In the last few days, I had a phone conversation with a Christian sister, D (pseudonym), from my hometown in Chongqing, who mentioned that her ex-husband, Z, had just passed away about ten days ago. In the last three months up until his death, she took care of him in the nursing home where he lived. She, along with the church pastor and other members, provided him with hospice care and led him to the Lord.
She recounted the scene of Z's passing and how he called out her name and that of their two sons with determination. He expressed deep regret for falling in love with a younger woman a few years ago and betraying his wife and family. He repeatedly said, "My wife, I am sorry for what I did!"
D invited another Christian sister, C, from the church, to pray the sinner's prayer with Z. He confessed his sins and repented before God. She also mentioned that because God is a forgiving and gracious savior, her husband passed away with a peaceful heart. The following day, she opened the coffin and saw him, looking peaceful like a sleeping child.
Now seeing D in good spirits and peace brings a stark contrast to last summer, when I first met her while in Chongqing with my mother, where she looked so sad and bitter. She was in her seventies and quite frail. Even in summer, her back was cold and damp; she had to wear a vest or risk catching a cold from the slightest breeze.
D lives very close to my mother, who is nearly eighty, but when compared to her, D looks even older. Not only is D caring, but she is also candid, sincere, and talkative. We often exercise together in the morning, go shopping in the afternoon, and sometimes have meals, pray, and read the Bible together.
She talked about her life experiences: She got married to her ex-husband while in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) and raised two sons. After retiring, they returned to their hometown of Chongqing to spend their elderly years together. However, her husband Z, grew disdainful of her as she aged; he started seeing a younger woman outside and did not return home. After their divorce, he moved into a nursing home.
Due to the cold climate in Xinjiang, living conditions were very basic. She had many chronic illnesses, and her husband did not care about her; they often quarreled and even got into fights. However, as they approached old age, her husband's betrayal was the last straw that broke her physically and mentally. She suffered from insomnia and nightmares every day.
During the time we spent together, I shared my personal testimonies and those of those around me who had received healing, and I encouraged her to forgive her ex-husband. After praying together many times, she gradually found healing and was set free.
Because of the forgiveness, tolerance, and love that Z showed her ex-husband in his final moments, she set an example for her sons and grandchildren and preached the gospel to him. Today, she confidently continues to share the gospel with her children, boldly declaring in the name of Jesus Christ: "This household and this family serve the Lord; the salvation of one is a blessing to the entire family, even for generations to come."
She prays every day for God to choose her grandchildren, for her eldest son's recent illness, for the success of her second son's business, for her grandchildren's academic success, and for peace in her family.
Sister D has shared this testimony with many elderly people, evangelizing to them. For example, my stepfather, who is nearly ninety years old, said when he took me to the train station last year that his only wish now is to not be afflicted with illness at the end of his life but to be able to pass away peacefully and quietly. This testimony gave him hope.
After listening to the testimonies of D and Z, I began to reflect on the importance of dying in Christ and end-of-life care.
When I was younger, I lost three relatives, spanning three generations: my grandfather, father, and younger sister. At that time, I was not a Christian and was unusually terrified about death. I saw the physical and mental torment that illness brought to the elderly and felt physically and mentally exhausted from long-term caregiving. I searched everywhere for information on hospice care facilities but found no help.
Nowadays, churches have better conditions, providing systematic end-of-life care counseling and training. On one hand, pastors and fellow workers in the church provide counseling for those nearing the end of their lives. On the other hand, church members intercede in prayer, lifting up the physical well-being of the caregivers and allowing them to quickly find restoration from the fatigue of tending to the physical and emotional needs of those at the end of their lives. Finally, through providing end-of-life care counseling, countless people are reached with the gospel.
In recent years, I have also aged and have come across many similar stories around me.
In Aba Prefecture, there is a grandmother in her eighties who received end-of-life care counseling from the church for a long time and timely comfort and companionship from the church members. Not only was her psychological fear alleviated, but in the final moments of her life, she waved to everyone and said, "See you in heaven!"
There is also a sister in her seventies who was diagnosed with lung cancer. Her daughter reached out to the church pastors, co-workers, and members for prayer and end-of-life care counseling. As a result, the sister sang the hymn "Psalm 23" with contentment in her heart, and angels welcomed her to heaven.
In the church, there is an elderly person almost eighty years old who, despite having multiple illnesses, after receiving end-of-life care counseling from the church, had fewer heart struggles and peacefully passed away like a sleeping infant.
