Editor's note: This is a testimony of a pastor who lives in Hubei and his wife, both recovering from the COVID-19 infection.
My dear family in the Lord, peace be with you!
I am Qiu Guandong from Shanxi and my wife is Huang Ying from Wuhan. We are both pastors and have served for eleven years.
After getting married, we did not live a smooth life. We suffered from the theft of a bicycle and a scooter; then my mother-in-law experienced bone fracture; when they were out to serve, the water leakage in their apartment led to trouble in the neighborhood. What was worse, my wife had a surgery due to ligament rupture in her ankle and was infected with the coronavirus.
Those unfortunate things happened to us in just three months, leaving us unprepared and so weak that we were unable to pray to God.
During that period, I had been pastoring a church in Xiaogan, Hubei, and my wife had been involved in a seminary. We were convinced that we had done our utmost to serve the house of God, and got puzzled by why so many distresses came upon us.
Had we done something wrong? Did God want us to learn a lesson? Did He let these happen to show His glory?
Those various difficulties brought numerous questions to our minds, particularly when we were tested positive for the infection. Though we were filled with sadness and hardships, we came to know well about our weaknesses and God's will.
It dates back to a four-day period in late January. When we stayed in Wuhan from Jan. 19 to 22, we did not take any protective measure out of knowing little about pneumonia and regarded the disease as being far away from us. Until now, we have no idea about how we were affected.
Starting from Jan. 24, I felt headache with a fever and pain throughout the body, as if I was whipped. It became progressively harder to breathe. My wife showed similar symptoms such as dry cough. Realizing all the symptoms corresponded with the standards of the pneumonia, we could not find peace even after continuous prayers. Fear then followed, with thought we would soon leave the world to see the Lord!
Although I am a pastor with experience in hospice care, I was so inwardly weak that many comforting and encouraging words failed to work on me. My wife, who had gone through great storms, even thought of abandoning the ministry, despite having devoted herself full-time to God. Actually, we were not afraid of death, but how could we see the Lord when we owed him too much? How could we be accountable to God?
In the middle of the night, my mind was full of random thoughts with tears. I cried while praying. Despite not feeling well herself, my wife took care of me for more than 20 hours. After midnight, God answered my prayer - he put two verses in my heart:
John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
1 Corinthians 1:4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
The verses turned the anxiety inside me into peace and the unwillingness into obedience!
I came to realize His intention was to let me feel peace in the midst of suffering, so as to use that experience to comfort other people!
Getting through Jan. 24, the last day of the 2019 Lunar Chinese Year, we packed our luggage to be quarantined in hospital. Suspected to be coronavirus cases, we were advised to stay in isolation and take drugs at home because of a lack of beds in the hospital.
Back home, we stayed separately in two rooms while wearing masks at all times. We kept a distance while eating and talking, and the entire tableware was disinfected, worried that any possible cross infection would make things worse for both of us.
My symptoms of fever, cough, headache, and feeling weak all over after lasting for seven days. Without any fever, my wife suffered from dry cough, diarrhea, lack of strength. Just after discarding the plaster around her ankle, my wife had to cook with a crutch. We prayed and cheered for each other for a week.
On Feb. 1, we had completed the dosage regimen for our prescribed drugs and our symptoms abated. However, at the next checkup, I was diagnosed with the infection in both lungs, indicating that I was basically still infected with the novel coronavirus and had to be hospitalized.
It seemed that God wanted to lead us into deeper waters so we can experience him even more.
After we informed our parents and the church, my wife prayed for me with tears running down her face. Attempting to comfort her, I was holding back tears with various uncertainties inside my mind.
It was unknown if there was a bed for me and how long I would stay in hospital. It was unknown if my wife would encounter any accident while alone at home.
In the face of these various concerns, I only spoke to the Lord, "I entrust everything to you. Please be completely responsible for us." After the prayer, I felt an extraordinary peace in my heart, not stemming from a positive mentality, but from Christ's peace in me!
I was taken into a big ward in a private hospital, a 30-square-meter room where there was just one bed without a bathroom. The medical staff were "armed" to the teeth and could not be recognized. My breakfast contained an egg with two buns, and the lunch and dinner were cold, hard and salty rice. The breakfast was not enough for me, a 1.8m tall man, and the rest of the meals caused me stomach pain. Not knowing how long this situation would last, I sought for help from God. Some days later, the meals were adjusted to the point where I could be full without any pain. My temperature returned to normal and my symptoms gradually disappeared.
On the seventh day of my hospitalization, I was woken up from a dream at 11 pm and required to be transferred for further treatment.
