Editor's note: As the sixth-generation Christian in her family, a female believer surnamed Huang is a mother of three children. The following is the first part of her family and her personal faith story told from her point of view.
In my hometown, a small fishing village in south China, missionaries came to preach the gospel in the early 1900s, when my great-great-grandfather became one of the first three people in the village to believe in the Lord.
My aunts and uncles who had graduated from school took special care of my family, as my mother who got good grades dropped out of junior school to work given that there were too many brothers and sisters in her family. When I was young, I looked forward to them riding a bicycle to see my mother, since I could follow them back to my grandmother’s house.
As part of her routine, my grandmother engaged in attending services, visiting, practicing singing, and cleaning the church every Saturday afternoon. Watching the back of my grandmother cleaning while singing hymns, I followed her to clean the pews, wipe the table and mop the floor.
When I was about 9, my whole family went to a church in Jieyang City in Guangdong Province one night to listen to a pastor from afar. On the road back home, we found my grandmother was lost. Mom comforted me and asked us to pray without fear to God who would help to find her. Finally, she was found, and He seemed to teach me that one day my grandma would leave me and return to heaven.
Until suddenly one day my parents told me that my grandmother was seriously ill. As soon as I entered the door, I heard her singing, "Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in the Lord, but to trust and obey." She blamed me for cycling too fast, asking me to sit next to her to sing hymns with her.
Though my grandmother left us two months later when I was 11, I used to rush into my grandma's house to ask my grandfather, "Grandpa, where did my grandma go?" Later I made up my mind to seek after the knowledge of God so that I would see in heaven again my grandma who might recognize me.
Besides being at home, my grandfather generally appeared in two places, either in church or at the home he visited or on the way to visit.
Suffering from the same disease, my grandmother passed away two months after illness, while my grandfather lived a healthy life for ten years after being cured of the disease. During these years, he was even more enthusiastic about building new churches in the village and serving the church. In my memories, the first thing he did when he woke up and the last thing before he went to sleep was to manage the church building in the village.
In the testimony during the inauguration ceremony of the new church, he said a sentence with tears, "I love my church and miss her with prayers. I will work harder for church ministries until I can do no more."
After the death of my grandmother, my grandfather took care of my great-grandmother for decades, providing a fixed amount of money to those in need.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
编者按：来自华南的黄姊妹，她是家族中的第六代基督徒，她现在也是3个孩子的妈妈，下面是她的家族及她个人的信仰故事的第一部分。
我的家在南方的一个小渔村，传教士的脚踪从1900年初期就踏入这里，外公的爷爷就是当时传教士在此宣教时候信主，并且成为村里首批信主的3个人之一。（当summary）
妈妈年轻时候虽然读书成绩好，但是家中弟兄姐妹多，上完初中就出来打工帮补家用，上完学的阿姨舅舅们就特别关照和爱护我们，小时候最盼望阿姨舅舅踩着单车来我家看妈妈，这样我就可以跟着阿姨舅舅回外婆家。
外婆的生活雷打不动地行程就是礼拜、探访、练习唱诗歌和清洁教堂。每个周六下午两点就是清洁教堂时间，看到外婆边唱诗歌边打扫卫生的背影，我跟着她一起擦凳子、擦桌子和拖地板。
在我大约9岁时候，一天晚上全家人去揭阳市区（诗光堂）听一个远方来的牧师讲道，在回来的路上发现找不到外婆。妈妈安慰我说不要害怕，我们要祷告，上帝一定会帮助我们找到外婆的。“是的上帝。你一定会帮我找到外婆的”，后来外婆找到了。上帝似乎在让我练习一次：终有一天阿嫲会离开我，回到天堂去。
直到突然一天爸妈告诉我，外婆生病了，很严重的病。我一进门就听到她的歌声，她唱着“信靠顺服，此外别无他路，若要在主里喜乐，唯有信靠顺服。”`~~~她责怪我踩单车太快有危险，她让我坐在她身边跟她一起唱赞美诗。
两个月后外婆就离开了我们，那年我11岁。开始我还是习惯地会冲进阿嫲的家对外公问：“阿公，阿嫲去哪里了？”我下决心，我要认识上帝，将来我就能在天堂再见到我阿嫲，她一定会认得我。
