"I'm so grateful for the grace of God, as suffering is His dressed-up blessing," said a female Christian surnamed Wu whose mother-in-law strived to believe in Jesus.
After the National Day in 2020, Wu’s 70-year-old mother-in-law suddenly suffered a stroke due to high blood lipids, and her right hand and feet could not move at all. The mother-in-law’s daughter was too busy with her work to take care of her. As the other daughter-in-law did not care for her at all, the burden fell on Wu, which lasted four months.
Living in a rural village in central China’s Hunan Province, Wu had to dry the rice during the autumn harvest, as well as take her mother-in-law in for an injection and cook for her parents-in-law. During that period she would get up at 4 am to pray and read the Bible for an hour and a half, sharing the light of the Bible with other believers before then starting a busy day.
"God gives me strength for the task of taking care of the sick, which is very tiring... This experience made me understand why God's children should draw near to God first and then to people every day," Wu shared.
Seeing Wu busy with her work alone, the neighbors around her complained on her behalf, but she did not grumble. While taking care of her mother-in-law, she always happily sang hymns, believing that it was her duty to take care of her aging parents.
"The Bible also teaches Christians to honor their parents, which is an essential quality of Christians, " she added.
Her mother-in-law was kind at heart, but her words always hurt people, so her other daughter-in-laws was unwilling to take care of her. Even before having the responsibility of her mother-in-law, Wu tried her best to see the advantages of the elderly and to be considerate of her difficulties. When hurt by her mother-in-law, she meditated on Jesus’ teaching to Peter of forgiving seventy-seven times, singing the hymn True Meaning of Love to encourage herself.
Her mother-in-law recovered quickly under her good care. One day at lunch, she suddenly asked Wu for a Bible with larger characters, saying that she would read it every day if in good spirits and attend church gatherings when she could walk.
Wu was overjoyed to hear this. "I am so happy, as I know that this is the work of God's Holy Spirit. God’s good joy is found in all things."
It was not easy for the old woman to believe in the Lord, as she had constantly been worshipping idols, even though her father-in-law had been a Christian for twenty years. Although she tolerated their faith in Jesus, she also insisted on placing her belief in Buddhism.
Wu said that her mother-in-law changed her heart at the memorial ceremony of her mother, who rested in the arms of God at the beginning of 2020. Wu told her that her mother had only died physically but her soul had gone to heaven, which her mother-in-law didn't believe. Wu said that her mother's body was soft, not as rigid as those dead non-Christians. On the day of the funeral, the mother-in-law touched her face and her hands, which were really soft but cold.
After that, she began to believe in Jesus, stating that she would not burn joss paper money near a grave afterward.
Four months after her stroke, thanks to the care of Wu, her mother-in-law had mostly recovered, and people that met her after the recovery period could barely tell that she had suffered a stroke at all. Now, this old woman with several years’ education insisted on reading the Bible every day and attending church services on Sundays. If she didn't understand a word, she listened to an audio Bible. She said that God really loved her and that the more she read, the more she loved it.
As a result of this, Wu now had a closer relationship with her mother-in-law, who told others that she could not recover without Wu’s meticulous care. Sister Wu's husband also thanked her for the meritorious service.
Looking back on her conversion to the Lord, Wu sighed, "I finally understand the meaning of using life to influence life. As children of God, we should love and move others with our acts, so that people around us can see Lord Jesus’ love in us."
- Translated by Abigail Wu
“真的太感恩了！现在走过了才明白一切都是神的恩典，苦难是上帝化妆的祝福。”看婆婆信了耶稣并且努力追求信仰，服侍了中风的婆婆四个月的吴姊妹感恩道。
2020年国庆节后，吴姊妹七十多岁的婆婆突然因血脂高而中风，右边手脚完全不能动弹。婆婆的女儿忙于工作无暇照顾，另外一个儿媳不管不顾，照顾老人的担子落在了吴姊妹的身上，这四个月的服侍可不轻松。
吴姊妹家住湖南的一个乡村，婆婆生病期间赶上了秋收晒稻谷，两边她都要兼顾。她要带婆婆去扎针，还要给公公婆婆做饭。那段时间，她早晨四点起床，用一个半小时祷告、读经，跟弟兄姐妹分享圣经亮光，然后再开始一天的忙碌。
“照顾病人是很累，但真的神给我力量……这段经历让我懂得为什么神的儿女每天先见神后见人”，吴姊妹跟笔者分享道。
看着吴姊妹一个人忙前忙后，周围邻居都为她打抱不平，但她没有怨言。在照顾婆婆的过程中，她总是高高兴兴地唱着赞美诗。吴姊妹认为，在父母有生之年去照顾他们，这是她应尽的本份，圣经也教导基督徒要孝敬父母，这是基督徒应有的品性。
吴姊妹的弟妹之所以不愿意照顾婆婆，跟她婆婆的性格有关，老人家心好，但是说话容易伤人。在之前的生活中，吴姊妹尽量看老人家的优点，体谅老人的不容易。当感到受伤时，她就默想耶稣教导彼得要饶恕七十个七次，再就是唱赞美诗《爱的真谛》勉励自己。
在吴姊妹的精心照顾下，她婆婆恢复得很快。有一天吃午饭的时候，婆婆突然跟吴姊妹要一本字大一些的圣经，说每天精神好的时候要读读圣经，等她可以走路了就去教会聚会。
听到婆婆要读圣经，可把吴姊妹高兴坏了：“我太高兴了，我知道这都是上帝的圣灵在做工，真的是凡事都有神的美意。”