I was transferred to another ward and stayed with a teacher and a boss. Intending to preach the gospel to them, I found it pretty difficult to fit into their topics. Their conversations were about making money and comparing with each other. In addition, I was an introvert with a fear of rejection, so I gave up. However, I had never imagined the discipline of God when I was reluctant to evangelize. In the beginning, my nucleic acid test had returned negative, but now changed into a suspicious positive.
I realized God would not spare me if I refused to evangelize them. I was more disobedient than Jonah at times. Then I begged God to give me another opportunity to proclaim his salvation with courage and wisdom.
Thanks for his answer to my prayer. The minute they asked me questions about Islam, I used that entry point to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. They listened very carefully and though not making a decision to follow the Lord, the seed of the gospel was sown.
Soon after, the follow-up test showed negative and my lungs had recovered. When I was discharged from the hospital, a tailored service vehicle was provided to take me home. It took 25 days from my symptoms to full recovery.
We experienced the cruelty of the epidemic, the care and love of brothers and sisters, and the providence of God. The following are some reflections:
1. Being a pastor does not necessarily one is strong and brave. Confronted with difficulties, pastors are ordinary people with fears and struggles, with even more need for God's mercy.
2. When we were quarantined at home, we were not abandoned warriors; many Christians were watching and praying for us. The Christian family was more brotherly than our biological family. We were not alone.
3. The most terrible thing lies not in the harm the virus caused to human bodies, but in the lack of real peace.
4. Marriage is not just about the vow and fine-sounding words in the wedding, but the challenge of going through real life together. The experience makes our hearts closer to each other.
5. The sudden epidemic also struck three of my relatives. We do see the preciousness of souls. We should preach the gospel under both ideal and non-ideal circumstances.
6. God's faithfulness and promises never change in any difficult situation. Despite the rising prices of commodities, we never lacked food. The special food reserves for the Spring Festival were enough for our daily feeding needs.
My wife used the same face mask for more than twenty days and still recovered from the disease. This was totally by God's grace!
(The original article was published on WeChat account: "Gospel News". CCD edited and translated with permission.)
- Translated by Karen Luo
亲爱的主内家人，平安！我叫邱贯东，来自山西。姊妹黄莹，来自武汉。我们夫妻都是传道人，全职侍奉已有十一年时光。
