Mr. Jin was an undertaker in our village who had more than 30 years of working experience. While he just did the casketing by experience and quenching without professional technical training.
With a devout faith, he was more silent than speaking in the church. He said that faith was not spoken out by mouth, but believers should bear witness to God through their faith and behavior, making other people see Jesus in their own lives.
In the face of the passing and annihilation of life, people’s wailing was constant, while it was always Jin who first helped people to stop crying. Not only did his voice have the power to make people believe in him; more importantly, his voice had a special power to calm the restlessness of the mind.
I think this is the energy of life tempered by the years, and it can also be said that God gave him a special gift.
Jin had a special view of life and death. When people lamented and grieved over the lost lives, he always used to say: "His journey in the world is over, and he will live forever in another world."
And he always spoke so firmly, as if supported by unquestionable faith. This was his most simple view of life and death, as well as the farmers’ philosophy of life and death that they had come to understand after dealing with nature and land for many years.
With terminal cancer, he eventually came to the last moments of his life. The elder people in the village shed tears, saying," We were hoping you'd send us away, but you would leave before us.” While Jin said, "I'll go ahead and find out the way for you, so that you won't get lost when you get there." When his family wept, he stated, "Every Black Friday, eventually will pass. I have but three days to wait, yes, only three days. And at the end of those three days we shall all welcome the bright sunshine of a new Easter Sunday."
Jin's funeral was led by his son, who also took over his job. His son invited the older generation who had fought alongside his father to make the funeral team, instead of a group of young people.
Because Jin's last words to his son were, "Don't go along with them, but do what I taught you." His son listened to him and prepared for a Christian funeral in accordance with Jin's will. With a hymn of grace and serenity sung at the funeral, a pastor preached the truth of faith, filled with the word of life. Jin went away to another world, another home he believed in - in heaven, and a better one without tears, pain, or strife.
- Translated by Sophia Chen
老金是我们村子里的入殓师，他有着三十多年的工作经验，当然他也没有受过专业的技术训练，完全是凭着经验与淬炼来完成入殓工作。老金有着虔诚的信仰基础，但是他在教会是沉默多于宣讲，因为他说信仰不是靠嘴巴说出来的，而是应该以信心与行为来见证上帝，让自己的生命活出信仰，让人们在自己的生命中看到耶稣的影子。
在面对生命的消逝与湮灭时，人们的哭泣声与哀嚎声总是不绝于耳，而第一个让人们不要再哭泣的总是老金。不仅仅是他的声音具有一种震慑性的威力，让人们都信服于他，更重要的是他的声音有种特别的力量，即让人浮躁不安的心情能迅速安静下来。
我想这就是岁月打磨淬炼而成的生命之能量，同时也可以说是上帝给予他的一种特殊恩赐。
老金有一种特别的死亡观与生死观，当人们对逝去的生命表示惋惜与悲伤时，他总会说:“他在世界的旅途结束了，他将在另一个世界永生。”
然而他每次都说得这么坚定，像是有不容疑惑的信心在支持他一样。这是属于他们的最朴素的生死观，也是他们作为农民在与自然、与土地打过多少年交道之后用一生的时间领悟出来的生死哲理之道。
老金倒下了，癌症晚期，已到了生命最后的时刻。村里的老人纷纷落泪说:“我们还指望你能把我们送走呢，没想到你自己倒先离我们而去了。”老金说:“我先走了，替你们前去探探路，这样你们到了那边，就不会迷路了。”家人也悲伤哭泣，老金说:“每一个黑色的星期五，终会过去。我只须等待三天，是的，只要三天，三天过后，大家必将会迎来新一天复活主日的明媚暖阳。”
老金的丧事由他儿子主持，他儿子也接替了他的职位。儿子并没有请那一帮年轻人来做丧事，还是请的当年与父亲并肩作战过的老一辈丧葬队伍。
因为老金临终前嘱托儿子:“别跟他们同流合污，你要走我教导你的正道。”儿子听了他的话，并依照他的遗嘱办了基督教葬礼。葬礼上唱起了优雅而宁静的赞美诗，牧师为大家宣讲了充满生命之道的信仰真理。老金走了，去了另一个世界，那是他笃信的另一个家乡—在天上，且是没有泪水、没有痛苦、没有纷争的更美的天上家乡。
见证丨乡村入殓师的朴素信仰
Mr. Jin was an undertaker in our village who had more than 30 years of working experience. While he just did the casketing by experience and quenching without professional technical training.
With a devout faith, he was more silent than speaking in the church. He said that faith was not spoken out by mouth, but believers should bear witness to God through their faith and behavior, making other people see Jesus in their own lives.
In the face of the passing and annihilation of life, people’s wailing was constant, while it was always Jin who first helped people to stop crying. Not only did his voice have the power to make people believe in him; more importantly, his voice had a special power to calm the restlessness of the mind.
I think this is the energy of life tempered by the years, and it can also be said that God gave him a special gift.
Jin had a special view of life and death. When people lamented and grieved over the lost lives, he always used to say: "His journey in the world is over, and he will live forever in another world."
And he always spoke so firmly, as if supported by unquestionable faith. This was his most simple view of life and death, as well as the farmers’ philosophy of life and death that they had come to understand after dealing with nature and land for many years.
With terminal cancer, he eventually came to the last moments of his life. The elder people in the village shed tears, saying," We were hoping you'd send us away, but you would leave before us.” While Jin said, "I'll go ahead and find out the way for you, so that you won't get lost when you get there." When his family wept, he stated, "Every Black Friday, eventually will pass. I have but three days to wait, yes, only three days. And at the end of those three days we shall all welcome the bright sunshine of a new Easter Sunday."
Jin's funeral was led by his son, who also took over his job. His son invited the older generation who had fought alongside his father to make the funeral team, instead of a group of young people.
Because Jin's last words to his son were, "Don't go along with them, but do what I taught you." His son listened to him and prepared for a Christian funeral in accordance with Jin's will. With a hymn of grace and serenity sung at the funeral, a pastor preached the truth of faith, filled with the word of life. Jin went away to another world, another home he believed in - in heaven, and a better one without tears, pain, or strife.
- Translated by Sophia Chen
Testimony of Village Undertaker's Simple Faith
