Editor's Note: Teacher Xiling Wang has been involved in serving the senior ministry of Jilin Dongfeng Church, from 2016 to the present. There are currently about two hundred elderly people in the senior ministry, and at every weekly meeting, Wang brings the Sunday pastor's sermon to every elderly believer who cannot attend the offline meeting. In addition, she and her co-workers would go over to visit one by one during some festival holidays, especially for those who live in orphanages, which they visit more frequently.
Gradually, Ms. Wang and the elderly people become so integrated that she feels they are one big family and need each other. She also hears many stories of simple faith that happened to the elderly believers. One of them, the faith story of a century-old couple, touched Wang deeply.
Dongsheng Liu is 98 years old who accepted his Christian faith at the age of 73. Yunying Li is 101 years old who became a Christian at 67. When Teacher Wang befriended them, they had already had faith for more than ten years, but the husband was not yet very enthusiastic about faith. He had been a surgeon in a local hospital with much earthly knowledge filling his brain, so it was difficult to learn to obey God even after more than ten years of conversion to Christianity.
In the less than two years that Teacher Wang has been meeting with them, she has seen a change in Liu's faith. As they grow older, his wife would have occasional headaches, suffer from heart and stomach problems, and even faint after walking a few steps. At first, he thought he could cure his wife's illness through doctors, but many times he did not see any improvements. They began to pray and ask God to cure, and miraculously, Li's health began to improve, which made the retired doctor husband see his own limitations and the power of God. Therefore, he humbled himself before God, confessing his limitations and shortcomings. At the same time, a beautiful confession of "I can't, but God can" came out of the old brother's heart.
After the husband truly accepted the faith, his character also came to change. He used to be a very argumentative and critical person, probably because of his status and occupation and had a tendency to clarify everything. However, when he really came to know God, his heart changed as a result of reading God's word. Once Liu had an unpleasant argument with his son-in-law, and his son-in-law didn't talk to him for a long time afterward, but every time Liu saw his son-in-law, he would initiate to talk to him. He said that he had to forgive him because the Bible says to embrace people with love.
Liu's growth in faith would not have been possible without his wife's prayer and guidance. Li came to faith earlier than her husband and has always been focusing on her relationship with God and praying daily in devotion. Li often prays for her family and asks God to watch over her family.
And Li, herself, also experienced God's preservation. At the age of 88, she had acute appendicitis and was sent to the hospital for surgery, but the doctor said that the surgery was very risky because she was too old. Gratefully, God kept her safe from the operating table and free from the pains of the surgery.
What touches Wang's heart the most is the way they lived a life of love for each other in faith, following the teaching of the truth. The Bible tells us about the relationship between husband and wife in terms of submitting to and loving one another.
The wife often keeps an eye on her husband's changes in daily life. When Liu is in a mood, she reminds him to rely on God and brings him to God in prayer with her. She never confronts her husband in the daily life. For example, the wife likes to watch TV very much, but she often accompanies him to watch his favorite news program; if her husband says to stop watching TV and go rest, she will obey him. She said that serving her husband was serving God.
One time when her husband was sick in the hospital, the sister was 99 years old then. Teacher Wang saw the old wife taking care of her husband, so she suggested that Li should go home to rest and ask her children to take care of him. The old sister said she had often served him and knew his specific needs, so she was willing to stay and take care of her husband.
A little deaf and unable to hear people clearly, Liu always observes his wife's behavior. The elderly sister, 101 years old, occasionally gets a little dizzy and confused due to lack of rest, so he often accompanies his wife to the bathroom, hands her a comb when she combs her hair, and a towel when she washes her face. Liu also often testifies with Wang that his wife is not only a devout Christian but also a virtuous wife. The couple also often affirmed the importance of each other in the home in front of their children.
Teacher Wang said, "People often show their good side to outsiders and leave their temperament to those closest to them. It is normal for a wife to receive compliments from others, but if she receives appreciation from her husband, it is evident that this wife is indeed a virtuous and godly wife."