2019年4月，我们走进婚礼的殿堂。婚后的岁月里，并非都是一帆风顺。先是家中自行车、电瓶车被盗；然后，岳母的手和脚先后骨折；外出侍奉时，家中漏水，导致邻居受损。再者，妻子因脚踝韧带断裂做手术；最后，被感染肺炎。短短3个月里，事情接二连三发生，使我们措手不及，甚至软弱到无法开口继续向神祷告。
这期间，我一直在湖北孝感市牧养教会，妻子也在学院参与一些侍奉，自认为彼此都是尽心尽力在为神的家做工，不明白为什么有如此多灾难临到？也不明白究竟做错什么？还是上帝让我们学习功课？或是为要来彰显他的荣耀？各种的艰难险阻，使我们向神发出无数的疑问，特别在肺炎经历中，虽说充满了心酸泪，却也更加认清自己的软弱和上帝的心意。
记忆要回到2020年1月19-22号，在武汉停留4天，由于对肺炎方面的信息了解极少，根本不知道疫情到底有多严重，似乎觉得COVID-19病毒离我们很遥远，内心并不惧怕，也不恐慌，甚至完全没有任何的防护意识和措施，至今都不清楚究竟如何被感染？
1月24日，开始头疼、发烧、浑身如鞭打似疼痛，呼吸越来越困难，妻子也出现干咳症状。我第一时间上网搜索相关资料，发现所有症状都符合肺炎的标准。我们虽不住地祷告，内心却丝毫没有平安，各种恐惧随之而来，以为自己要离世见主面！
作为牧师，我也做过一些临终的关怀，但在那一刻，自己的内心却是极度软弱，曾经的豪言壮语，许多安慰鼓励的话语，在自己身上丝毫不起作用。我的妻子，也是经历过无数大风大浪的姊妹，神一次次带领她走过死阴的幽谷，记得她曾对我说：“从奉献给主的那一天，从未后悔走上全职侍奉的道路”。可是，也就在那一刻，她真有过想要放弃侍奉的念头。
其实，我们夫妇并不是真正害怕死亡，乃是觉得自己亏欠上帝太多，如何能见主面？又如何向神交帐？前半夜，我几乎都在胡思乱想，一边思想一边流泪，一边流泪一边祷告。我的妻子，她也很不舒服，却是一整夜照顾我，20多小时没合眼。直到后半夜，神回应我的祷告，把两处经文放在我心中。
约翰福音16章33节记载说：“我将这些事告诉你们，是要叫你们在我里面有平安。在世上，你们有苦难；但你们可以放心，我已经胜了世界。”
哥林多后书1章4节：“我们在一切患难中，他就安慰我们，叫我们能用神所赐的安慰去安慰那遭各样患难的人。”
正是这两段经文，使我的内心从不安转为平安，从不甘心变为顺服！深知上帝的心意是要让我经历在苦难中的平安，透过神的安慰去安慰更多人！
我们夫妻一起熬过了大年三十，来不及吃上一口年夜饭，初一大早整理好行装，准备去往医院隔离治疗。做了相关检查，发现血项各指标都不正常，左肺部出现感染，而妻子的检查结果比我要轻微很多，实在感恩。
我们都被疑似“肺炎”，由于没有床位，医生劝告回家吃药隔离治疗。回到家中，按照医嘱各自住在一个房间，全天戴口罩，吃饭说话需隔一段距离，所有餐具全都消毒，我们尽全力做好隔离防护，害怕交叉感染使彼此病情更为严重。
从初一到初七，我持续发烧、咳嗽、头疼，浑身无力，就连起床都困难，妻子虽不发烧，但也出现干咳、腹泻、乏力等症状，由于刚拆石膏，她只能拄拐做饭、煲汤给我喝，彼此代祷、互相加油打气就这样度过一周的时光。
大年初八，药物已吃完，症状有所减轻，我们前往医院复查。我由左肺部感染，转变为双肺部感染。虽未做核酸检测，透过CT结果，专家会诊后基本确诊为新型冠状病毒肺炎，需要住院冶疗。本以为一切都会好转，可结果并不理想。似乎神要带领我们到水深之处，更多的去经历他。
我们再次回家整理行装，告知双方父母和教会为我们祷告。出发前，妻子一边为我祷告，一边流泪，我尽量的安慰她，其实我也想流泪，只是强忍。当时在我的心中，依然有许多的未知：由于床位紧张，真不知道能否顺利住进医院？由于双肺都感染，真不知道会住多久的医院？也真不知道妻子一人在家隔离是否会出意外？
面对种种的挂虑，我只能告诉主说：“把这一切都交给你，请你付我们夫妻完全的责任。”祷告后，我的内心出奇地平静，并非是我心态好，乃是因基督的平安预先在我里面！
当我前往时，连续三家医院都没床位，苦苦等待5个小时，总算住进政府租用的东南私立医院。我被带到一个特大房间，约三十平方，只有一张床，没有厕所，特别冷清。医护人员全部武装看不清长啥样，早餐是一个鸡蛋、两个小面包，中晚餐是又冷又咸又硬的米饭。
对于一米八的大个来说，早餐吃不饱、中晚餐吃了胃疼。我不知这样的日子要过多久，只能寻求神的帮助。过了几天，发现餐食有所改变，我能吃饱，不再胃疼。体温也恢复正常，身体不适症状逐渐消失，实在感谢主恩！
住院第七天，晚上十一点半睡梦中的我突然被叫醒，要求临时转院治疗。我不知道发生了什么事情，也不知道救护车要送我去哪里？胡思乱想，还以为自己病情加重。唯一能做就是向神祷告，求神保守平安！最后，我转到留观病房，并没有想象的那么严重！感谢主，因祂有诉说不尽的恩典！
住院期间，无论是妈妈、妻子、弟兄姊妹都鼓励我一定要记得传福音。在留观病房，我分别和一位教师，一个老板住在一起。原本想传福音，却发现根本聊不到一起，他们所谈论的话题不是关乎挣钱，就是攀比关系。当然，也因我比较内向，害怕拒绝，最终选择放弃。
而当我不愿意传福音时，没想到上帝就伸手管教，原本核算检查为阴性，却被告知疑似阳性，原本两次通知出院的希望也全部泡汤。此时，我一下明白，如果不传福音，神不会放过我，想想自己有时比约拿都悖逆！于是，再次求神预备机会，赐我勇气和智慧去传扬他的救恩。
感谢上帝听我祷告，一病友问我关乎伊斯兰教的问题，我就以此为切入点传讲耶稣基督的福音，他们听得很认真，虽没有当场决志，但福音的种子己播撒！很快，复查显示核酸检测确定为阴性，肺部感染已完全康复，我又一次收到出院的通知。记得出院那天，天气很好，医院派专车送我回家，内心充满了喜乐与平安！
从身体不适到康复出院，历经25天。我们夫妻体验到疫情的残酷、弟兄姊妹的关爱和上帝的保守。在特殊的经历中，有一些感触：
1、身为传道人，并不代表我们很刚强，很英雄，面对艰难时，牧者也是一个普通人，有害怕、有挣扎，我们更需要上帝的怜悯。
2、因感染肺炎，我们被隔离治疗，绝不是单枪匹马的战斗，有无数主内家人、弟兄姊妹在后方守望祷告，灵胞更比同胞亲，我们一点不孤单。
3、疫情期间，最可怕的事情不是病毒对人体的伤害，而是内心没有真正的平安。
4、婚姻不是婚礼上海誓山盟的誓言和甜言蜜语，乃是生活的切实，在疫情的经历中，我们夫妻彼此的心走得更近。
5、突如其来的疫情，使多人丧失了生命，身边也有3位亲戚被感染其中，我们实在看到灵魂的宝贵，无论得时不得时，总要多多传扬福音。
6、无论环境有多么的糟糕，神的信实和应许从未改变。无论艰难险阻有多大，总大不过上帝的恩典；无论何种境遇，都不能使我们与神的爱隔绝。
疫情期间，城市的大街小巷被封锁，就连小区都无法正常出入。物价也随之增长，两颗白菜几十元，一斤排骨上百元等，有些东西实在贵得离谱。但神从未让我们缺乏食物，透过年前所预备的一切年货来供应日用的饮食
