Aan's mother was sentenced to more than ten years in prison on charges of fraud. A few days ago, she was released from prison. On hearing the news, Aan felt very happy!
Originally Aan’s family lived a privileged life and was envied by others, but because of distorted values and an indulgent lifestyle, Aan’s family was ultimately destroyed.
It was late at night more than a decade ago when I got a long-distance phone call. On the other end of the line was a youth who kept on talking but rather incoherently and nervously. I knew it was Aan, a kid who constantly contacted me for answers on Christianity. I had preached the gospel to his parents too, but Aan's father always refused to accept it. Yet his parents weren’t resentful towards Christian faith. It was very hard to preach the gospel to them because they were both teachers so they were both deeply convinced of atheism. Although our beliefs were different and we were located in two cities, our relationship was very good.
I'd always felt I owed them much because whenever I was in need, they would help me generously, and I couldn’t do anything for them as they were very independent. The only thing I could do for them was to mentor their child, Aan, with my Christian faith.
The child was very disciplined and sensible. He was almost the same age as my child, so I treated him as my own.
Listening to Aan on the phone, my intuition told me that he had something to tell me but was hesitant to express it. With my encouragement, he told the truth.
Aan's mother had been arrested. She had lost more than two million Yuan while gambling and then cheated so she could borrow money to pay the debt. Unable to pay her loans she committed fraud with the money!
Early the next morning, my wife and I rushed to Aan's house. I knew there was nothing I could do about it. The only thing I could do was visit them and pray for them.
Things were worse than I thought! After Aan's mother’s arrest, Aan’s father was diagnosed with terminal stage rectal cancer. Money cannot atone neither can it buy health and life. At that time the greatest feeling I got was that peace is truly a blessing!
When I saw Aan's father, I couldn't believe my eyes—he was so skinny and feeble that it appeared the wind would knock him over—I could hardly recognize him.
From talking with Aan, I learnt that his mother’s arrest was a hard blow on his father. The emptiness his father felt had made him give in to lust. After his mother’s sentence, his father started another family with another woman, so Aan and his relatives had little contact with Aan's father. Not until Aan's father got cancer did he inform Aan.
Aan felt bitter towards his father because he found he was living with another woman. In his mind, it was because his father did not love his mother enough that she was arrested. As a result, Aan's relationship with his father was particularly bad, and the father and son often quarrelled.
The richer a family is the more complicated it can be to handle matters. Aan's uncles (his mother’s brothers) often came to see whether Aan's father would divide part of his property with the woman. And the woman refused to leave so she could take care of Aan's father. What could I do as an outsider? I had to pray to our Heavenly Father: "Help me!" They used to be people who had helped me a lot. “Lord your mercy on them is your mercy on me, your child."
To my surprise, the Lord's method of handling matters wasn’t as difficult as I thought.
One night, Aan's uncles, aunts and some others came together to Aan’s house to see his father. Actually, they wanted to see who I was. Everyone sat in the living room chatting. Because they all knew I was a Christian, one of Aan's uncles started to compliment me. Then he asked me what I thought of the improper relationship between men and women in today's society from Christianity’s point of view.
Even a fool could see that this was an attack on Aan's father by borrowing comments from my mouth. Aan's father was lowering his head—he was too weak to speak a word. I felt sorry for him! I really couldn’t bear to see him being judged anymore. Even though I didn’t have the words to answer that question, the Lord reminded me of the account in the Bible of the woman who was caught in adultery.
I told them God hated everything unclean, but God loved more than He hated. So I told them the story of the woman caught in adultery and how she was brought to Jesus to be judged. When I quoted what Jesus said, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her”, all my listeners from old to young did some self-reflection and one by one they left in silence. Christianity is not about the Law alone, in Christ God has more mercy and love for humanity...
After I finished telling the story, the living room became absolutely quiet. Soon everyone had an excuse to leave.
Aan's father, with tears in his eyes, said to me, "I never thought I’d be relieved from the mental shackles of mine. Now I'm freed." Beyond my expectation, Aan's father immediately accepted the gospel. The more wonderful miracle was Aan's relationship with his father was restored. Aan has been with his father ever since.
Once referring to me, Aan told his father that he thanked God for sending them an angel. In fact, in all things God works for the good of those who love him. I learned a lot from the changes in their family, and it had also changed me.
I lived there for half a month and saw God's mercy and love with my own eyes.
Unfortunately, Aan's father died in the end, but he accepted the gospel and his soul was saved. And my wishes of helping them were fulfilled.
Today, after learning of the return of Aan's mother, I recalled this past experience. I adapted the story into a gospel novel of mine, but I have never shared this true testimony. Now, I share this story with you and my prayer is that my fellow believers will treat our faith with the right attitude. Without God's love, fame and status are clouds. Only peace is the greatest blessing in life! And the peace of God for us is eternal. Not anyone or anything can take it away from us.