- Translated by Wille Sun
题记：王喜灵教师16年参与了吉林东丰堂的老年部的服侍，直到今天。这个老年部目前约有两百多老人，每周的聚会时间，王教师会将主日牧师的讲章一一带到不能实地参加的老信徒家中。此外，一些节日假期她也会和同工过去逐一走访，特别是那些生活在福利院的老人，更会不定期去探望。
逐渐地，王教师和老人们融入到了一起，她觉得他们是一个大家庭，彼此需要。在这个过程中，她见证了很多老年信徒单纯的信仰故事。其中一对百年夫妻的信仰故事，让王教师很感动。
刘东升98岁， 73岁时信仰。李运英101岁，67岁时接受信仰。王教师与他们结识时，他们已经有十几年的信仰经历，但这个老弟兄对信仰还不是很热忱，刘曾是当地医院一外科大夫，很多知识充斥着他的理念，即便信仰了十几年也很难去放下自己。
王教师带领他们一起聚会，在不到两年的时间里，她看到刘的信仰发生了变化。随着年龄的增长，妻子身体发生了一些变化，时不时会有头痛，心脏和胃病的折磨，严重时走几步路就会晕倒。起初他以为通过医生可以治好妻子的病，但多次都不见果效。他们开始祷告求神工作，很神奇，李姊妹的身体开始好转了，这让身为医者的老弟兄看到了自己的有限和神的大能。因此他在神的面前谦卑下来，承认自己的有限和不足。同时老弟兄内心深处生出了“我不能，但是神能”的美好告白。
在老弟兄真正走进信仰后，他的性格也来到了改变，以前是一个很爱争辩较真的人，可能是身份职业的原因，什么事情都要弄清楚。但当他真正认识神后，他的心也跟着神的话语改变了。一次他在大女儿家中与女婿发生不愉快的摩擦，后面好长一段时间女婿都不与他说话，但每次他看到女婿都会主动和他说话。他说因为圣经里讲要以爱包容人，所以要原谅他。
刘在信仰上的成长，其实也离不开妻子的祷告和引导。李先于弟兄信仰，信仰后就一直扎根于话语，注重与神之间的关系，每天都灵修祷告。姊妹常常为家人祷告，求神看顾她的家人。
李的信仰中也真实的经历到上帝的保守。88岁的时候得了急性阑尾炎，家人把她送进医院准备手术。但医生说因为姊妹年龄太大，就算有命上手术台，不一定有命下来。很感恩，神保守她平安的从手术台上下来，也保守她没有经历手术的痛苦。
而让王教师感触最深的是他们夫妻二人之间在信仰里跟着真理的教导过彼此相爱的生活。圣经中在讲夫妻之间的关系时提到彼此顺服与相爱。
妻子在日常生活中常常留心观察丈夫的变化，当刘有情绪时，她就提醒丈夫要倚靠神，并且带着丈夫一起来到神的面前祷告。她在生活中也从来不与丈夫对峙，比如姊妹非常喜欢看电视，但如果丈夫说不要看了休息吧，她就会顺服丈夫，也会陪同丈夫看他喜欢的新闻栏目。她说服侍丈夫就是在服侍神。
一次丈夫生病住院，那时姊妹已经99岁了。王教师去探访的时候，看到老姊妹在照顾弟兄，便让姊妹回家休息，请她儿女过来照看。老姊妹说不是别的，因为她经常服侍他，知道他的具体需要。
生活中刘耳朵有些背，听不清楚别人说话，但他却时常观察妻子的举动。老姊妹因为101岁了，偶尔会因为休息不好，有些头晕迷糊，这时他就会陪伴在妻子身边，陪她去洗手间，梳头时递给她梳子，洗脸时递给她毛巾……刘也常和王教师见证妻子不仅是一个虔诚的基督徒，还是一个贤惠的妻子，常常竖起大拇指夸赞妻子。夫妻二人也常在儿女们面前彼此见证对方在家里的重要性。
王教师说：“人常把好的一面展现给外人，脾气秉性留给了最亲近的人。一个妻子得到别人怎样的夸赞和见证都是正常的，但如果得到丈夫的赞赏，可见这个妻子真的是一个贤惠敬虔的妻子。”
百岁夫妻遵循圣经教导过彼此顺服的生活
Editor's Note: Teacher Xiling Wang has been involved in serving the senior ministry of Jilin Dongfeng Church, from 2016 to the present. There are currently about two hundred elderly people in the senior ministry, and at every weekly meeting, Wang brings the Sunday pastor's sermon to every elderly believer who cannot attend the offline meeting. In addition, she and her co-workers would go over to visit one by one during some festival holidays, especially for those who live in orphanages, which they visit more frequently.