(This is a guest/freelance article written by a Christian from Sichuan Province.)
-Translated by Nonye Nancy
这几天与重庆老家的一基督徒老姐妹D（笔名）通电话，她说起前夫Z刚过世十天左右。Z临走最后三个多月，是她衣不解带在弟兄所居住的养老院榻前照料。与教会牧者、肢体一起为他做临终关怀，并带他信了。
她说起Z临终时的情景，直着脖子喊两个儿子和D的名字。为几年前喜欢年轻女人、背叛了妻子和家庭而痛悔不已，直呼“姊妹我对不起你！”
D请来教会的另一基督徒姐妹C为Z做决志祷告，Z向神认罪悔改。她还说，因为神是赦罪赐恩典的救主，弟兄走时心里平静。她第二天打开棺看，像个孩子睡着一样。
现在看到D心绪好生平安，相比之下，让我回忆去年夏天，我在重庆陪伴母亲时，第一次见到D。她非常伤心、苦毒的样子。她大约七十多岁，体质相当虚弱。即使是夏天背上都有寒湿，必须穿个背心，不然一吹风必感冒。
D与我母亲住的很近，但她与快八十岁的母亲比起来，还要苍老几岁的样子。D不但有爱心，还坦率、真诚、健谈。我们常常相约清晨一起运动、下午逛商场，有时一同吃饭、祷告、读经。
她谈起自己的经历：与前夫在新疆兵团结婚，养育两个儿子。后来退休回到重庆老家，一起养老。Z弟兄嫌弃她老了，在外面找了年轻女子，不再回家。离婚后他搬到养老院去住了。
由于新疆气候寒冷，生活条件很简陋。她有许多慢性疾病，丈夫不怎么关心她，他们经常吵架甚至打架。然而，临到老了该安享晚年，丈夫的背叛是压垮她身心的最后一根稻草。她每天失眠、做噩梦。
后面相处的时间里，我多次分享自己及身旁肢体得医治的见证。鼓励她饶恕前夫，一同祷告很多次后，她渐渐得到医治释放。
因为姊妹在前夫临终时候所行出的饶恕、宽容、爱心，为儿子孙们做了榜样，并给前夫传了福音。如今，她继续充满信心给孩子们传福音。并高声奉耶稣基督的名宣告：本族本家是侍奉耶和华的家，一人得救全家蒙福，直到千千万万代。
她天天为儿孙们被神拣选归主、为大儿子近期生病、二儿子生意的不顺畅、孙子们的学业进步、本族本家的亲人间和睦祷告。
D姊妹把这段见证故事讲给好多老年人，给他们传福音。比方说，我的继父近九十岁了，去年送我到火车站，他说，他目前惟一的心愿就是临终时不要有病折磨他，能够走得平和、安静，他听了这个见证定得到勉励。
听完D姊妹和Z弟兄的见证，我开始思考基督里的死亡和临终关怀的重要性。
我年轻时送走过三个亲人，分别三代人：外公、父亲、三妹。那时我没有信主，对于死亡也感到异常恐怖。看见生病给老人带来的身心折磨，自己长期服侍也感到身心俱乏。到处寻找临终关怀机构咨询，却求助无门。
现在教会条件好了，都有系统的临终关怀辅导与培训。一方面，教会牧师和同工为临终者做辅导；另一方面，教会信众代祷托起照顾临终者的肢体，使得他们因为照顾临终者身心的疲乏很快得到修复；最后一方面，还因为做临终关怀辅导，传福音给无数人。
近几年我也步入老年，身边有许多与类似的故事。
阿坝州有位八十多岁的老奶奶，长时间接受教会的临终关怀辅导，得到肢体及时的安慰和陪伴，不仅心理恐惧减轻了，在生命的最后还给大家挥挥手说：天堂再见哟！
还有位七十多岁的老姊妹得了肺癌，她的女儿找到教会牧者、同工、肢体为他们祷告，做临终关怀辅导。结果老姐妹是唱着赞美诗歌《诗篇23篇》，心里很平安，被天使接回天家的。
教会有位近八十岁的老人，虽然有多种病，接受教会临终关怀辅导以后，心里少了许多挣扎，像个婴孩儿睡着走的。
注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系四川一名基督徒。
身边的故事：D姊妹对前夫临终关怀的美好见证
In the last few days, I had a phone conversation with a Christian sister, D (pseudonym), from my hometown in Chongqing, who mentioned that her ex-husband, Z, had just passed away about ten days ago. In the last three months up until his death, she took care of him in the nursing home where he lived. She, along with the church pastor and other members, provided him with hospice care and led him to the Lord.