外公的身影一般只会出现在两个地方（除了家里），不是在教堂就是在探访或者去探访的路上
外婆外公先后得同一种病，外婆得病两个月就走了，外公在病得治愈后还健康生活了十年，在此期间他更加热心为村里新教堂建设奔忙和服侍教会，记忆中有几年他睁开眼睛第一件事和睡觉前最后一件事就是操持村里的教堂建设。
在新教堂落成礼拜的见证中他落泪说了一句话我从未忘记：“我爱我主教会，爱她，我常流泪，念她，我常祈求，为她事工我更加努力，直到力尽方休”。
外婆过世后外公孝顺外祖母的母亲数十年，固定金额帮补周围需要的人。
https://christiantimes.cn/news/37581/%E6%95%85%E4%BA%8B%EF%BD%9C%E7%AC%AC%E5%85%AD%E4%BB%A3%E5%9F%BA%E7%9D%A3%E5%BE%92%E5%A7%90%E5%A6%B9%E5%88%86%E4%BA%AB%E5%AE%B6%E6%97%8F%E4%BF%A1%E4%BB%B0%E4%B8%AD%E7%9A%84%E4%BC%A0%E6%89%BF%EF%BC%88%E4%B8%80%EF%BC%89
故事｜第六代基督徒姐妹分享家族信仰中的传承（一）
Editor's note: As the sixth-generation Christian in her family, a female believer surnamed Huang is a mother of three children. The following is the first part of her family and her personal faith story told from her point of view.
In my hometown, a small fishing village in south China, missionaries came to preach the gospel in the early 1900s, when my great-great-grandfather became one of the first three people in the village to believe in the Lord.
My aunts and uncles who had graduated from school took special care of my family, as my mother who got good grades dropped out of junior school to work given that there were too many brothers and sisters in her family. When I was young, I looked forward to them riding a bicycle to see my mother, since I could follow them back to my grandmother’s house.
As part of her routine, my grandmother engaged in attending services, visiting, practicing singing, and cleaning the church every Saturday afternoon. Watching the back of my grandmother cleaning while singing hymns, I followed her to clean the pews, wipe the table and mop the floor.
When I was about 9, my whole family went to a church in Jieyang City in Guangdong Province one night to listen to a pastor from afar. On the road back home, we found my grandmother was lost. Mom comforted me and asked us to pray without fear to God who would help to find her. Finally, she was found, and He seemed to teach me that one day my grandma would leave me and return to heaven.
Until suddenly one day my parents told me that my grandmother was seriously ill. As soon as I entered the door, I heard her singing, "Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in the Lord, but to trust and obey." She blamed me for cycling too fast, asking me to sit next to her to sing hymns with her.
Though my grandmother left us two months later when I was 11, I used to rush into my grandma's house to ask my grandfather, "Grandpa, where did my grandma go?" Later I made up my mind to seek after the knowledge of God so that I would see in heaven again my grandma who might recognize me.
Besides being at home, my grandfather generally appeared in two places, either in church or at the home he visited or on the way to visit.
Suffering from the same disease, my grandmother passed away two months after illness, while my grandfather lived a healthy life for ten years after being cured of the disease. During these years, he was even more enthusiastic about building new churches in the village and serving the church. In my memories, the first thing he did when he woke up and the last thing before he went to sleep was to manage the church building in the village.
In the testimony during the inauguration ceremony of the new church, he said a sentence with tears, "I love my church and miss her with prayers. I will work harder for church ministries until I can do no more."
After the death of my grandmother, my grandfather took care of my great-grandmother for decades, providing a fixed amount of money to those in need.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Story of Sixth-Generation Christian’s Faith Stories (Part 1)