Gradually, Ms. Wang and the elderly people become so integrated that she feels they are one big family and need each other. She also hears many stories of simple faith that happened to the elderly believers. One of them, the faith story of a century-old couple, touched Wang deeply.
Dongsheng Liu is 98 years old who accepted his Christian faith at the age of 73. Yunying Li is 101 years old who became a Christian at 67. When Teacher Wang befriended them, they had already had faith for more than ten years, but the husband was not yet very enthusiastic about faith. He had been a surgeon in a local hospital with much earthly knowledge filling his brain, so it was difficult to learn to obey God even after more than ten years of conversion to Christianity.
In the less than two years that Teacher Wang has been meeting with them, she has seen a change in Liu's faith. As they grow older, his wife would have occasional headaches, suffer from heart and stomach problems, and even faint after walking a few steps. At first, he thought he could cure his wife's illness through doctors, but many times he did not see any improvements. They began to pray and ask God to cure, and miraculously, Li's health began to improve, which made the retired doctor husband see his own limitations and the power of God. Therefore, he humbled himself before God, confessing his limitations and shortcomings. At the same time, a beautiful confession of "I can't, but God can" came out of the old brother's heart.
After the husband truly accepted the faith, his character also came to change. He used to be a very argumentative and critical person, probably because of his status and occupation and had a tendency to clarify everything. However, when he really came to know God, his heart changed as a result of reading God's word. Once Liu had an unpleasant argument with his son-in-law, and his son-in-law didn't talk to him for a long time afterward, but every time Liu saw his son-in-law, he would initiate to talk to him. He said that he had to forgive him because the Bible says to embrace people with love.
Liu's growth in faith would not have been possible without his wife's prayer and guidance. Li came to faith earlier than her husband and has always been focusing on her relationship with God and praying daily in devotion. Li often prays for her family and asks God to watch over her family.
And Li, herself, also experienced God's preservation. At the age of 88, she had acute appendicitis and was sent to the hospital for surgery, but the doctor said that the surgery was very risky because she was too old. Gratefully, God kept her safe from the operating table and free from the pains of the surgery.
What touches Wang's heart the most is the way they lived a life of love for each other in faith, following the teaching of the truth. The Bible tells us about the relationship between husband and wife in terms of submitting to and loving one another.
The wife often keeps an eye on her husband's changes in daily life. When Liu is in a mood, she reminds him to rely on God and brings him to God in prayer with her. She never confronts her husband in the daily life. For example, the wife likes to watch TV very much, but she often accompanies him to watch his favorite news program; if her husband says to stop watching TV and go rest, she will obey him. She said that serving her husband was serving God.
One time when her husband was sick in the hospital, the sister was 99 years old then. Teacher Wang saw the old wife taking care of her husband, so she suggested that Li should go home to rest and ask her children to take care of him. The old sister said she had often served him and knew his specific needs, so she was willing to stay and take care of her husband.
A little deaf and unable to hear people clearly, Liu always observes his wife's behavior. The elderly sister, 101 years old, occasionally gets a little dizzy and confused due to lack of rest, so he often accompanies his wife to the bathroom, hands her a comb when she combs her hair, and a towel when she washes her face. Liu also often testifies with Wang that his wife is not only a devout Christian but also a virtuous wife. The couple also often affirmed the importance of each other in the home in front of their children.
Teacher Wang said, "People often show their good side to outsiders and leave their temperament to those closest to them. It is normal for a wife to receive compliments from others, but if she receives appreciation from her husband, it is evident that this wife is indeed a virtuous and godly wife."
- Translated by Wille Sun
100-Y-O Couple Follow Biblical Teaching on Living a Life of Submission to Each Other
