In 1887, American missionary John Abraham Otte built a Christian hospital named Neerbosch Hospital in Pinghe County, South China's Fujian province, with funds donated by churches in the United States and Holland.
Lin Wenfeng, the hospital's only preacher all his life, played a part in promoting evangelization in Pinghe.
Born in a rural village in Pinghe in 1865, he labored for a landowner. Due to poverty, he left the village to run a small business in another place five kilometers away. At 30, he married a woman who soon died of illness and three years later married another woman who passed away from a disease in a year.
Not knowing what to do, he burned paper, built festoon, and worshiped idols to ensure that his wives could enter the Western Paradise. He spent much money inviting Buddhist monks to chant sutras but ended up with a stomach disease relapse.
Knowing his situation, Rev. Lin Zhicheng, the father of the famous Chinese writer Lin Yutang, often comforted him at his home. One day he suffered from serious gastrorrhagia, Rev. Lin sent people to carry him to Neerbosch Hospital. He was saved. Afterwards, the pastor preached to, comforted, and enlightened him. Lin Wenfeng was baptized and became a fervent Christian.
In 1903, when he was 38, he married a maidservant introduced to him by Rev. Lin. Their first son was born three years later and dedicated to God at one month old, and became a pastor. They had six sons and one daughter.
Outstanding for his fear of God, Lin was sent by his church to study theology in a seminary and worked as a preacher after graduation.
In 1907, Neerbosch Hospital constructed a two-story brick building including 24 inpatient wards, a small chapel, and a preaching chamber. Lin was recommended by Rev. Lin Zhicheng to work as a preacher in the hospital.
Despite his salary being insufficient to support his big family, he was always glad to give to poor people and beggars. He kept giving thanks to God when he got up, took a lunch break, or went to bed every day.
Except for emergency patients, every patient should talk with him and hear his preaching before receiving any treatment. Every morning he led the medical staff and workers to read the Bible and pray before working. In the evening he shared the gospel through slides in the wards. He also taught patients who couldn't read pinyin, a pronunciation system for Chinese characters, and the writings of Minnan, a dialect spoken in Fujian and other places. Normally, patients could read hymns written in Minnan and the Bible within a few weeks. He treated patients like his own family and became their intimate friends.
His good deeds won him praise and love among local Christians and non-Christians. The lifelong minister died at the age of 84 in the hospital in October 1949.
About one thousand people, including officials, army representatives, and students from a church-run primary school and two middle schools attended his funeral.
- Translated by Karen Luo
清光绪十三年（1887年）在福建平和基督教会支持下，美国传教士郁约翰利用美国基督教会和荷兰基督教会收集的经费兴办了福建较早的基督教医院--平和小溪救世医院。林文枫就是这个医院传布基督教的唯一终身传道，作为医院的传道士，他对基督教在平和的传播起了一定的推动作用。
1865年出生在福建省平和县坂仔犁壁斗村的林文枫，从小给地主做长工，后因生活贫困所迫，自个离开犁壁斗村，到五公里外的坂仔圩给人挑担小生意。30岁娶了坂仔双溪温冬坑村赖殿为妻，生下一女孩名叫楠仔后，不久赖殿因病死亡。33岁经人介绍又与一农妇结婚，不到一年也因病过世，为送二亡妻上西天，他整天无所是从地烧祭纸、结彩楼、拜偶像，三不两天就请和尚到家里念经拜佛，花了不少金钱，妻亡无后，积忧成病，胃病复发，世界文学大师林语堂的父亲林至诚牧师得知后经常到家安慰他，有一天文枫胃大出血，林至诚牧师派人将他抬到1887年基督教会创办平和小溪救世医院抢救获新生，林至诚牧师常为他宣教、安慰、开导，使他更认识主耶稣，从此热心信主的他在坂仔礼拜堂洗礼入教。
1903年，时年已38岁的林文枫，经林至诚牧师介绍，才与坂仔镇山边村婢女赖春结发为妻，1906年林钦敏在坂仔圩牛尾楼诞生，满月后夫妇高兴地把孩子送到坂仔礼拜堂接受洗礼，决心把自已的孩子奉献给上帝，终生为主作圣工。以后林文枫又增添五男一女，儿子钦舜、钦惠、钦慈、钦德、钦典，（因生活困难，他把第三儿子钦惠以200银圆买给的苏氏富人家当儿子）和女儿金枣。长子林钦敏从教会办的平和育英小学毕业，后到厦门鼓浪屿教会创办的浔源书院继续学习， 1923年转入闽南圣道学院（1930年更名闽南神学院）学习，是该院第7届毕业生。先后在长泰岩溪礼拜堂、漳州东坂后礼拜任传道、牧师、漳州教区主任牧师。
由于林文枫虔诚敬拜主，不久平和教会选派他到泉州基督教会办的圣道学校学习，毕业先后在平和大溪集合所，霞寨礼拜堂任传道。当年霞寨地区虎患相当严重、晚上老虎咬人、咬猪的事故常有发生，他住在西安村西爽楼外的一间民房，一天晚上他手堤灯开门，发现就在离他不到10米的地方一只大老虎对视他持续近二分钟后，老虎便翻身离开他，对视时一点也不觉得害怕，可关起门后他一直发抖、冒冷汗。他经常以此经历作见证：是主耶稣伸手在保护他，与老虎近距离对视二分钟，也不被老虎伤害。
