Anyone who knows Reverend Li Wendao, vice-chairman of Chongqing TSPM, would know that he is a warm-hearted, gentle and optimistic man.
I knew Rev. Li quite accidentally. The reason I got to know him is that he is the executive editor of Tianyun magazine, published by the Chongqing CC&TSPM. I happened to have written an article and intended to publish it. Also, during that time I encountered some setbacks, which made me doubt my faith. So I dialed the phone number that was in the Tianyun magazine. After talking about a few things, Pastor Li said enthusiastically, “You could come here, bring your manuscript, and we can talk about it in detail.”
I was new to Chongqing at the time, so Pastor Li kindly told me where he was, which bus I should take, and at which stop I should get off. When I arrived at my destination, I saw, at a distance, a middle-aged man of medium height, standing by the bus stop, with a modest smile on his face. I thought to myself, he must be the pastor I was meeting. Sure enough, it was him. Hanging up the phone, Rev. Li came over, smiled, and said, "I was afraid that you couldn’t find the place, so I just came to the station to meet you."
Later I learned that in addition to serving as the executive editor of Tianyun magazine, Pastor Li also was responsible for the pastoral work for three district or county churches. He is very busy in his daily work because editing the magazine itself is a very hard job. Throughout the year, manuscripts are sent from all over the country, from teachers and students of seminaries, from pastoral staff in rural churches, and from urban and rural Christians. Because of the differences in knowledge and culture level of those submitting papers, the manuscripts are mixed in quality and depth. However, Pastor Li seldom dismisses the submissions and he sends the manuscripts back. He would always contact and communicate with the authors while making careful revisions by himself. It was a common practice for him to burn the midnight oil.
From Monday to Friday, he was responsible for proofreading, editing, publishing, and dealing with producing the magazine. He was even busier on weekends. He had to go to the countryside to oversee the affairs of local churches and preach in grassroots churches. Sometimes he would not get home until late on Sunday afternoons.
I began to hear more and more about Pastor Li from others.
Pastor Li is a native of Fengjie County, Chongqing. In 1999, at the beginning of the resettlement work for the Three Gorges Dam, "Looking at Jinghua by the Big Dipper" (a poem of Du Fu), "Yidoumen" (Fengjie's ancient gate for the city wall), were inundated by the reservoir created by the damming of the Yangtze River. Fengjie County Christian Evangelism Church, which was next to "Yidoumen," was also included in the urban relocation work. In the process of relocating the church, Pastor Li did not agree to let a colleague make an illegal private contract for the church relocation project in order to protect the interests of the church. During that time, a different case occurred in the same county, and the colleague's family was also involved in this case, so the colleague's family "reported" Pastor Li. Misfortune and injustice befell Pastor Li. He was mistakenly detained twice in a row after his colleague's family wrongly reported him, and the government paid him "state compensation" after the facts were clarified.
But after suffering through two periods of torture, which lasted for dozens of days, the body of Pastor Li suffered great damage. He lost a large area of healthy black hair. Later the examination in the hospital showed that follicle necrosis happened to the hair on his head.
Friends and fellow villagers suggested that Pastor Li should make a legal case against the family that had badly wronged him. But Pastor Li said, "We are Christians. We shall learn to forgive." That's what Reverend Li said and did.
In May 2003, Pastor Li was transferred to the Chongqing CC&TSPM. Later, the colleague who "reported" Pastor Li came to the city to attend a study session but was in turn comforted by Pastor Li. Someone said: "Pastor Li, are you still so kind to that man?"Pastor Li said: "Yes, love is tolerant!"
Pastor Li's wife is also a pastor, working in the Beibei district church in Chongqing. She is so busy with the work in her church that she can only go home once a week because the church is so far away from her home. On weekdays, Pastor Li takes on the role of house husband, going grocery shopping, cooking, and taking care of their child. When his wife comes home for her weekly visit, she often smells the delicious aroma coming out of the kitchen. Then she looks at her husband and goes into the kitchen, singing happily.
