By Luis Palau

Ever since I was a young boy growing up in Argentina, I have heard stories about the amazing country of China. I have dreamed about China, its people, its history and its culture. I love China. I want the best for this great nation and everyone within its borders. And now, after getting better acquainted with such a wonderful leader as Mr. Zhao Qizheng, my love and respect for China has only grown greater.

I believe with my whole heart that God loves China. I believe he has a special message for China and wants nothing more than to share his love with the entire nation.

It is for this reason that I felt so honored to be the invited guest of Mr. Zhao Qizheng, a gracious and respectable man I now have the privilege of calling my friend. I have been blessed by our conversations over the last year, speaking openly and honestly about our beliefs, understandings and misconceptions about each other's culture. I believe that as a result, we both have gained new understanding.

As Mr. Zhao so eloquently declared, our views on God, the world and eternity differ in many ways. But as we have also shown, that has not kept us from growing into true friends-individuals who mutually respect each other. As a Christian evangelist, I believe whole-heartedly in the Bible-God's Word-and its relevance and power to transform our lives.

It is my privilege and responsibility to introduce Jesus Christ, his teachings and his gift of eternal life, to the world. It is a calling I hold dearly, for I believe Jesus Christ offers tremendous power, freedom and eternal satisfaction to both nations and individuals.

It is Mr. Zhao's role as a highly accomplished and respected scientist to weigh matters based on logic, facts, formulas and proven findings. As a result, this conversation between the two of us has been lively, honest and thought-provoking. We have freely used our own areas of expertise to better understand our world and our reason for existence. I hope you find our dialogue to be just as intriguing as we did.

I hope that as our conversations progress, we will continue to build a bridge between our two societies. That our open and honest dialogue will lead to further understanding of the truth, while at the same time fostering respect and love and true friendship for one another, despite our deep differences.

Thank you for letting me come to you, reveal my heart, gain new friends and see first-hand the country I have prayed for over the past seventy years. I love China.