- Translated by Charlie Li
神满足了我的心愿，也救了可怜人的灵魂
安的母亲因赌博诈骗等罪名，被判十几年，前几天回来了，听到这个消息，心里很高兴！
安的家原本是一个让人羡慕的家庭，生活条件优越，然而就因价值观的扭曲，放纵情欲，最终毁掉了这个家庭。
那是十几年前的一个深夜，我接到了一个长途电话，对方是一个年青人，说话语无伦次。我知道他是安，这个孩子因常问我信仰问题跟我常有联系。我也曾把福音传给他的父母，但安的父亲一直不肯接受，但他们对基督教并不反感。但因他们从事的是教育工作，受无神论的影响比较深，很难打消他们的偏见。虽然我们的信仰有区别，又分别在两个城市，但我们的关系很好。
我一直感到亏欠他们很多，因为在我经济需要帮助时，他们总能伸出援手来帮助我，而我为他们做不了任何事情，因为他们什么都不缺，我唯一能做的就是对他们的孩子安进行信仰上的辅导。
这个孩子很听话，也很懂事，他与我的孩子只相差一岁，因此我把他也当成了自己的孩子一样。
听到电话里安的语无伦次，直觉告诉我，他有事情想说，但又有些顾虑。在我的追问下，他讲出了实情。
安的母亲被抓了，她赌博输了二百多万，又在外边用谎言借贷，还不上又涉嫌诈骗罪。第二天一早，我与我的妻子便赶往安的家。我知道自己什么也帮不上，除了祈祷，唯一能做的就是看望他们一下。
事情远比我想象的要糟糕！安的母亲被抓后，父亲又得了直肠癌已经是晚期了。金钱无法赎罪，无法买来健康与生命。那时给我最大的感触就是平安是福！
见到安的父亲，我不敢相信他会变成这样，消瘦无力的样子，一阵微风都能将他吹倒，我简直认不出来他了。
从安的交谈中得知，他的父亲因自己母亲的事情打击很大，内心的空虚让他放纵自己的情欲，沉迷在花花世界之中。就在安的母亲离开后，安的父亲独自生活在了另外的一个家里，他还找了另外一个女人，因此安与他的亲戚都很少与安的父亲来往。直到安的父亲身体出现了问题，父亲才通知了安。
安因为父亲找了女人的事，有些怨恨父亲，在他的心里一直都认为是父亲不够爱自己的母亲，才导致母亲被抓的。因此安与父亲的关系特别不好，二人常常争吵不休。
越有钱的家庭越复杂，安的舅舅们常来，为的是看住安的父亲别把财产分给那个女人。而那个女人为了照顾安的父亲又不肯离去。我一个外人又能做到什么呢？我只有祈求天父：“帮帮我吧！他们曾经是对我有恩的人，主你怜悯了他们，就是恩待了孩子我。”
没有想到，有主的介入，事情的解决不像我想象的那么难。
有一天晚上，安的舅舅舅妈还有一些人都来了。他们声称是过来看安的父亲，顺便来看一看我，大家坐在客厅里闲聊。因为他们都知道我是一个基督徒，安的舅舅开口先夸奖我，然后问我，从基督教的角度如何看待现今社会上不正当的男女关系？
连傻子都能听明白，这是针对安父亲的，想借我的口打击他。安的父亲低着头，他连说话的力气都没有了。我感到他很可怜！我真不想再伤害他。我不知道如何回答之时，主让我想到了圣经中行淫的女子。
我说一切不洁净的人事物神都是厌恶的，但神更有爱的表现，于是我为他们讲了圣经中的一个行淫的女子被逮到耶稣面前的事。当我讲道耶稣说“你们哪一个没有罪就可以用石头打她”的时候，从老到小个人省察后，陆续离开了。基督教不是光有律法，在基督里上帝更有对人性的怜悯与爱的表现……
我讲完这个故事后，客厅里变得鸦雀无声，不一会所有人都借故离去了。
安的父亲眼里流着泪水对我说：“没有想到我一直认为的精神枷锁，如今释放了我。”让我万万没想到的是，安的父亲马上接受了福音。更奇妙的是，安与父亲关系修复了。安此后一直陪在父亲的身边。
安曾经指着我对父亲说，感谢上帝给我们派来了一位天使。其实万事互相效力，从他们家庭的变故中我学到了很多，同时也改变了我。
我在那里住了半个月的时间，亲眼看到了神怜悯的爱。不幸的是最终安的父亲还是离开了人世，但可贺的是他接受了福音，灵魂得到了救赎。而我也得到了情感上亏欠的偿还。
今天在得知安的母亲回来的消息后，勾起了往事的回忆，我曾经把这个故事改编成了一篇福音小说，但一直没有做这个真实的见证。今天写出来，愿弟兄姊妹用正确的态度对待我们的信仰，没有上帝的爱，名利地位都是浮云，只有平安是人生最大的福！而神赐给我们的平安是永远的，任何人事物都是不能夺去的。
Aan's mother was sentenced to more than ten years in prison on charges of fraud. A few days ago, she was released from prison. On hearing the news, Aan felt very happy!