In the eyes of others, Pastor Li's wife Pastor Zhou is a simple kind and weak woman, and a good pastor. But in Pastor Li's eyes, she is just a "little girl" who never grew up.
Pastor Li says he is not a good father to his 15-year old son. On Saturday and Sunday, he and his wife are not allowed to accompany their child. While other children are taken to parks and zoos by their parents, Pastor Li’s son can only read books and do homework at home. Locking a child indoors on Saturday night is not uncommon, and the family has done this since their son was in elementary school. Because every Saturday and Sunday, the pastors must take turns in going to church and preaching. His wife works in the Beibei church so she cannot go home either. On Saturday morning, Pastor Li will prepare his child’s meals for the weekend, store them in the refrigerator, tell his kid about important things, and head out for a few hours' drive to the parish church. Li says it is also a way to help their child learn to live independently.
There are many stories about Pastor Li's preaching in the county church. For example, once, after a sermon, a young girl found Pastor Li and tearfully told her experience of how she had been hurt. Later, with Pastor Li's help and persuasion, she went on to a new life. She called and said, "Pastor Li, thank you for saving my life..."
Here's how it happened. When she was 20, she worked as a clerk in a clothing store, fell in love with the store manager, and became pregnant. The irresponsible man knew about it and walked away. She had to borrow money for an abortion. She was seriously injured in both body and mind. Because of this, her mother broke off relations with her. Having lost love and family affection, she contemplated suicide. She went to the church to confess and planned to commit suicide after that. As it happened, she heard Pastor Li's sermon and wept as she listened, and suddenly she was filled with hope. After the sermon, he encouraged and comforted her, saying, "When you are young, you are bound to make mistakes. Death is not the way to solve any problem. The right way is to correct your mistakes, learn from them, and resolve not to make this kind of mistake ever again."
Pastor Li's phone is as busy as a hotline. "Pastor Li! Please pray for me, I can't sLip because I'm worried about my two sons..." After hanging up, the second call, the third...The calls continue to pour in:
"Pastor Li, thank you for praying for me. I am full of faith in life now.”
“Reverend Li, my husband and I are really reconciled, as you said!”
“Pastor Li, my daughter-in-law is much better than before. She's brought me something nice to eat after she came back from shopping!”
A colleague said: "Pastor Li's smile makes people feel warm and cheerful. He is really optimistic!" Speaking of Pastor Li's optimism, here is an example that shows how he views life: Once, Pastor Li and several believers went to visit a believer's home in a mountainous area. They were caught in heavy rain and walked on a wet and narrow path in the mountain, with one foot in the mud and one foot in the water. They were holding hands to remain together. Inspiration suddenly came to Pastor Li. A poem naturally came to him—"I am the paradise which the Father keeps watering.” This poem was published in the Tianfeng journal and was later set to sacred music by a composer in Wuhan. In 2000 it was adapted and called "I Am a Dewdrop," which is number 196 in the Chinese New Hymnal.
Li says that he does have some regrets. On April 29, 2008, on a Sunday, Pastor Li's father died. On that morning Li was giving a sermon in church. When he came down from the platform after finishing his sermon, there were more than ten missed calls on his mobile phone. His father passed away while he was preaching. He could have been with his father when he was dying. He could have seen his father for the last time, but he did not do that. He is a pastor. Sunday is the day for sermons. It’s a day to lead believers to worship God!
"Pastors are human beings too, and pastors should teach others how to be human beings by themselves, so as to bring harmony and unity between people!" This is one of Pastor Li's frequent phrases when he converses with others. The simple words speak of the responsibility that a pastor feels in real life.
