Sister L, born in 1940, has turned 81 this year. Short and slightly hunched, she still walks steadily, and even young people struggle to keep up with her. She is rather witty and speaks quickly. Younger people often ask her, "Why are you still so energetic at your age?" She always answers with smiles, "Thank the Lord, I have His protection!"
"Thank Lord, I have His protection!" This has become her pet phrase. In fact, it is also a portrayal of her real life.
For over ten years, L goes to church every Saturday afternoon to clean the tables and chairs. She attended the village church in her hometown in her early years, and later settled in the city with her daughter, and came to the church where she is now a committed member. Since her later commitment, no matter whether it is sunny or rainy, cold or hot, she wipes the seats and tables in the church every Saturday afternoon.
In recent years, the head of the church considered her old age, worried that she would catch a cold when exposed to cold water during the winter, and advised her to let go of the holy cleaning work. However, L answered them, "People who are my age are often unable to even move, yet I can still wipe the tables and chairs. This is Lord's kindness to me. As someone who is totally illiterate, I can't do anything else in the church. But I want to show my gratitude to Lord!"
She also quietly does the cleaning work for a unit next to the church, which is next door to the church in the same community. As L insists on making it to the morning prayers in the church which ends at 7: 00, while the unit opens for the day at 8: 00, so she would clean the garbage in the front yard or corridor of the unit whenever she passes by. Sometimes, she sees the employees of this unit pass by, who always thank her. She always replies, "Thank the Lord! Don't thank me. I am from the church next door, so your cleaning is also our responsibility! I can do it because Lord is kind to give me such an opportunity."
She insisted on collecting scraps to sell for money to offer to the Lord. The rural old woman with no source of income has been widowed for many years. She has three daughters (all who have become confident Christians under her influence), and her daily expenses are entirely dependent on her daughters. All her daughters earn their living as casual laborers and have no fixed income, so their families aren’t particularly well-off. She understands the difficulties in her daughters’ lives and has always tried to be diligent and thrifty. As she always wants to express her gratitude to the Lord, she keeps collecting scraps to sell and contributes the earnings to the church. Not wanting her to do so, her daughters were willing to give her some money to contribute to the church. However, she said, "When I contribute to church with your money, it is your offering, not mine. I want my own offering!"
Later, when the church leaders and members knew about this, they advised her not to contribute. However, she always replied, "The Lord is so kind to me so that I can still enjoy going to church. How can I go there empty-handed?" When the church was built in 2018, sister L contributed two times for a total of RMB 3,000 in just a few months.
Neighbors knew that she collects scraps, and would give her their household scraps, but she would always repay them with foods like vegetables and fruits. These foods are actually gifts from her relatives and friends. She hesitates to eat them but uses them to thank her neighbors instead.
L once had a testimony of healing. In the year before last, she suddenly felt pain in her left foot and could not walk. She prayed to the Lord, "Lord! If you don't heal me, how can I worship you in church? You are the doctor of the sick, you opened the eyes of the blind, made the ears of the deaf hear, and had the lame get up and walk. Please heal me too, so that I can go to church and worship you." In a few days, she was able to go to church on foot.
On another day, she had a stiff neck while sleeping, and could not rotate it at all. She thought that hospitalization for surgery would not only cost money but also delay her morning prayers and worship. She refused to have surgery and prayed to God. A few days later, she was able to move her neck about freely.
She also testified that before she believed in the Lord, she had an egg-sized lump in her neck, but after becoming a Christian for a few months, the lump disappeared seemingly by itself. She believed that it was the Lord who had healed her. Therefore, she often tells others that the Lord Jesus is so kind to her and she has been determined to believe in Him all her life and will follow Him to the end. Moreover, she expressed that as long as she could breathe and can move, she would show her gratitude to Lord.