1907年小溪救世医院利用医院盈利和美国归正教会支持资全，郁约翰亲自设计，建起一幢二层红砖新楼，除设有门诊室、手术室、化验室、外科换药室和24张病房外，门厅还设有小礼拜堂及向病人布道的传道室。林志诚牧师介绍林文枫受聘到该院传道室任专职传道。林文枫一生严格要求自已，遵循上帝十条诫、上帝法律大纲，做到尽心、尽力、尽性、尽意、爱主、爱人。林文枫三代家无片瓦，子女又多又小，只靠他在医院事奉的一点工资维持全家，生活相当艰辛，但文枫对穷苦人和乞丐乐于好施，既使自已少吃，也要给登门乞讨的乞丐一点吃的；他生活清贫俭朴，一件上班穿的长衫外衣，晚上洗晾干后第二天又穿上班；每天坚持起床、午休、晚唾时在床边跪地祈祷感谢神恩；每逢开诊日，对入院就诊病人，除急诊患者外，都要由他在医院传道室里为之谈心讲道，然后接受治疗；每天早上7点，带领医院医护人员和工友在医院小礼拜堂颂读圣经祷告，然后才开始医疗活动。晚上，他到病房放幻灯片，宣传耶稣爱人、救世人、传福音；他对住院久不识字的病人，教他们学习罗马字母拼音法，认识闽南白话文，一般病人几周后便能看、读白话字的闽南圣诗和圣经。他对待病人如同对待自已兄弟父母一样亲热，成为病人知心朋友。他从不对人发脾气、不讲粗话，对他人做到“人负我而我不负人”。
林文枫的品行，深受当地不管是信教还是不信教的群众的赞许与爱戴，一九四九年九月七日平和和平解放，同年十月林文枫在小溪救世医院安息主怀，享年84岁，安葬的那天，县人民政府官员、军代表、小溪救世医院医护人员、基督教办育英小学、平和文成中学、大诚中学师生及群众近千人自发为小溪救世医院终生传道人林文枫直送至其墓地。
（除彩色照片系来自网络外.其他黑白老照片均由白克瑞提供）
福建平和小溪救世医院唯一终身传道——林文枫
In 1887, American missionary John Abraham Otte built a Christian hospital named Neerbosch Hospital in Pinghe County, South China's Fujian province, with funds donated by churches in the United States and Holland.
Lin Wenfeng, the hospital's only preacher all his life, played a part in promoting evangelization in Pinghe.
Born in a rural village in Pinghe in 1865, he labored for a landowner. Due to poverty, he left the village to run a small business in another place five kilometers away. At 30, he married a woman who soon died of illness and three years later married another woman who passed away from a disease in a year.
Not knowing what to do, he burned paper, built festoon, and worshiped idols to ensure that his wives could enter the Western Paradise. He spent much money inviting Buddhist monks to chant sutras but ended up with a stomach disease relapse.
Knowing his situation, Rev. Lin Zhicheng, the father of the famous Chinese writer Lin Yutang, often comforted him at his home. One day he suffered from serious gastrorrhagia, Rev. Lin sent people to carry him to Neerbosch Hospital. He was saved. Afterwards, the pastor preached to, comforted, and enlightened him. Lin Wenfeng was baptized and became a fervent Christian.
In 1903, when he was 38, he married a maidservant introduced to him by Rev. Lin. Their first son was born three years later and dedicated to God at one month old, and became a pastor. They had six sons and one daughter.
Outstanding for his fear of God, Lin was sent by his church to study theology in a seminary and worked as a preacher after graduation.
In 1907, Neerbosch Hospital constructed a two-story brick building including 24 inpatient wards, a small chapel, and a preaching chamber. Lin was recommended by Rev. Lin Zhicheng to work as a preacher in the hospital.
Despite his salary being insufficient to support his big family, he was always glad to give to poor people and beggars. He kept giving thanks to God when he got up, took a lunch break, or went to bed every day.
Except for emergency patients, every patient should talk with him and hear his preaching before receiving any treatment. Every morning he led the medical staff and workers to read the Bible and pray before working. In the evening he shared the gospel through slides in the wards. He also taught patients who couldn't read pinyin, a pronunciation system for Chinese characters, and the writings of Minnan, a dialect spoken in Fujian and other places. Normally, patients could read hymns written in Minnan and the Bible within a few weeks. He treated patients like his own family and became their intimate friends.
His good deeds won him praise and love among local Christians and non-Christians. The lifelong minister died at the age of 84 in the hospital in October 1949.
About one thousand people, including officials, army representatives, and students from a church-run primary school and two middle schools attended his funeral.
- Translated by Karen Luo
Man Who Lost Two Wives Became Christian and Served as Hospital Preacher Lifetime