(Note: This witness article was written by a Christian in the Chongqing Holy Love Church named Yi Huifang. She loves literature and is a regular contributor to Tianyun magazine. )
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
一位牧师的生活——记李汶道牧师的二三事
认识李牧师的人都知道，他是个心肠火热、性格温和、为人乐观的人。
一个很偶然的机会，笔者认识了他。认识的原因，是因为他是重庆市基督教两会《天韵》杂志的编辑，我正好写了一篇文章，打算投递出去。另外，那一段时间，我遭遇到了一些挫折，对于信仰有些疑惑。于是拨通了《天韵》上提供的那个电话，说了一些情况之后，李牧师热心地说，那你来我们这边一趟，把稿子带过来，我们可以交流一下。
当时，初到这个城市的我，对于这里的一切都还不熟悉，因此李牧师又热心地、详细地告诉了我他的所在地点，以及该乘坐的公交车和下车的地方。我按李牧师所说的，坐车过去，到达目的地时，远远地，便看到一个中等身材的中年人，站在站牌旁边，脸上带着谦逊的微笑，我心想：这应该是那位牧师。果然是他。挂断电话，牧师走过来，笑着开口说：“怕你找不到地方，我就干脆跑到车站来接你了。”
后来了解到，李牧师在担任《天韵》杂志的责任编辑外，还兼有三个区县教会的牧养工作，平日里工作非常繁忙，因为编辑杂志本身就是一件非常辛苦的事情。一年四季都有从全国各地寄来的稿件，有神学院的老师、学生的文章，有农村基层教会的教牧同工的心得体会，还有城市或农村基督徒的见证感悟。因为知识文化水平的差异，这些稿件难免良莠不齐。但李牧师很少泼人冷水把稿子给人退回去，他总是一边与作者联系、沟通，一边自己动手仔细修改，到晚上打挑灯夜战是“家常便饭”了。
他的工作，每周一至周五，除了负责杂志的校稿、编辑、发行和处理日常事务外，到了周末，别人都休息，他还要下乡，到分管的区县教会处理事务，去基层教会讲道，有时候星期日下午很晚才能回到家中。
再后来，陆续从别人口中听说了一些关于李牧师的事。
李牧师是 重庆市奉节县人，1999年，三峡移民工作伊始，曾经 “每依北斗望京华”（杜甫诗）的“依斗门”(奉节县的古城墙大门)，也随着三峡蓄水升高湮入滚滚长江之中。“依斗门”旁的奉节县基督教福音堂也纳入城市搬迁工作。李牧师在教堂迁建过程中，为了维护教会的利益，不赞成把教堂迁建工程让一个同事给不合法的私人承包。在那期间，县城里恰逢发生了一起案件，那位同事的家庭在案件中也受到了损害，于是那位同事的家人“举报”了李牧师。不幸与冤屈就这样降临在李牧师身上……由于那位同事家人的错误举报，导致李牧师一连两次被错误地拘留，澄清事实后，政府给李牧师作了“国家赔偿”。
可连续两次几十天的折磨，导致李牧师身体受到了很大的伤害，一头健康的黑发大面积脱落。后来到医院里面检查，头顶的头发毛囊坏死了。
周围的朋友和乡亲们都建议李牧师跟那一家打官司，因为好端端地受到了那么大的冤屈。但李牧师说：“我们是基督徒，要学会饶恕人呀。”李牧师是这么说的，也是这么做的。
2003年5月，李牧师调到了重庆市基督教两会工作。后来有一次奉节那位“举报”李牧师的同事到市里来参加一次学习，反而受到李牧师的安慰与礼让，有人就说：“李牧师，你对那人还这样好哇？”李牧师说：“应该的，爱就是包容嘛！”
李牧师的妻子也是一位牧师，在重庆北碚区教会工作。她所在的教会活动较多，事务繁杂，因为离家又远，所以一周只能回家一次。平日里李牧师便当起了家庭主“夫”，去菜市场买菜、做饭，家里大小的事务和照顾孩子的事，李牧师都“承包”了。每逢妻子一周回家一次的时候，往往已经闻到厨房里飘出来的饭菜香，再看看自己的丈夫，妻就乐呵呵地边哼着歌儿走进厨房了。
