“May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this.” - 2 Samuel 2:6
On December 5, I heard that Sister Ai was sick in the hospital. I remembered that when I was ill and hospitalized, the church visiting group came to care for and help me. I was touched and inspired by their love, and I wanted to bring the love of the Lord Jesus to more people in need. So, I joined the visiting group.
After the Sunday Service, we set off on motorbikes to the County People's Hospital. Sister Ai is the one we visited first. We saw her with tubes all around her nose. Although she had difficulty breathing, she welcomed us as if we were her relatives. Sister Yinxiang, the leader of our visiting group, shook hands with her and encouraged her by saying, “Only Jesus can save you, and a family with Christ is a blessed family. Your children have believed in the Lord under your influence. Your son is sensible and your daughter-in-law is obedient. In the future, we will all have a beautiful hometown”. As she spoke, Sister Ai became excited. It was obvious that she was glad to talk with the brothers and sisters of the church.
Sister Ai had difficulty breathing because of complications with her lungs. She was being fed through a tube, and her family had spent almost all of its savings for her illness. A sister contributed a hundred Yuan.
We sang the hymn "Our God is Great" together, and the whole ward was filled with joy. Then we all prayed for Sister Ai.
As we were leaving, I remembered that when I was ill, someone told me, "God loves you!" At that moment, I was moved by a kind of power and said loudly to her "Get well soon".
After repeating the Lord's Prayer, we went to visit Brother Lv in the hospital.
As soon as Sister Xiao entered the ward, she asked Brother Lv if he had read the Bible. He smiled and replied "No". Then he found the Bible. Sister Xiao asked him a simple question of faith: "Who created all things in the universe?" He smiled embarrassedly and said, "I don't know."
I told him that I did not like to read the Bible before, nor could I understand it. But after listening to sermons, I understand a lot of truth. I told him that he could read from the Book of Proverbs.
Then I shared my testimony with brother Lv. I said, "In 2015, I came to the church for the first time. At that time, I was introverted, self-contemptuous and autistic, but the church accepted me. This moved me, and I decided to start a new life. I feel that God’s love for me will never be lost because of the kind and loving brothers and sisters. It’s God’s love that attracts me.”
We do not know whether Brother Lv would accept Jesus, but it was the first step for me to preach the Gospel. As a matter of fact, both Sister Ai and Brother Lv need the guidance and love of God as well as the care from the society. And I'm happy that I can take a little time to preach the Gospel.
(The article is originally published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Sophia Chen
你们既行了这事，愿耶和华以慈爱诚实待你们，我也要为此厚待你们。——撒母耳记上2章6节
12月5日，我知道艾老姊妹生病住院的消息，想起以前自己生病住院时，县教会的探访组来医院探望，给了我关怀和帮助。我内心充满了温暖，深受他们爱的激励和影响，也想有一天能为主做工，将主耶稣的爱带给更多有需要的人。于是，我加入到探访组。
在星期天礼拜结束后，我们一行人骑摩托车出发了，目的地是县人民医院。第一个要探访的对象是艾老姊妹。推开病房的门，就看见一个鼻子周围布满管子的老奶奶。虽然艾老姊妹呼吸困难，但她见到我们就像见到亲人一样，热情欢迎我们的到来。探访组组长银香姊妹第一个上去跟她亲切握手，握住艾老姊妹枯瘦如柴的手。银香姊妹不断鼓励她，说，只有耶稣可以救你，有基督的家庭是蒙神祝福的家庭。你的儿女都在你的影响下信了主。你看，你孝顺的儿媳来医院照顾你，有懂事的儿子……将来，我们都有个荣美家乡啊。说着说着，艾老姊妹有些激动起来，看得出她也很想和教会的弟兄姊妹拉拉家常，说会儿心里话。
艾老姊妹肺部呼吸困难，靠管子进食，家里为了她的病几乎花光所有积蓄，正是需要钱的时候。有姐妹也奉献了一百元。
我们一起唱《我们的神本为大》赞美诗，整个病房充满了喜乐。接着，我们一齐开口为艾老姊妹祷告。