(This article is originally published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
L姊妹，1940年生，今年已满八十一岁。她虽然身材矮小，且背已经微驼，但是，步履依然稳当，就是一般青年人也难以跟上；思维也依然敏捷，与人交流时，总是快言快语。因此，常有比她年纪小的人问她：“你这把年纪了，怎么还这么有精神呢？”她总是笑眯眯地回答他们，说：“感谢神，我有神保护！”
故此，“感谢神，我有神保护！”也成了她的口头禅。其实，这也是她真实生活的写照。
她十多年来如一日，坚持在每个礼拜六的下午去教堂洁净桌椅。L姊妹早年在老家的乡村教会聚会，后来，随女儿进城定居，来到她现在所委身的那间教会聚会。自从她委身当前的教会后，每逢礼拜六下午，不论天晴下雨，也不分寒暑冬夏，都会自发去教堂，将堂内的座椅和桌子抹一遍。
近年来，教会的负责人见她年纪大了，特别是担心她冬天接触冷水会受寒，劝她放下洁净圣殿的这一圣工。然而，L姊妹回答他们，说：“一般七老八十的人行动都不方便了，我还能够擦桌抹椅，这是神恩待我。我这个目不认丁的人，教会别的事我做不了。我总得有一点点向神感恩的行动呀！”
L姊妹还默默地为教会隔壁的某单位做公共卫生。这家单位与教堂在同一个社区，且是紧隔壁。L姊妹每天早晨坚持去教会晨祷，晨祷结束时间是七点，而这家单位的员工一般是八点上班。L姊妹在祷告结束后，路过这家单位门前，只要看到其门前场地或走廊上有垃圾时，就主动去清扫。有时，被这家单位的员工遇见了。当他们向L姊妹道谢时，她总是说：“感谢神！不用感谢我。隔壁邻舍的，你们的卫生，也就是我们教会的卫生！我能动动手，也是神在恩待我，给我这样的机会。”
她坚持捡废品卖钱用于奉献。L姊妹是农村老人，没有生活来源，且多年寡居；膝下有三个女儿（在她的影响下，都成了有信心的基督徒），日常生活花销完全靠女儿们承担。然而，她女儿们都是靠给别人打工维持生计，没有固定收入，各自的家庭也并不宽裕。她也体贴女儿们的难处，从而，生活一向是勤俭节约。然而，她总想在神家里尽上一点点心意。因此，她长期上街捡废品，出卖后拿到教会奉献。其实，她的女儿们都不让她捡废品，且告诉她，她们愿意按时给她一定数额的钱，让她拿到教堂去奉献。然而，L姊妹却对女儿们说：“你们给钱，让我去教会奉献，实际上还是你们的奉献，不是我的奉献。我总得为教会尽点心呀！”
后来，教会的负责人和弟兄姊妹们知道这一情况后，都劝她不用奉献金钱的。然而，她总是回答说：“神如此恩待我，让我来得去得，我怎能空手去教堂朝见我们的神呢？”在2018年该堂建堂时，该姊妹在几个月时间内，分两次共计奉献了3000元。
邻居们都知道她捡废品，也有人将生活废品拿给她，但她都必须以疏菜或水果等小食品予以回报。这些食物应该是她的亲友拿来看望她的，她自己舍不得吃，就用来向邻居感恩了。
L姊妹曾作见证说，前年，她突然左脚疼痛，不能行走。她就向神祷告说：“神啊！祢若不医治我，我怎么去教堂敬拜你呢？祢是病人的医生，祢能叫瞎子的眼睁开，叫聋子的耳朵听见，叫瘸子起来行走。求祢也医治我，让我能去教堂敬拜祢。”几天后，就能上教堂了。
还有一次，她睡觉时落枕了，颈部完全不能转动。她想，手术住院，不仅花钱，而且耽搁她去教堂晨祷和敬拜神。她坚持不做手术，向神祷告。几天后，不知不觉颈部活动完全自如了。
她也曾向人作见证，说她信主前，颈部有一个鸡蛋大的肿块，但信主几个月后，这个肿块不知不觉地消失了。她坚信是神医治了她。因此，她也常对人说，主耶稣对她这么好，她这一生是认定祂了，要跟随祂到底；而且，表示只要有一口气，只要能够行动，就当向神献上实际的感恩。
注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系湖北一名传道人。
http://www.gospeltimes.cn/article/index/id/57522
“感谢神，我有神保护！” ——一位八十高龄老姊妹的感恩见证
Sister L, born in 1940, has turned 81 this year. Short and slightly hunched, she still walks steadily, and even young people struggle to keep up with her. She is rather witty and speaks quickly. Younger people often ask her, "Why are you still so energetic at your age?" She always answers with smiles, "Thank the Lord, I have His protection!"