在别人的眼中，李牧师的妻子周牧师是个纯朴善良的弱女子、好牧师。但在李牧师眼中，她是个长不大的“小女孩”。
对于自己15岁的爱子，李牧师声称自己不是个好父亲。周六、周日，他和妻子都不能陪孩子，当别的孩子都由爸爸妈妈带着去公园、动物园玩耍的时候，李牧师的孩子只能一个人在家里看书、做作业。周六把孩子一个人锁在家里过夜，也是常有的事，并且从孩子上小学开始就一直这样。因为每周六和周日，李牧师都要轮流到他负责的区县教会讲道和主持工作，妻子又在北碚教会，教会有聚会不能回家。周六上午李牧师要把孩子周末吃的饭菜做好，存放在冰箱里，然后向孩子交待好，再出门赶几小时车去区县教会。李牧师说，这对孩子日后的独立生活能力也是一种培养。
说起李牧师在区县教会的讲道，还有很多的故事。比如，有一次，李牧师在一个县的教堂讲道之后，一个年轻的女孩子找到了李牧师，含着眼泪讲述了她受伤害的经历，后来经李牧师的多方帮助与劝导走向了新的人生，感激地打来电话说：“李牧师，谢谢您救了我……”
事情原委是这样的。那女孩20岁时，在一家服装店做店员，工作中与该门店经理相恋同居，怀孕了。男的知道后不负责任一走了之，她只好四处借钱堕了胎，身心受到了很大的伤害，母亲为此也与她断绝母女关系。同时失去了爱情和亲情的她，想到了自杀，她准备去教堂里作一次忏悔，然后自杀离开人世。刚好，她听到了李牧师的讲道，一边听一边流泪，突然有种盼望油然而生。于是礼拜结束后找到了李牧师，李牧师开导她，安慰她，说：“人年轻的时候都难免犯错，犯了错，死并不是解决问题的办法，正确的方法是改正，吸取教训，立志不再犯这样的错。”
李牧师的电话，也因此有如热线电话般热闹。“李牧师啊！请您为我祷告，我为我两个儿子的事担忧得睡不着觉……”挂断后，第二个电话、第三个……电话接连着打进来了：
“李牧师，谢谢你为我祷告，我现在对生活充满了信心。”
“李牧师，我和我的那位，像你说的那样，真的和好如初呀！”
“李牧师，我儿媳妇比以前好很多了，上街还给我带好吃的东西回来哩！”
一位同工说：“李牧师那脸上的笑，让人感到亲切和开朗，很乐观的！”说起李牧师的乐观，有事为证：一次，李牧师和几位信徒一起去山区的信徒家探访，路遇大雨，走在山里湿滑狭窄的小路上，泥里一脚，水里一脚，大伙儿一个牵一个，手拉着手，完全没有被大雨影响，反而一路欢笑一路高歌。李牧师突然“诗兴大发”，在脑海中自然出现了一首诗——《我是天父浇灌的乐园》，诗词曾刊登在《天风》上，后被武汉一位圣乐作曲家谱曲歌唱，于2000年被全国基督教收集改编在《新编赞美诗•补充本》第196首《我是一颗露珠》。
李牧师说，生活中也偶尔有遗憾的事发生。2008年4月29日，这是一个星期天，也是李牧师的父亲去世的日子；这一天上午，李牧师在一个教堂讲道，走下讲台，手机上有十多个未接电话，原来父亲就在他讲道的时候去世了，他本来可以在父亲临终时与父亲见最后一面的，可他没能做到，因为他是牧师，礼拜天要讲道，带领信徒敬拜上帝！
“牧师也是人，而牧师要通过自己去教导别人怎样做人，让人与人之间多一些和谐！” 这是李牧师与人交谈时常说的一句话。朴实的话语道出了牧师在现实生活里的一种社会责任。
（注：这篇见证文章，是重庆圣爱堂一位基督徒写的，姓名易惠芳，她喜爱文学，曾是《天韵》杂志常年投稿者，用一天时间采访李大军牧师，并写下了这篇文章。）
Anyone who knows Reverend Li Wendao, vice-chairman of Chongqing TSPM, would know that he is a warm-hearted, gentle and optimistic man.
