Would you believe that someone would be separated from his wife and children for thirty years in order to serve God?
This was the true story that happened to Rev. March Cheng and his wife Chen Huaimin. Following God's call, the couple had been separated for 30 years in two different countries. But with the unwavering faith in Him, they had maintained their relationship and marriage for the whole three decades, and finally were able to reunite in the United States at the age of 60. The film Beyond: Unfailing Love recorded their inseparable love and their sacrifice and service to the Lord.
After graduating from the Fujian Normal School in 1941, Cheng returned to his hometown to open a school taking the position of headmaster. He was elected county councilman at the age of 25 for his good reputation in his birthplace. However, shortly after Cheng took his office, he saw through the corruption of the officialdom. At an evangelistic crusade in 1946, hearing the gospel of Jesus, he realized that he couldn’t be free from sins as a school principal or councilman, and only Jesus was the way out for sinners. Hence, he was baptized into Christ.
In 1949, Cheng asked God, "What should I do on the road ahead?" God spoke to him, "You should dedicate yourself to me." But at that time, the married man was hesitant because he had a wife and children to look after. A few months later, God said to Cheng three times in the evening, "You are going to Hong Kong to study theology and to testify for me all over the world."
Although God's call was clear, he was still a little uncertain. He had an elderly mother and five young children, among whom the eldest was only nine years old. His wife was a stay-at-home mom who didn’t have any income. If he left, how could the family live on? When he presented these difficulties before God, He answered him with verses from Matthew 6: “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”
Before leaving for Hong Kong, Zheng's wife Chen said to him, "It's good for you to go to Hong Kong to study, but how can I raise these five children?" He answered her with the words from Matthew: " But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." The husband and wife then willingly obeyed God's will.
With the same mission and confidence, his wife Chen took over his responsibilities while he embarked on a journey of studying. Both of them thought it would be a short-term parting, but it turned out to be 30 years.
When Cheng arrived in Hong Kong, the new semester had not officially started. As a result, the registration and other formalities would take place in a few days. Unfortunately, he only had one Hong Kong dollar (HKD) which merely covered two days’ food cost, even though he crashed at an acquaintance’s place for free. Therefore, he prayed to God, "God, is it your will for me to starve to death in Hong Kong?" Unexpectedly, he ran into an American missionary that he used to know. After knowing about his situation, he gave Cheng 500 HKD the next day with which Zheng enrolled in the seminary later. With excellent grades, the dean of the seminary employed him as a faculty member upon graduation.
Cheng had lived in Hong Kong for eight years. Whilst his wife Chen carried all the family burdens and pressures alone, enduring discrimination and ridicule as a single mother. As their children grew up, the family expenditure increased as well. In order to afford children’s schooling in the city, Chen worked as a farmer in the countryside to make ends meet. At nights, she had to sew clothes for the whole family, as well as sing praises, read scriptures, and pray. Chen often prayed with tears asking God to keep his husband healthy and that the whole family could get together in the future.
When Cheng settled down in Hong Kong, he tried to bring his family there for a reunion. But surprisingly the wife's application to go to Hong Kong was rejected multiple times. Therefore, Chen could only think about her husband at home, praying to God, “God, let him be healthy in spirit and health, and work heartily for you.”
In 1958, Cheng left Hong Kong to work as a pastor in a Chinese church in Manila, the Philippines. At that time, being young and handsome, he was very popular with girls. But he often emphasized, “I have a wife who will surely be together with me.”
In that period, the environment out of China was chaotic. At times Cheng would be approached by naked ladies in hotels. He said, "If I didn't rely on the Lord to be strong, I would have fallen." Seeing a girl in his room, he would run away immediately.
He also shared, “God has shown me in the Bible that firstly, those who have married must be holy and without blemish, and remain monogamous for life. Secondly, we must escape when encountering temptation, which is the secret of my victory. Thank God. I won’t win if not for God’s protection over me."
In his letter to his wife, he wrote, "I don't do secular things on earth. I want to do things for Him in heaven." At that time, in his thirties, he devoted himself to preaching the gospel for God. He began to experience an epiphany and train his members to be disciples of Christ. Besides hosting gospel conferences, he trained people to accept the mission of evangelism, sending them out to preach the gospel. From 1961 to 1975 when Zheng left the Philippines, the number of church members increased to more than 500 people. Four out of 54 pastors stayed in the mother church, with all the rest going to Asian countries as missionaries. Two-thirds of the church's income went to mission expenditures.
