Sister Xiang is my fellow village woman, but I don’t know exactly where she’s from originally or even recognize her. However, we come from the same Shandong Province.
I came to know her through a brother who dragged her into our church chat group on WeChat. Xiang seemed to give attention to the brother. It turned out that they were both trained in a praise and worship team of a church. The family of the brother was working in my city with his elderly parents.
Becoming a Christian at an early age, Xiang dedicated herself to God when she grew up. In her last year of studying at Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, she was chosen by the head of a very famous church in northeastern China. Then she traveled from Shandong to a small city in the northeast, but her passion faded away along with the geographic variations, climate discomfort, and homesickness.
The three forced retreats to her hometown drove her into a corner. She desperately stayed in the church of fewer than 20 members. The small church has grown to more than 100 believers. To meet the increasing needs, the church spent more than one million yuan renovating the bungalow into a three-story house. In the completion ceremony, a local official leader in charge of religious affairs said to her, “I can see from you that Jesus whom you believe in is real because you can’t finish it as a little girl from a foreign place.”
The pastor who hired her led her spiritually and served as her brother, offering full support to her ministry. The girl has grown up to be the heroine of the house of God. She has excelled in pastoral ministry, administration, mission, and evangelism. The church has seen a regular attendance of more than 200.
She was in her twenties when graduating from the national seminary. Working in the bottleneck period of the church, she spared no effort to serve. She did not meet the right one. Stepping into her thirties, she had a flush with a brother who attended the worship training. They even talked about getting married. Originally from another province in the south, he had to return to his hometown as the only child. But she had to break up with him because she was reluctant to abandon her congregation.
Initially paid eight hundred yuan with food and accommodation provided, she now receives a wage twice that. However, she needs to give a tithe and also offers financial aid to those members in need.
Last July, she ran into an accident on a visit to her congregation. Though she was not badly hurt, her leg had to have surgery. Several months later, I learned that she was hospitalized again due to health issues. Had she spoken sporadically about it, I would never know her health condition because she seemed to serve more.
She told me that she had more time when lying on the bed. I tried to persuade her to meet her parents in her hometown and she might get better when she felt better. Then she sent me a long list of needy faces online and a list of crying faces followed.
She could not return home in 2019 with occupied ministries. The next year she was planning to go back, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented her plan. She could only grieve her grandfather’s death in a faraway place. She burst into tears as soon as her mother talked with her via video call.
The legendary story of her ministry is not a make-up tale, but a real account of the numberless soldiers of God’s kingdom.
我和相姊妹是老乡，但却不知道她具体家住哪里，甚至见了面也相逢不相识；但我们的确是山东老乡——这一切都是拜网络所赐。
我所认识的一位弟兄，邀一位姊妹进了我们教会群，这位姊妹特别活跃。
这位山东威海老乡似乎对邀她进群的弟兄特别关注，原来十年前，他们两人同在某教会的赞美队受训过。这位弟兄全家人在我们这边打工，年老多病的父母也跟着。有次相姊妹托我转五百元给这位弟兄，原因是这位弟兄的父亲生病住院了，她直接给这位弟兄，怕这位弟兄不收。
相姊妹自小信主，长大后决定一生奉献，报读了金陵协和神学院，在毕业那年，东北一家很著名的教会，其负责人亲到神学院招贤纳士，相姊妹被慧眼识珠。恍然一梦般，她从沿海的山东半岛，到了东北的边陲小城，地域的差异，气候的不适，家乡的不舍，很快，她激情消退，浪漫散去，打道回府。
姊妹三次敲退堂鼓，三遍回家乡，第一次被主劝回去，第二次被主赶回去，第三次是被打回去的……她深感走投无路，就破釜沉舟，留在那间不足二十人的教会里。
不到二十人的教会，发展成一百多人。为满足侍工需要，教会筹资一百多万，小平房翻建成了三层楼房，一段传奇，在真实的阳光下，闪亮登场。当地一位宗教干部，在落成典礼上，当众对她说：“我从你身上，看到你们所信的耶稣是真的，因为你一个小姑娘，又是外地的，绝对干不成这事——”
位邀聘她去的牧师，不仅是她的牧长领导，更是他的兄长亲人，在她侍奉的路上，给她以全力的帮助，全然的关切，让一位山东的黄毛小丫，在北国的北风中，成长为神家的女侠，牧养管理、宣教布道，纵横杀伐，无不拿下……现在正常聚会的已超二百人，十年发展了十多倍。
相姊妹神学院毕业，二十来岁，正是青春芳华，玉女适嫁，但那时也正教会发展的攻坚期，她全力以赴，无暇他顾，并且神也没把合适的那一位，让她抬头遇见。