吴姊妹之所以这么高兴，因为婆婆能信主，实属不易。公公信主二十年，而婆婆则一直拜偶像。婆婆虽然不反对他们信耶稣，但她也坚持自己的信仰。
吴姊妹说，婆婆的心是在吴姊妹妈妈的追思礼上开始改变的。2020年初，吴姊妹的妈妈离世归天。吴姊妹跟她婆婆说，她妈妈只是肉体离开了，灵魂已经上了天堂。她婆婆不信。吴姊妹说，她妈妈的身体不是像不信耶稣的人那样硬梆梆的，而是软的。到了出殡那天，婆婆真的去摸了摸，摸完脸又去摸手，后来她说只是凉凉的，脸和手都是软软的。
从那之后，吴姊妹婆婆说开始有点相信耶稣了，说之后再不去上坟烧纸钱了。
中风四个月后，在吴姊妹的照料下，婆婆已经基本恢复健康，不了解的人看不出她曾经中风。如今，这位上过几年学的老人坚持每天读圣经，礼拜天去教会聚会。如果遇到不认识的字，她就听圣经播放器。老人家说圣经越读越爱读，上帝真的很爱她。
现在，吴姊妹跟她婆婆的关系更亲密。她婆婆见人就说要不是吴姊妹精心照料，她都不知道是什么样子。吴姊妹的丈夫也感恩地说她是功臣。
回顾婆婆信主的过程，吴姊妹感叹：“我终于理解了用生命来影响生命这句话的含义。”吴姊妹表示，“作为神的儿女，我们要有舍己的爱，用自己爱的行为去感动别人，让我们身边的人看到我们的主耶稣就是爱。”
http://www.gospeltimes.cn/article/index/id/57606
拜偶像数十载 中风后她在儿媳的服侍中悔改归主
"I'm so grateful for the grace of God, as suffering is His dressed-up blessing," said a female Christian surnamed Wu whose mother-in-law strived to believe in Jesus.
After the National Day in 2020, Wu’s 70-year-old mother-in-law suddenly suffered a stroke due to high blood lipids, and her right hand and feet could not move at all. The mother-in-law’s daughter was too busy with her work to take care of her. As the other daughter-in-law did not care for her at all, the burden fell on Wu, which lasted four months.
Living in a rural village in central China’s Hunan Province, Wu had to dry the rice during the autumn harvest, as well as take her mother-in-law in for an injection and cook for her parents-in-law. During that period she would get up at 4 am to pray and read the Bible for an hour and a half, sharing the light of the Bible with other believers before then starting a busy day.
"God gives me strength for the task of taking care of the sick, which is very tiring... This experience made me understand why God's children should draw near to God first and then to people every day," Wu shared.
Seeing Wu busy with her work alone, the neighbors around her complained on her behalf, but she did not grumble. While taking care of her mother-in-law, she always happily sang hymns, believing that it was her duty to take care of her aging parents.
"The Bible also teaches Christians to honor their parents, which is an essential quality of Christians, " she added.
Her mother-in-law was kind at heart, but her words always hurt people, so her other daughter-in-laws was unwilling to take care of her. Even before having the responsibility of her mother-in-law, Wu tried her best to see the advantages of the elderly and to be considerate of her difficulties. When hurt by her mother-in-law, she meditated on Jesus’ teaching to Peter of forgiving seventy-seven times, singing the hymn True Meaning of Love to encourage herself.
Her mother-in-law recovered quickly under her good care. One day at lunch, she suddenly asked Wu for a Bible with larger characters, saying that she would read it every day if in good spirits and attend church gatherings when she could walk.
Wu was overjoyed to hear this. "I am so happy, as I know that this is the work of God's Holy Spirit. God’s good joy is found in all things."
It was not easy for the old woman to believe in the Lord, as she had constantly been worshipping idols, even though her father-in-law had been a Christian for twenty years. Although she tolerated their faith in Jesus, she also insisted on placing her belief in Buddhism.
Wu said that her mother-in-law changed her heart at the memorial ceremony of her mother, who rested in the arms of God at the beginning of 2020. Wu told her that her mother had only died physically but her soul had gone to heaven, which her mother-in-law didn't believe. Wu said that her mother's body was soft, not as rigid as those dead non-Christians. On the day of the funeral, the mother-in-law touched her face and her hands, which were really soft but cold.
After that, she began to believe in Jesus, stating that she would not burn joss paper money near a grave afterward.
Four months after her stroke, thanks to the care of Wu, her mother-in-law had mostly recovered, and people that met her after the recovery period could barely tell that she had suffered a stroke at all. Now, this old woman with several years’ education insisted on reading the Bible every day and attending church services on Sundays. If she didn't understand a word, she listened to an audio Bible. She said that God really loved her and that the more she read, the more she loved it.
As a result of this, Wu now had a closer relationship with her mother-in-law, who told others that she could not recover without Wu’s meticulous care. Sister Wu's husband also thanked her for the meritorious service.
Looking back on her conversion to the Lord, Wu sighed, "I finally understand the meaning of using life to influence life. As children of God, we should love and move others with our acts, so that people around us can see Lord Jesus’ love in us."
- Translated by Abigail Wu
A Buddhist Converts to Christianity after Receiving Care from Daughter-In-Law’s Service in Sickness