I knew Rev. Li quite accidentally. The reason I got to know him is that he is the executive editor of Tianyun magazine, published by the Chongqing CC&TSPM. I happened to have written an article and intended to publish it. Also, during that time I encountered some setbacks, which made me doubt my faith. So I dialed the phone number that was in the Tianyun magazine. After talking about a few things, Pastor Li said enthusiastically, “You could come here, bring your manuscript, and we can talk about it in detail.”
I was new to Chongqing at the time, so Pastor Li kindly told me where he was, which bus I should take, and at which stop I should get off. When I arrived at my destination, I saw, at a distance, a middle-aged man of medium height, standing by the bus stop, with a modest smile on his face. I thought to myself, he must be the pastor I was meeting. Sure enough, it was him. Hanging up the phone, Rev. Li came over, smiled, and said, "I was afraid that you couldn’t find the place, so I just came to the station to meet you."
Later I learned that in addition to serving as the executive editor of Tianyun magazine, Pastor Li also was responsible for the pastoral work for three district or county churches. He is very busy in his daily work because editing the magazine itself is a very hard job. Throughout the year, manuscripts are sent from all over the country, from teachers and students of seminaries, from pastoral staff in rural churches, and from urban and rural Christians. Because of the differences in knowledge and culture level of those submitting papers, the manuscripts are mixed in quality and depth. However, Pastor Li seldom dismisses the submissions and he sends the manuscripts back. He would always contact and communicate with the authors while making careful revisions by himself. It was a common practice for him to burn the midnight oil.
From Monday to Friday, he was responsible for proofreading, editing, publishing, and dealing with producing the magazine. He was even busier on weekends. He had to go to the countryside to oversee the affairs of local churches and preach in grassroots churches. Sometimes he would not get home until late on Sunday afternoons.
I began to hear more and more about Pastor Li from others.
Pastor Li is a native of Fengjie County, Chongqing. In 1999, at the beginning of the resettlement work for the Three Gorges Dam, "Looking at Jinghua by the Big Dipper" (a poem of Du Fu), "Yidoumen" (Fengjie's ancient gate for the city wall), were inundated by the reservoir created by the damming of the Yangtze River. Fengjie County Christian Evangelism Church, which was next to "Yidoumen," was also included in the urban relocation work. In the process of relocating the church, Pastor Li did not agree to let a colleague make an illegal private contract for the church relocation project in order to protect the interests of the church. During that time, a different case occurred in the same county, and the colleague's family was also involved in this case, so the colleague's family "reported" Pastor Li. Misfortune and injustice befell Pastor Li. He was mistakenly detained twice in a row after his colleague's family wrongly reported him, and the government paid him "state compensation" after the facts were clarified.
But after suffering through two periods of torture, which lasted for dozens of days, the body of Pastor Li suffered great damage. He lost a large area of healthy black hair. Later the examination in the hospital showed that follicle necrosis happened to the hair on his head.
Friends and fellow villagers suggested that Pastor Li should make a legal case against the family that had badly wronged him. But Pastor Li said, "We are Christians. We shall learn to forgive." That's what Reverend Li said and did.
In May 2003, Pastor Li was transferred to the Chongqing CC&TSPM. Later, the colleague who "reported" Pastor Li came to the city to attend a study session but was in turn comforted by Pastor Li. Someone said: "Pastor Li, are you still so kind to that man?"Pastor Li said: "Yes, love is tolerant!"
Pastor Li's wife is also a pastor, working in the Beibei district church in Chongqing. She is so busy with the work in her church that she can only go home once a week because the church is so far away from her home. On weekdays, Pastor Li takes on the role of house husband, going grocery shopping, cooking, and taking care of their child. When his wife comes home for her weekly visit, she often smells the delicious aroma coming out of the kitchen. Then she looks at her husband and goes into the kitchen, singing happily.
