From January 2020 to April 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic has lasted for over two years. Several Christians have been at the center of the pandemic outbreak and recurrence respectively in Wuhan in January 2020, Shenzhen at the end of 2021 and Shanghai in spring 2022. In difficult situations, although they were often weak and powerless, they often gained strength from their faith. Below is their sharing in the first person.
Sister A in Wuhan
In 2020, Wuhan became the eye of the storm when the pandemic first broke out. At that time, people from Wuhan were unable to be aware of the harm of the virus as they are today. With the control of streets and communities at that time, the Wuhan residents began to realize the seriousness of it.
The living scenes under the pandemic
I’m a Christian in Wuhan. The first outbreak of the pandemic in Wuhan started from the South China Seafood Market, which is only two or three bus stops away from our church. The city was closed down two days after our last church service. After that, our life was directly limited to our own homes. Originally, it had just been the journey between home and the workplace and outdoor sports. Before, everyone had their own things to do and in fact many conflicts were staggered. As my husband and I were together with our unemployed child at home, he could currently do business so the rent of the store and the pressure of the monthly mortgage have made his temper worse. When he was in a bad mood, he got angry with me. He has no Christian faith, while I am a Christian, so I could only pray for him quietly. I also tried hard to understand his hardship and anxiety.
During that time, he had a high demand for food, so he cooked. When he cooked he’d take the chance to find fault and criticise me. I faced him with a smile and prayed silently in my heart. Thank God who let me accept this test. During the nearly four-month lock-down, my husband who loves his hairstyle so much began to cut the hair of our son. In the end, our son was unhappy because the haircut was really bad.
My feeling was that before the pandemic, our life was too comfortable, everything was smooth and rich, and our gratitude was slowly disappearing. As the pandemic came, many things that we took for granted we slowly learnt to cherish, fear and watch over at this moment. In fact, through this pandemic, it is a spiritual exercise of our Christian confidence.
Praying for my 83-year-old mother every day
At that time, my mother, 83 years old, fell ill and was admitted to the hospital. On the second day, Wuhan was locked down. By then I had been locked in at home. My sister and brother took care of my mother in the hospital. Later, after my mother was discharged from the hospital, my sister and brother couldn’t go back to their own homes. Because their communities were closed, neither my mother nor my siblings had a place to stay. Later, the three of them lived in a basement owned by my sister outside the community.
During that time, I was worried about whether my mother’s body could withstand the cold and dampness in the basement. At that time, my thoughts were somewhat negative. I recalled the death of my mother-in-law, so I took out the white clothes that dead Christians would be in. I made a video of it for my sister and told her how to put the clothes on for the dead. Later, I asked my second sister to bring the clothes to my mother. I was afraid that if my mother died, I wouldn’t be able to reach her with the clothes. Later, I prayed for my mother every day, asking God to take care of her body. Thankfully, God listened to my prayer, and eventually, my mother made it through the lockdown. After the outbreak was over, she returned to my home.
Spontaneous organizing groups to promote love among the neighborhood
After the pandemic in Wuhan broke out, Christians from different churches spontaneously formed a loving group. At that time, we mainly distributed masks to people for free. Slowly, we came into contact with many neighbors and became more familiar with them. The weak interpersonal relationship became more tender through this group. In the process of handing out masks, I also saw the real sufferings of the world and the real needs of the people at the bottom. For example, there was a man who had an affair and desired a divorce but could not. During the pandemic, the couple very often quarreled and fought at home.
A 41-year-old daughter from a poor family has lost sight in one eye, and her 70-year-old father is deaf and paralyzed in bed after a stroke. Seeing the needs of these neighbors, God reminded me of the piety mentioned in the Book of James, that is, caring for orphans and widows in distress and keeping oneself clean. At that time, there was not much food in my house, so I took some bacon in stock and gave it to these families in need.
At the same time, the church also spontaneously got together to raise money and donations for the poor.
My reflection was that through this pandemic, we were forced out of our small world. God showed me the sufferings of all beings, and he gave me greater compassion and courage to love than ever before. Our family has been able to go through this test. In fact, God has helped us carry a higher and heavier burden. I want to sincerely thank Jesus for his mercy.