不仅如此，防护物质也是极其缺乏，我们没有酒精、消毒液，也没有口罩，弟兄姊妹所快递的物质，全部压在邮局的仓库中。妻子一个口罩连续使用了二十多天，神也依然保守她平安的度过，完全康复。这全都是神的恩典！
过去的2019，真是不平凡的一年，经历了太多的艰难，有过挣扎，有过软弱，有过动摇，但还好有主耶稣，也有弟兄姊妹的牵挂和代祷，才使我们夫妻有力量继续前行。
在此，我们要感谢所有医护人员在疫情中默默的付出和辛劳！我们要感谢主内的家人、老师、同学，甚至素未相识的弟兄姊妹所给予的帮助、关心和代祷，与我们共度难关！我们更要感谢上帝的慈悲、怜悯和医治，耶稣不离不弃的爱再次激励我们勇敢向前！深知，神的恩典述说不尽，数算不完，但愿我们简短的见证，能够让神的名得到荣耀，使弟兄姊妹得着激励。
感人：湖北邱牧师夫妻在“感染新型肺炎”中的真实见证
Editor's note: This is a testimony of a pastor who lives in Hubei and his wife, both recovering from the COVID-19 infection.
My dear family in the Lord, peace be with you!
I am Qiu Guandong from Shanxi and my wife is Huang Ying from Wuhan. We are both pastors and have served for eleven years.
After getting married, we did not live a smooth life. We suffered from the theft of a bicycle and a scooter; then my mother-in-law experienced bone fracture; when they were out to serve, the water leakage in their apartment led to trouble in the neighborhood. What was worse, my wife had a surgery due to ligament rupture in her ankle and was infected with the coronavirus.
Those unfortunate things happened to us in just three months, leaving us unprepared and so weak that we were unable to pray to God.
During that period, I had been pastoring a church in Xiaogan, Hubei, and my wife had been involved in a seminary. We were convinced that we had done our utmost to serve the house of God, and got puzzled by why so many distresses came upon us.
Had we done something wrong? Did God want us to learn a lesson? Did He let these happen to show His glory?
Those various difficulties brought numerous questions to our minds, particularly when we were tested positive for the infection. Though we were filled with sadness and hardships, we came to know well about our weaknesses and God's will.
It dates back to a four-day period in late January. When we stayed in Wuhan from Jan. 19 to 22, we did not take any protective measure out of knowing little about pneumonia and regarded the disease as being far away from us. Until now, we have no idea about how we were affected.
Starting from Jan. 24, I felt headache with a fever and pain throughout the body, as if I was whipped. It became progressively harder to breathe. My wife showed similar symptoms such as dry cough. Realizing all the symptoms corresponded with the standards of the pneumonia, we could not find peace even after continuous prayers. Fear then followed, with thought we would soon leave the world to see the Lord!
Although I am a pastor with experience in hospice care, I was so inwardly weak that many comforting and encouraging words failed to work on me. My wife, who had gone through great storms, even thought of abandoning the ministry, despite having devoted herself full-time to God. Actually, we were not afraid of death, but how could we see the Lord when we owed him too much? How could we be accountable to God?