In the eyes of others, Pastor Li's wife Pastor Zhou is a simple kind and weak woman, and a good pastor. But in Pastor Li's eyes, she is just a "little girl" who never grew up.
Pastor Li says he is not a good father to his 15-year old son. On Saturday and Sunday, he and his wife are not allowed to accompany their child. While other children are taken to parks and zoos by their parents, Pastor Li’s son can only read books and do homework at home. Locking a child indoors on Saturday night is not uncommon, and the family has done this since their son was in elementary school. Because every Saturday and Sunday, the pastors must take turns in going to church and preaching. His wife works in the Beibei church so she cannot go home either. On Saturday morning, Pastor Li will prepare his child’s meals for the weekend, store them in the refrigerator, tell his kid about important things, and head out for a few hours' drive to the parish church. Li says it is also a way to help their child learn to live independently.
There are many stories about Pastor Li's preaching in the county church. For example, once, after a sermon, a young girl found Pastor Li and tearfully told her experience of how she had been hurt. Later, with Pastor Li's help and persuasion, she went on to a new life. She called and said, "Pastor Li, thank you for saving my life..."
Here's how it happened. When she was 20, she worked as a clerk in a clothing store, fell in love with the store manager, and became pregnant. The irresponsible man knew about it and walked away. She had to borrow money for an abortion. She was seriously injured in both body and mind. Because of this, her mother broke off relations with her. Having lost love and family affection, she contemplated suicide. She went to the church to confess and planned to commit suicide after that. As it happened, she heard Pastor Li's sermon and wept as she listened, and suddenly she was filled with hope. After the sermon, he encouraged and comforted her, saying, "When you are young, you are bound to make mistakes. Death is not the way to solve any problem. The right way is to correct your mistakes, learn from them, and resolve not to make this kind of mistake ever again."
Pastor Li's phone is as busy as a hotline. "Pastor Li! Please pray for me, I can't sLip because I'm worried about my two sons..." After hanging up, the second call, the third...The calls continue to pour in:
"Pastor Li, thank you for praying for me. I am full of faith in life now.”
“Reverend Li, my husband and I are really reconciled, as you said!”
“Pastor Li, my daughter-in-law is much better than before. She's brought me something nice to eat after she came back from shopping!”
A colleague said: "Pastor Li's smile makes people feel warm and cheerful. He is really optimistic!" Speaking of Pastor Li's optimism, here is an example that shows how he views life: Once, Pastor Li and several believers went to visit a believer's home in a mountainous area. They were caught in heavy rain and walked on a wet and narrow path in the mountain, with one foot in the mud and one foot in the water. They were holding hands to remain together. Inspiration suddenly came to Pastor Li. A poem naturally came to him—"I am the paradise which the Father keeps watering.” This poem was published in the Tianfeng journal and was later set to sacred music by a composer in Wuhan. In 2000 it was adapted and called "I Am a Dewdrop," which is number 196 in the Chinese New Hymnal.
Li says that he does have some regrets. On April 29, 2008, on a Sunday, Pastor Li's father died. On that morning Li was giving a sermon in church. When he came down from the platform after finishing his sermon, there were more than ten missed calls on his mobile phone. His father passed away while he was preaching. He could have been with his father when he was dying. He could have seen his father for the last time, but he did not do that. He is a pastor. Sunday is the day for sermons. It’s a day to lead believers to worship God!
"Pastors are human beings too, and pastors should teach others how to be human beings by themselves, so as to bring harmony and unity between people!" This is one of Pastor Li's frequent phrases when he converses with others. The simple words speak of the responsibility that a pastor feels in real life.
(Note: This witness article was written by a Christian in the Chongqing Holy Love Church named Yi Huifang. She loves literature and is a regular contributor to Tianyun magazine. )
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
A Pastor's Life Story