During the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Chen experienced a dark period in China, with home being raided. Beaten with sticks, she often had scars and bruises on her body. She suffered in silence and prayed to God, "God, I am too vulnerable to finish this task. Please help me."
Meanwhile, Cheng was also thinking of Chen with prayers for her and their children. God comforted him by promising him with the verse of Psalm 68:6, "God gives the lonely a home, leading prisoners out to prosperity." This reassured him that he would be with his wife again.
In 1975, Cheng came to the United States. In November 1979, as Chen's immigration application was approved, their yearning for a reunion was fulfilled after 30 years. In 1980, they finally met in Hong Kong. Once seeing Chen, he said to her first: "From now on, I will never ever leave you."
The couple experienced the pain of separation for three decades. Chen confessed, "If we hadn't trusted in God for these 30 years, our family would not be able to survive."
Subsequently, during the following three years, their children came to the United States to reunite with them. When Cheng left for Hong Kong, they only had five children, but the family had already expanded to 27 members when getting together in the United States.
After the reunion, the couple started a new life of serving God. For the next 30 years, Chen accompanied him wherever he preached.
- Translated by Shuya Wang
你会相信有人会为了服事神而与妻子儿女分开三十年之久吗？
这是发生在郑果牧师和陈师母夫妻身上的真实故事。为了跟随主的呼召，他们两人分离异国他乡三十载，但是靠着对神的坚定不移的信心，坚守彼此的感情和婚姻三十年，终于到六十岁在美国团聚。影片《三藩不老情》记录了这对夫妻不离不弃的感情，和他们向着主的牺牲与事奉。
郑果牧师1941年从省立高等师范毕业后，就回乡开办学校并担任校长。他在家乡的口碑很好，25岁就被选为县议长。不过，郑果当官不久后，他就看透了的官场的腐败。在1946年的一场布道会上，他听到了耶稣的福音，才晓得无论是当校长还是议长都不能摆脱人的罪，唯有耶稣是罪人的出路。于是，他受洗归入基督。
1949年，郑果牧师问神：“我前面的道路应是做什么？”神借着话语告诉他：“你应该奉献给我用。”但是当时，郑果牧师是不太愿意的，因为他有自己的妻子、孩子要照顾。过了几个月，神第二次呼召又来了，晚上三次对他说话：“你要到香港去读神学，到世界各地为我作见证。”
虽然上帝的呼召是明确的，但是郑果牧师还是有些犹豫。他上有母亲，下有5个孩子，最大的孩子才九岁而已，妻子也没有工作。他若是走了，这个家该如何过下去？当他把这些困难陈明在神面前时，上帝用马太福音6章的话回答他
去香港读书前，郑果牧师的妻子陈怀民对他说：“你去香港读书是好的，但是我怎么养这5个孩子呢？”郑果牧师就用马太福音回答她说：“我先走神的道路，那么祂一切东西都要加给我们。”夫妻二人就同心顺从了神的旨意。
承接同样的使命和信心，妻子陈怀民接过了郑果牧师留下的担子，而郑果牧师踏上了求学的旅程。本以为这是一场短暂的离别，却未曾想到这一别就是30年。
进入香港时神学院还没有正式开学，报名、办手续还需要几天的时间。可郑果牧师身上只带了1块港币，虽然在一个认识的人家借住，但是吃饭还是要自己解决的，2天的时间钱就花尽了。郑果牧师就对神祷告说：“神啊，难道你叫我在香港饿死吗？”不去想在街上就碰到了以前认识的美国宣教士。宣教士知道他的情况，第二天就送给他500元港币。郑果牧师用这些钱去了神学院报名。在神学院读书的时候，郑果牧师的成绩不错。到毕业的时候，神学院的院长就留他做教员。
郑果牧师在香港一住就是8年。而妻子陈怀民独自一人背起了所有的家庭重担和压力，不仅如此还要忍受作为单亲母亲的歧视和嘲笑。随着孩子们渐渐成长，家庭开销也越来越大。为了让孩子们上学，陈怀民到乡下去种地来维持家里的开销，让孩子们可以继续在城里读书。夜晚，陈师母还在缝补衣物，有时也唱着赞美、读经、祷告。陈师母常常含泪祷告：希望神给郑果牧师健康的身体，让一家人以后可以团圆。