She recounted the scene of Z's passing and how he called out her name and that of their two sons with determination. He expressed deep regret for falling in love with a younger woman a few years ago and betraying his wife and family. He repeatedly said, "My wife, I am sorry for what I did!"
D invited another Christian sister, C, from the church, to pray the sinner's prayer with Z. He confessed his sins and repented before God. She also mentioned that because God is a forgiving and gracious savior, her husband passed away with a peaceful heart. The following day, she opened the coffin and saw him, looking peaceful like a sleeping child.
Now seeing D in good spirits and peace brings a stark contrast to last summer, when I first met her while in Chongqing with my mother, where she looked so sad and bitter. She was in her seventies and quite frail. Even in summer, her back was cold and damp; she had to wear a vest or risk catching a cold from the slightest breeze.
D lives very close to my mother, who is nearly eighty, but when compared to her, D looks even older. Not only is D caring, but she is also candid, sincere, and talkative. We often exercise together in the morning, go shopping in the afternoon, and sometimes have meals, pray, and read the Bible together.
She talked about her life experiences: She got married to her ex-husband while in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) and raised two sons. After retiring, they returned to their hometown of Chongqing to spend their elderly years together. However, her husband Z, grew disdainful of her as she aged; he started seeing a younger woman outside and did not return home. After their divorce, he moved into a nursing home.
Due to the cold climate in Xinjiang, living conditions were very basic. She had many chronic illnesses, and her husband did not care about her; they often quarreled and even got into fights. However, as they approached old age, her husband's betrayal was the last straw that broke her physically and mentally. She suffered from insomnia and nightmares every day.
During the time we spent together, I shared my personal testimonies and those of those around me who had received healing, and I encouraged her to forgive her ex-husband. After praying together many times, she gradually found healing and was set free.
Because of the forgiveness, tolerance, and love that Z showed her ex-husband in his final moments, she set an example for her sons and grandchildren and preached the gospel to him. Today, she confidently continues to share the gospel with her children, boldly declaring in the name of Jesus Christ: "This household and this family serve the Lord; the salvation of one is a blessing to the entire family, even for generations to come."
She prays every day for God to choose her grandchildren, for her eldest son's recent illness, for the success of her second son's business, for her grandchildren's academic success, and for peace in her family.
Sister D has shared this testimony with many elderly people, evangelizing to them. For example, my stepfather, who is nearly ninety years old, said when he took me to the train station last year that his only wish now is to not be afflicted with illness at the end of his life but to be able to pass away peacefully and quietly. This testimony gave him hope.
After listening to the testimonies of D and Z, I began to reflect on the importance of dying in Christ and end-of-life care.
When I was younger, I lost three relatives, spanning three generations: my grandfather, father, and younger sister. At that time, I was not a Christian and was unusually terrified about death. I saw the physical and mental torment that illness brought to the elderly and felt physically and mentally exhausted from long-term caregiving. I searched everywhere for information on hospice care facilities but found no help.
Nowadays, churches have better conditions, providing systematic end-of-life care counseling and training. On one hand, pastors and fellow workers in the church provide counseling for those nearing the end of their lives. On the other hand, church members intercede in prayer, lifting up the physical well-being of the caregivers and allowing them to quickly find restoration from the fatigue of tending to the physical and emotional needs of those at the end of their lives. Finally, through providing end-of-life care counseling, countless people are reached with the gospel.
In recent years, I have also aged and have come across many similar stories around me.
In Aba Prefecture, there is a grandmother in her eighties who received end-of-life care counseling from the church for a long time and timely comfort and companionship from the church members. Not only was her psychological fear alleviated, but in the final moments of her life, she waved to everyone and said, "See you in heaven!"
There is also a sister in her seventies who was diagnosed with lung cancer. Her daughter reached out to the church pastors, co-workers, and members for prayer and end-of-life care counseling. As a result, the sister sang the hymn "Psalm 23" with contentment in her heart, and angels welcomed her to heaven.
In the church, there is an elderly person almost eighty years old who, despite having multiple illnesses, after receiving end-of-life care counseling from the church, had fewer heart struggles and peacefully passed away like a sleeping infant.
(This is a guest/freelance article written by a Christian from Sichuan Province.)
-Translated by Nonye Nancy
Christian Woman's Heartwarming Testimony of Her Ex-Husband's End-of-Life Care