In the middle of the night, my mind was full of random thoughts with tears. I cried while praying. Despite not feeling well herself, my wife took care of me for more than 20 hours. After midnight, God answered my prayer - he put two verses in my heart:
John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
1 Corinthians 1:4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
The verses turned the anxiety inside me into peace and the unwillingness into obedience!
I came to realize His intention was to let me feel peace in the midst of suffering, so as to use that experience to comfort other people!
Getting through Jan. 24, the last day of the 2019 Lunar Chinese Year, we packed our luggage to be quarantined in hospital. Suspected to be coronavirus cases, we were advised to stay in isolation and take drugs at home because of a lack of beds in the hospital.
Back home, we stayed separately in two rooms while wearing masks at all times. We kept a distance while eating and talking, and the entire tableware was disinfected, worried that any possible cross infection would make things worse for both of us.
My symptoms of fever, cough, headache, and feeling weak all over after lasting for seven days. Without any fever, my wife suffered from dry cough, diarrhea, lack of strength. Just after discarding the plaster around her ankle, my wife had to cook with a crutch. We prayed and cheered for each other for a week.
On Feb. 1, we had completed the dosage regimen for our prescribed drugs and our symptoms abated. However, at the next checkup, I was diagnosed with the infection in both lungs, indicating that I was basically still infected with the novel coronavirus and had to be hospitalized.
It seemed that God wanted to lead us into deeper waters so we can experience him even more.
After we informed our parents and the church, my wife prayed for me with tears running down her face. Attempting to comfort her, I was holding back tears with various uncertainties inside my mind.
It was unknown if there was a bed for me and how long I would stay in hospital. It was unknown if my wife would encounter any accident while alone at home.
In the face of these various concerns, I only spoke to the Lord, "I entrust everything to you. Please be completely responsible for us." After the prayer, I felt an extraordinary peace in my heart, not stemming from a positive mentality, but from Christ's peace in me!
I was taken into a big ward in a private hospital, a 30-square-meter room where there was just one bed without a bathroom. The medical staff were "armed" to the teeth and could not be recognized. My breakfast contained an egg with two buns, and the lunch and dinner were cold, hard and salty rice. The breakfast was not enough for me, a 1.8m tall man, and the rest of the meals caused me stomach pain. Not knowing how long this situation would last, I sought for help from God. Some days later, the meals were adjusted to the point where I could be full without any pain. My temperature returned to normal and my symptoms gradually disappeared.
On the seventh day of my hospitalization, I was woken up from a dream at 11 pm and required to be transferred for further treatment.
I was transferred to another ward and stayed with a teacher and a boss. Intending to preach the gospel to them, I found it pretty difficult to fit into their topics. Their conversations were about making money and comparing with each other. In addition, I was an introvert with a fear of rejection, so I gave up. However, I had never imagined the discipline of God when I was reluctant to evangelize. In the beginning, my nucleic acid test had returned negative, but now changed into a suspicious positive.
I realized God would not spare me if I refused to evangelize them. I was more disobedient than Jonah at times. Then I begged God to give me another opportunity to proclaim his salvation with courage and wisdom.
Thanks for his answer to my prayer. The minute they asked me questions about Islam, I used that entry point to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. They listened very carefully and though not making a decision to follow the Lord, the seed of the gospel was sown.
Soon after, the follow-up test showed negative and my lungs had recovered. When I was discharged from the hospital, a tailored service vehicle was provided to take me home. It took 25 days from my symptoms to full recovery.
We experienced the cruelty of the epidemic, the care and love of brothers and sisters, and the providence of God. The following are some reflections:
1. Being a pastor does not necessarily one is strong and brave. Confronted with difficulties, pastors are ordinary people with fears and struggles, with even more need for God's mercy.
2. When we were quarantined at home, we were not abandoned warriors; many Christians were watching and praying for us. The Christian family was more brotherly than our biological family. We were not alone.
3. The most terrible thing lies not in the harm the virus caused to human bodies, but in the lack of real peace.
4. Marriage is not just about the vow and fine-sounding words in the wedding, but the challenge of going through real life together. The experience makes our hearts closer to each other.
5. The sudden epidemic also struck three of my relatives. We do see the preciousness of souls. We should preach the gospel under both ideal and non-ideal circumstances.
6. God's faithfulness and promises never change in any difficult situation. Despite the rising prices of commodities, we never lacked food. The special food reserves for the Spring Festival were enough for our daily feeding needs.
My wife used the same face mask for more than twenty days and still recovered from the disease. This was totally by God's grace!
(The original article was published on WeChat account: "Gospel News". CCD edited and translated with permission.)
- Translated by Karen Luo
Testimony of Hubei Pastor Couple Who Recovered from COVID-19