临别之际，我想起当年因为生病遇见主的时候，也有人说跟我说：上帝爱你！”而现在，我被一种无名的力量感动着，大声对艾老姊妹说：“早日康复。”
同颂主祷文后，我们又去探访住院的吕弟兄。
肖姊妹一进病房，就问吕弟兄有没有看《圣经》。吕弟兄憨憨一笑，回答道：“没有。”接着，他把《圣经》找了出来。肖姊妹考他一个很简单的信仰问题：“是谁创造了宇宙万物？”吕弟兄怀着歉意地笑了笑，说，不知道。
我来到吕弟兄身旁，诚实地对他说：我以前也不喜欢读《圣经》，也看不懂。但听了道后，明白了许多无法参透的道理。你可以去看看《箴言》。
然后我把我的见证分享给吕弟兄：
“2015年，我第一次走进教堂。那时，我内向、自卑、自闭，是教会接纳了我，感动了我，于是，绝望的我决定开始全新的生活。教会的弟兄姊妹们大都很友善，富有爱心，让我看到了希望，看到了神永不丢弃我的爱……能来到教会认识神，真的是他爱的吸引。”
探访回来，我们不知道，那位吕弟兄是否愿意接受耶稣，接受福音，但我想，我总算为传福音做了一份贡献，这也许是我为主传福音的第一步吧。其实，不管是艾老姊妹，还是吕弟兄，他们都很需要社会的关爱，需要神的疼爱和神的引导。而我，也为自己能为传福音拿出一点时间而喜乐。
探访故事：爱与喜乐的传递
“May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this.” - 2 Samuel 2:6
On December 5, I heard that Sister Ai was sick in the hospital. I remembered that when I was ill and hospitalized, the church visiting group came to care for and help me. I was touched and inspired by their love, and I wanted to bring the love of the Lord Jesus to more people in need. So, I joined the visiting group.
After the Sunday Service, we set off on motorbikes to the County People's Hospital. Sister Ai is the one we visited first. We saw her with tubes all around her nose. Although she had difficulty breathing, she welcomed us as if we were her relatives. Sister Yinxiang, the leader of our visiting group, shook hands with her and encouraged her by saying, “Only Jesus can save you, and a family with Christ is a blessed family. Your children have believed in the Lord under your influence. Your son is sensible and your daughter-in-law is obedient. In the future, we will all have a beautiful hometown”. As she spoke, Sister Ai became excited. It was obvious that she was glad to talk with the brothers and sisters of the church.
Sister Ai had difficulty breathing because of complications with her lungs. She was being fed through a tube, and her family had spent almost all of its savings for her illness. A sister contributed a hundred Yuan.
We sang the hymn "Our God is Great" together, and the whole ward was filled with joy. Then we all prayed for Sister Ai.
As we were leaving, I remembered that when I was ill, someone told me, "God loves you!" At that moment, I was moved by a kind of power and said loudly to her "Get well soon".
After repeating the Lord's Prayer, we went to visit Brother Lv in the hospital.
As soon as Sister Xiao entered the ward, she asked Brother Lv if he had read the Bible. He smiled and replied "No". Then he found the Bible. Sister Xiao asked him a simple question of faith: "Who created all things in the universe?" He smiled embarrassedly and said, "I don't know."
I told him that I did not like to read the Bible before, nor could I understand it. But after listening to sermons, I understand a lot of truth. I told him that he could read from the Book of Proverbs.
Then I shared my testimony with brother Lv. I said, "In 2015, I came to the church for the first time. At that time, I was introverted, self-contemptuous and autistic, but the church accepted me. This moved me, and I decided to start a new life. I feel that God’s love for me will never be lost because of the kind and loving brothers and sisters. It’s God’s love that attracts me.”
We do not know whether Brother Lv would accept Jesus, but it was the first step for me to preach the Gospel. As a matter of fact, both Sister Ai and Brother Lv need the guidance and love of God as well as the care from the society. And I'm happy that I can take a little time to preach the Gospel.
(The article is originally published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Sophia Chen
Stories of Visitation: Transmission of Love, Joy