Originally Aan’s family lived a privileged life and was envied by others, but because of distorted values and an indulgent lifestyle, Aan’s family was ultimately destroyed.
It was late at night more than a decade ago when I got a long-distance phone call. On the other end of the line was a youth who kept on talking but rather incoherently and nervously. I knew it was Aan, a kid who constantly contacted me for answers on Christianity. I had preached the gospel to his parents too, but Aan's father always refused to accept it. Yet his parents weren’t resentful towards Christian faith. It was very hard to preach the gospel to them because they were both teachers so they were both deeply convinced of atheism. Although our beliefs were different and we were located in two cities, our relationship was very good.
I'd always felt I owed them much because whenever I was in need, they would help me generously, and I couldn’t do anything for them as they were very independent. The only thing I could do for them was to mentor their child, Aan, with my Christian faith.
The child was very disciplined and sensible. He was almost the same age as my child, so I treated him as my own.
Listening to Aan on the phone, my intuition told me that he had something to tell me but was hesitant to express it. With my encouragement, he told the truth.
Aan's mother had been arrested. She had lost more than two million Yuan while gambling and then cheated so she could borrow money to pay the debt. Unable to pay her loans she committed fraud with the money!
Early the next morning, my wife and I rushed to Aan's house. I knew there was nothing I could do about it. The only thing I could do was visit them and pray for them.
Things were worse than I thought! After Aan's mother’s arrest, Aan’s father was diagnosed with terminal stage rectal cancer. Money cannot atone neither can it buy health and life. At that time the greatest feeling I got was that peace is truly a blessing!
When I saw Aan's father, I couldn't believe my eyes—he was so skinny and feeble that it appeared the wind would knock him over—I could hardly recognize him.
From talking with Aan, I learnt that his mother’s arrest was a hard blow on his father. The emptiness his father felt had made him give in to lust. After his mother’s sentence, his father started another family with another woman, so Aan and his relatives had little contact with Aan's father. Not until Aan's father got cancer did he inform Aan.
Aan felt bitter towards his father because he found he was living with another woman. In his mind, it was because his father did not love his mother enough that she was arrested. As a result, Aan's relationship with his father was particularly bad, and the father and son often quarrelled.
The richer a family is the more complicated it can be to handle matters. Aan's uncles (his mother’s brothers) often came to see whether Aan's father would divide part of his property with the woman. And the woman refused to leave so she could take care of Aan's father. What could I do as an outsider? I had to pray to our Heavenly Father: "Help me!" They used to be people who had helped me a lot. “Lord your mercy on them is your mercy on me, your child."
To my surprise, the Lord's method of handling matters wasn’t as difficult as I thought.
One night, Aan's uncles, aunts and some others came together to Aan’s house to see his father. Actually, they wanted to see who I was. Everyone sat in the living room chatting. Because they all knew I was a Christian, one of Aan's uncles started to compliment me. Then he asked me what I thought of the improper relationship between men and women in today's society from Christianity’s point of view.
Even a fool could see that this was an attack on Aan's father by borrowing comments from my mouth. Aan's father was lowering his head—he was too weak to speak a word. I felt sorry for him! I really couldn’t bear to see him being judged anymore. Even though I didn’t have the words to answer that question, the Lord reminded me of the account in the Bible of the woman who was caught in adultery.
I told them God hated everything unclean, but God loved more than He hated. So I told them the story of the woman caught in adultery and how she was brought to Jesus to be judged. When I quoted what Jesus said, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her”, all my listeners from old to young did some self-reflection and one by one they left in silence. Christianity is not about the Law alone, in Christ God has more mercy and love for humanity...
After I finished telling the story, the living room became absolutely quiet. Soon everyone had an excuse to leave.
Aan's father, with tears in his eyes, said to me, "I never thought I’d be relieved from the mental shackles of mine. Now I'm freed." Beyond my expectation, Aan's father immediately accepted the gospel. The more wonderful miracle was Aan's relationship with his father was restored. Aan has been with his father ever since.
Once referring to me, Aan told his father that he thanked God for sending them an angel. In fact, in all things God works for the good of those who love him. I learned a lot from the changes in their family, and it had also changed me.
I lived there for half a month and saw God's mercy and love with my own eyes.
Unfortunately, Aan's father died in the end, but he accepted the gospel and his soul was saved. And my wishes of helping them were fulfilled.
Today, after learning of the return of Aan's mother, I recalled this past experience. I adapted the story into a gospel novel of mine, but I have never shared this true testimony. Now, I share this story with you and my prayer is that my fellow believers will treat our faith with the right attitude. Without God's love, fame and status are clouds. Only peace is the greatest blessing in life! And the peace of God for us is eternal. Not anyone or anything can take it away from us.
- Translated by Charlie Li
Testimony of Aan's Family: How God Saved Desperate Souls, Fulfilled My Wish