当郑果牧师在香港稳定下来，就想要带着家人到香港团聚。但是没有想到的是，陈师母的去香港的申请被一次次的拒绝了。陈师母只能是在老家思念着自己的丈夫，流泪祷告对神说：希望他灵性好、身体好，为神所使用。
1958年，郑果牧师离开香港，在马尼拉的一家华人教会做牧师。那时的郑果牧师年轻帅气，很受女孩子喜欢。但是郑果牧师常常强调说：我有妻子，她一定会和我团聚的。
那时候国外的环境乱，郑果牧师还会在旅馆碰到裸体的女士。郑果牧师分享说：“如果我不是靠主刚强的话，我就会跌倒了。”看到房间里有个女孩子，郑果牧师马上就跑。
郑果牧师分享说：“神让我在圣经里面看见，第一我们结过婚的人要圣洁，我们要终身保守一夫一妻；第二遇见试探要逃避，这是我得胜的秘诀。感谢神不是我自己会得胜，而是神保守我。”
他在信中向妻子写道：“我不做地上的事，我要做天上的事。”那时，三十多岁的郑果牧师把全身心投入到为神传福音的事上。他开始有感动训练自己的会友做基督的门徒，常常开福音大会，培训人接受传福音的使命，并差传人出去传福音。从1961到1975年郑果牧师离开菲律宾，教会的人数增加到500多人。教会的传道人有54个，除4个留守在母教会的传道人，其余传道人全部都到亚洲国家作宣教士。教会的三分之二的收入用于宣教支出。
1966年文革时期，陈师母在国内经历一段黑暗的时间，被抄家、被棍子打，身上也常常有疤痕、淤青。她都是有苦往肚子里吞。她对神祷告说：“神啊，这样的功课我实在是担当不起，你要为我开路。”
与此同时，郑果牧师也在想念着陈师母，他常常提名为自己的妻子和孩子祷告。神给了他诗篇68篇6节的经文安慰他：“神叫孤独的有家，使被囚的出来享福”，这让他确信自己一定会和妻子团聚。
1975年，郑果牧师来到美国。1979年11月，陈师母的移民申请批准了。等了30年，他们终于等到了相聚的一天。1980年，他们终于在香港见面，郑果牧师见到陈师母的第一句话是：“从此以后，我永远不会离开你了。”
郑果牧师夫妻经历了30年的分离之苦，陈师母告白说：“如果这三十年不是依靠神，我们家都活不了。”
之后的三年，儿女们都来到了美国与夫妻二人团聚。当年他们分开的时候，只有5个孩子。而到美国团聚后，他们已经是27口的大家庭了。
团聚后的二人，开启了一段新的事奉神的人生。此后的三十年，郑果牧师讲道的地方都有陈师母陪伴的身影。
见证 |郑果牧师夫妻分离异国他乡三十载 彼此不离不弃衷心服事神
Would you believe that someone would be separated from his wife and children for thirty years in order to serve God?
This was the true story that happened to Rev. March Cheng and his wife Chen Huaimin. Following God's call, the couple had been separated for 30 years in two different countries. But with the unwavering faith in Him, they had maintained their relationship and marriage for the whole three decades, and finally were able to reunite in the United States at the age of 60. The film Beyond: Unfailing Love recorded their inseparable love and their sacrifice and service to the Lord.
After graduating from the Fujian Normal School in 1941, Cheng returned to his hometown to open a school taking the position of headmaster. He was elected county councilman at the age of 25 for his good reputation in his birthplace. However, shortly after Cheng took his office, he saw through the corruption of the officialdom. At an evangelistic crusade in 1946, hearing the gospel of Jesus, he realized that he couldn’t be free from sins as a school principal or councilman, and only Jesus was the way out for sinners. Hence, he was baptized into Christ.
In 1949, Cheng asked God, "What should I do on the road ahead?" God spoke to him, "You should dedicate yourself to me." But at that time, the married man was hesitant because he had a wife and children to look after. A few months later, God said to Cheng three times in the evening, "You are going to Hong Kong to study theology and to testify for me all over the world."
