors, some of the names of the people mentioned in this book have been changed.

Copyright 2011 by Christopher Yuan and Angela Yuan

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.

W ATER B ROOK and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Yuan, Christopher.
Out of a far country : a gay sons journey to God : a broken mothers search for hope /
Christopher Yuan and Angela Yuan. 1st ed.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-72936-1
1. Yuan, Christopher. 2. Yuan, Angela. 3. Christian gay menUnited StatesBiography.
4. Drug dealersUnited StatesBiography. 5. Chinese AmericansBiography. 6. Mothers and sons. 7. Gay menFamily relationships. I. Yuan, Angela. II. Title.
HQ75.8.Y83A3 2011
261.8357662092dc22
[B]
2010053733

v3.1_r1

For Leon, husband and father:
Thank you for being willing to change,
not giving up on us, and continuing to pursue Christ.

Inspiring books have been written about Jesuss parable of the prodigal son, the younger of two brothers who left his family to pursue a different way of living. We know only a few details about the choices made by the biblical prodigal, and the outcomes of his choices. If we knew more about the things that took place in the far country, I imagine Jesuss story recorded in the gospel of Luke would stop us in our tracks. What we do know is that the younger brother led a life of his own choosing, then came back home a humbled, defeated person. The glory of the story is that he was welcomed by his loving, waiting father.

The story that is told in this book contains similar elements, but it features two prodigals, a younger son and his mother. The son left home to go to graduate school, and after a few years he began living in a way that went against his parents values. His mother, driven by love but also battered by shame and distraught over a lifeless marriage, came to the end of herself (see Luke 15:17, KJV ). As hard as this was, it proved to be a turning point for both mother and son.

Out of a Far Country speaks directly to anyone who has wandered for any length of time. Its a blindingly true story that will resonate with prodigal sons and daughters, and with the parents of prodigals. This story is sometimes heartbreaking, and its often raw in its honesty. The battle that is waged over a persons soul is lengthy and hard fought, and the outcome is not known until after wounds have been suffered.