不觉步入大龄，有点小压力，这时外地来赞美队参加赞美培训的一位弟兄，经人介绍，两人颇生好感，迹近谈婚论嫁，但那弟兄是独子，必须返回。那里是南方，是大城市，与个人方面，每一处都是向好发展，但她怎能撇下群羊而不顾，专意去追求自己的幸福呢？最后只得挥刀断情……现在偶尔问及姊妹此方面，她只说：“为我祷告吧，”然。
姊妹初到教会时，月薪八百，包食宿；现在是长了，好像长了两倍多，她还要十一奉献，还要交际往来，还要帮助困难的肢体……难怪她把五百元帮助这边那位认识她的弟兄，怕那位弟兄不收她的。
去年七月份，相姊妹出外探访时，路遇车祸，虽不严重，却也做了腿部手术。谁想不几月后，又惊悉她住院，这次是身体健康出了问题。若不是偶尔提及，我无从得知，因为她在群里赞美、讲道，不但未少，反似更多了。她说躺在病床上，人更自由了，因为时间更充裕。
我劝她无论如何回一次家，见见父母亲人，心情好了，身体也会好！她发我一长串苦脸，又发一长串哭脸——
一九年的时候，相姊妹因为侍工原因，她没能回家，打算二零年一定回家。但从那一年到现在，疫情一直汹涌，多少游子的归途被斩断，多少团聚的乡梦被碾碎，已整四个年头，她只能梦回故里。
爷爷离去，她只能遥寄哀思，她的妈妈一和她视频，马上眼泪哗哗……“我想回家——”私聊上，她突然就冒出这样一句话，留下如此一语！
我这位女老乡的侍工传奇，虽叫人称奇，却不是传说，她是神家万千儿女，神国无数精兵的实记。
我的一位“女老乡”的侍工传奇！
Sister Xiang is my fellow village woman, but I don’t know exactly where she’s from originally or even recognize her. However, we come from the same Shandong Province.
I came to know her through a brother who dragged her into our church chat group on WeChat. Xiang seemed to give attention to the brother. It turned out that they were both trained in a praise and worship team of a church. The family of the brother was working in my city with his elderly parents.
Becoming a Christian at an early age, Xiang dedicated herself to God when she grew up. In her last year of studying at Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, she was chosen by the head of a very famous church in northeastern China. Then she traveled from Shandong to a small city in the northeast, but her passion faded away along with the geographic variations, climate discomfort, and homesickness.
The three forced retreats to her hometown drove her into a corner. She desperately stayed in the church of fewer than 20 members. The small church has grown to more than 100 believers. To meet the increasing needs, the church spent more than one million yuan renovating the bungalow into a three-story house. In the completion ceremony, a local official leader in charge of religious affairs said to her, “I can see from you that Jesus whom you believe in is real because you can’t finish it as a little girl from a foreign place.”
The pastor who hired her led her spiritually and served as her brother, offering full support to her ministry. The girl has grown up to be the heroine of the house of God. She has excelled in pastoral ministry, administration, mission, and evangelism. The church has seen a regular attendance of more than 200.
She was in her twenties when graduating from the national seminary. Working in the bottleneck period of the church, she spared no effort to serve. She did not meet the right one. Stepping into her thirties, she had a flush with a brother who attended the worship training. They even talked about getting married. Originally from another province in the south, he had to return to his hometown as the only child. But she had to break up with him because she was reluctant to abandon her congregation.
Initially paid eight hundred yuan with food and accommodation provided, she now receives a wage twice that. However, she needs to give a tithe and also offers financial aid to those members in need.
Last July, she ran into an accident on a visit to her congregation. Though she was not badly hurt, her leg had to have surgery. Several months later, I learned that she was hospitalized again due to health issues. Had she spoken sporadically about it, I would never know her health condition because she seemed to serve more.
She told me that she had more time when lying on the bed. I tried to persuade her to meet her parents in her hometown and she might get better when she felt better. Then she sent me a long list of needy faces online and a list of crying faces followed.
She could not return home in 2019 with occupied ministries. The next year she was planning to go back, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented her plan. She could only grieve her grandfather’s death in a faraway place. She burst into tears as soon as her mother talked with her via video call.
The legendary story of her ministry is not a make-up tale, but a real account of the numberless soldiers of God’s kingdom.
The Legendary Ministry Story of My Fellow Village Woman