Although God's call was clear, he was still a little uncertain. He had an elderly mother and five young children, among whom the eldest was only nine years old. His wife was a stay-at-home mom who didn’t have any income. If he left, how could the family live on? When he presented these difficulties before God, He answered him with verses from Matthew 6: “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”
Before leaving for Hong Kong, Zheng's wife Chen said to him, "It's good for you to go to Hong Kong to study, but how can I raise these five children?" He answered her with the words from Matthew: " But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." The husband and wife then willingly obeyed God's will.
With the same mission and confidence, his wife Chen took over his responsibilities while he embarked on a journey of studying. Both of them thought it would be a short-term parting, but it turned out to be 30 years.
When Cheng arrived in Hong Kong, the new semester had not officially started. As a result, the registration and other formalities would take place in a few days. Unfortunately, he only had one Hong Kong dollar (HKD) which merely covered two days’ food cost, even though he crashed at an acquaintance’s place for free. Therefore, he prayed to God, "God, is it your will for me to starve to death in Hong Kong?" Unexpectedly, he ran into an American missionary that he used to know. After knowing about his situation, he gave Cheng 500 HKD the next day with which Zheng enrolled in the seminary later. With excellent grades, the dean of the seminary employed him as a faculty member upon graduation.
Cheng had lived in Hong Kong for eight years. Whilst his wife Chen carried all the family burdens and pressures alone, enduring discrimination and ridicule as a single mother. As their children grew up, the family expenditure increased as well. In order to afford children’s schooling in the city, Chen worked as a farmer in the countryside to make ends meet. At nights, she had to sew clothes for the whole family, as well as sing praises, read scriptures, and pray. Chen often prayed with tears asking God to keep his husband healthy and that the whole family could get together in the future.
When Cheng settled down in Hong Kong, he tried to bring his family there for a reunion. But surprisingly the wife's application to go to Hong Kong was rejected multiple times. Therefore, Chen could only think about her husband at home, praying to God, “God, let him be healthy in spirit and health, and work heartily for you.”
In 1958, Cheng left Hong Kong to work as a pastor in a Chinese church in Manila, the Philippines. At that time, being young and handsome, he was very popular with girls. But he often emphasized, “I have a wife who will surely be together with me.”
In that period, the environment out of China was chaotic. At times Cheng would be approached by naked ladies in hotels. He said, "If I didn't rely on the Lord to be strong, I would have fallen." Seeing a girl in his room, he would run away immediately.
He also shared, “God has shown me in the Bible that firstly, those who have married must be holy and without blemish, and remain monogamous for life. Secondly, we must escape when encountering temptation, which is the secret of my victory. Thank God. I won’t win if not for God’s protection over me."
In his letter to his wife, he wrote, "I don't do secular things on earth. I want to do things for Him in heaven." At that time, in his thirties, he devoted himself to preaching the gospel for God. He began to experience an epiphany and train his members to be disciples of Christ. Besides hosting gospel conferences, he trained people to accept the mission of evangelism, sending them out to preach the gospel. From 1961 to 1975 when Zheng left the Philippines, the number of church members increased to more than 500 people. Four out of 54 pastors stayed in the mother church, with all the rest going to Asian countries as missionaries. Two-thirds of the church's income went to mission expenditures.
During the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Chen experienced a dark period in China, with home being raided. Beaten with sticks, she often had scars and bruises on her body. She suffered in silence and prayed to God, "God, I am too vulnerable to finish this task. Please help me."
Meanwhile, Cheng was also thinking of Chen with prayers for her and their children. God comforted him by promising him with the verse of Psalm 68:6, "God gives the lonely a home, leading prisoners out to prosperity." This reassured him that he would be with his wife again.
In 1975, Cheng came to the United States. In November 1979, as Chen's immigration application was approved, their yearning for a reunion was fulfilled after 30 years. In 1980, they finally met in Hong Kong. Once seeing Chen, he said to her first: "From now on, I will never ever leave you."
The couple experienced the pain of separation for three decades. Chen confessed, "If we hadn't trusted in God for these 30 years, our family would not be able to survive."
Subsequently, during the following three years, their children came to the United States to reunite with them. When Cheng left for Hong Kong, they only had five children, but the family had already expanded to 27 members when getting together in the United States.
After the reunion, the couple started a new life of serving God. For the next 30 years, Chen accompanied him wherever he preached.
- Translated by Shuya Wang
Testimony: A Devoted Couple Reunite After 30-Year Forced Separation