"Thank Lord, I have His protection!" This has become her pet phrase. In fact, it is also a portrayal of her real life.
For over ten years, L goes to church every Saturday afternoon to clean the tables and chairs. She attended the village church in her hometown in her early years, and later settled in the city with her daughter, and came to the church where she is now a committed member. Since her later commitment, no matter whether it is sunny or rainy, cold or hot, she wipes the seats and tables in the church every Saturday afternoon.
In recent years, the head of the church considered her old age, worried that she would catch a cold when exposed to cold water during the winter, and advised her to let go of the holy cleaning work. However, L answered them, "People who are my age are often unable to even move, yet I can still wipe the tables and chairs. This is Lord's kindness to me. As someone who is totally illiterate, I can't do anything else in the church. But I want to show my gratitude to Lord!"
She also quietly does the cleaning work for a unit next to the church, which is next door to the church in the same community. As L insists on making it to the morning prayers in the church which ends at 7: 00, while the unit opens for the day at 8: 00, so she would clean the garbage in the front yard or corridor of the unit whenever she passes by. Sometimes, she sees the employees of this unit pass by, who always thank her. She always replies, "Thank the Lord! Don't thank me. I am from the church next door, so your cleaning is also our responsibility! I can do it because Lord is kind to give me such an opportunity."
She insisted on collecting scraps to sell for money to offer to the Lord. The rural old woman with no source of income has been widowed for many years. She has three daughters (all who have become confident Christians under her influence), and her daily expenses are entirely dependent on her daughters. All her daughters earn their living as casual laborers and have no fixed income, so their families aren’t particularly well-off. She understands the difficulties in her daughters’ lives and has always tried to be diligent and thrifty. As she always wants to express her gratitude to the Lord, she keeps collecting scraps to sell and contributes the earnings to the church. Not wanting her to do so, her daughters were willing to give her some money to contribute to the church. However, she said, "When I contribute to church with your money, it is your offering, not mine. I want my own offering!"
Later, when the church leaders and members knew about this, they advised her not to contribute. However, she always replied, "The Lord is so kind to me so that I can still enjoy going to church. How can I go there empty-handed?" When the church was built in 2018, sister L contributed two times for a total of RMB 3,000 in just a few months.
Neighbors knew that she collects scraps, and would give her their household scraps, but she would always repay them with foods like vegetables and fruits. These foods are actually gifts from her relatives and friends. She hesitates to eat them but uses them to thank her neighbors instead.
L once had a testimony of healing. In the year before last, she suddenly felt pain in her left foot and could not walk. She prayed to the Lord, "Lord! If you don't heal me, how can I worship you in church? You are the doctor of the sick, you opened the eyes of the blind, made the ears of the deaf hear, and had the lame get up and walk. Please heal me too, so that I can go to church and worship you." In a few days, she was able to go to church on foot.
On another day, she had a stiff neck while sleeping, and could not rotate it at all. She thought that hospitalization for surgery would not only cost money but also delay her morning prayers and worship. She refused to have surgery and prayed to God. A few days later, she was able to move her neck about freely.
She also testified that before she believed in the Lord, she had an egg-sized lump in her neck, but after becoming a Christian for a few months, the lump disappeared seemingly by itself. She believed that it was the Lord who had healed her. Therefore, she often tells others that the Lord Jesus is so kind to her and she has been determined to believe in Him all her life and will follow Him to the end. Moreover, she expressed that as long as she could breathe and can move, she would show her gratitude to Lord.
(This article is originally published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
'Thank Lord, I Have His Protection!': Grateful Testimony of 80-Y-O Woman