Voices from Shenzhen:
In March 2022, Shenzhen experienced the static management of "7+7" for 14 days. In this process, both the administration and the society showed great coordination. Cities and counties around Shenzhen mobilized resources to help each other and finally completed the dynamic zero-COVID policy, thus ensuring that Shenzhen quickly resumed production and normal daily life.
Brother Y’s perception as a working class: good public administration and order have been the highlights during the pandemic in Shenzhen.
Being a working class in Shenzhen, I would like to share my experience and feelings about the public administration and good order of colleges and universities during the pandemic.
First of all, the most intuitive feeling was that there are many staff or volunteers. There were many of them at each monitoring point, all of whom performing their duties, maintaining orders, instructing QR scans (some elderly people didn’t know how to scan QR codes or register and need help alone). Some organized the queue to keep a proper distance from each other. They showed good attitudes and gave thoughtful services. For a long time, there was a staff member holding the place code for people to scan at intervals, thus avoiding the congestion that could be caused by scanning the codes at the entrance.
Secondly, at the beginning of the lockdown, everyone was quite nervous fearing that they couldn’t buy food and there would be looting. Later, it was found that although the city was sealed and controlled, it was specific villages or communities that were isolated. That is to say, people could travel between communities at will, but you can shop freely in your own area and keep a normal life order. All the community life was still orderly, so all the other days were quiet except the first day when everyone was nervous. Everyone lived their own lives, except that they could not work in the workplace, but the rest did not have much impact.
Finally, what touched me very much was the work in the media. For example, you could really feel that the articles written on the official WeChat accounts of both the Shenzhen Health and Construction Commission were very down-to-earth. They served to relieve the readers’ pressure through words or pictures. The articles were simple and easy to understand, and the knowledge of health science popularization is promoted every day, but the words are very humorous or “homely”. Looking at the official WeChat account of the Shenzhen Health Construction Committee, there was a feeling of chatting with colleagues or friends. (It is said that during the pandemic, people who left messages under the WeChat official account to express their difficulties got a response straight away, and practically solved their problems). That is to say, this WeChat official account not only existed for propaganda but really played the role of media and exerted its influence. Not unilateral indoctrination, but two-way interaction.
Pastor X: How can the church help believers to get out of the valley of life in the pandemic?
Being a pastor, the biggest challenge brought by the pandemic is that I could not freely organize on-site gatherings and ministries. As the pandemic control was on and off, we adopted a combination of online and on-site ways to do pastoral work. If the pandemic is not so serious, we will go to the homes of the congregation to meet them, care for and encourage them to follow their pursuits well. Whether in person or online, we have pastoral ministries. For weak members, we have different pastors and different levels of intervention to help them face hardships, accept the reality and get out of the trough.
For example, there is a sister in our church, who has just given birth to a child. During lactation, she suddenly learned that her father didn’t want to be treated for pancreatic disease, and finally chose to commit suicide. This sister blamed God for this. In such a situation, we first helped her to accept the fact that her father died. We told her that people would always leave this world. Secondly, we prayed for her and for our faith to be strengthened in Christ, that one ought not to blame God for this matter but see that God was in charge of everything, and His grace had beaten the hardships of our lives. We had such talks and prayers.
Another sister in our church, who has a high degree of education, couldn’t find a new job in time due to the pandemic. She was troubled and fell into anxiety. What we did when facing unemployed members was to provide resources, and find friends in the church who could help her to know more people, so that she could solve the immediate problem as soon as possible. At the same time, we emphasized the importance of worship.
Pastor X: It is very important to manage the city with love and wisdom.
I’m a Christian and a native of Shenzhen. During the pandemic, I see Shenzhen taking care of the needs of residents’ livelihood in a balanced way amid the dynamic "zero-COVID" policy. At that time, when we were in an emergency, we were in the surrounding counties, and there was much support from medical staff to the community. Therefore, it gave great help to the needs of Shenzhen citizens in all aspects.
This process makes me feel that it is very important to manage a city with love and wisdom. The core of a city is not the appearance of tall buildings, but its management ability full of love and wisdom. Compared with the splendor of this hardware, it needs the promotion of love and wisdom. As Christians, I think we need to pray for the needs of the city.
Believers in Shanghai:
From March to April 2022, Shanghai experienced a severe pandemic counterattack, which touched many people’s hearts. In this process, many Christians have experienced all kinds of difficulties, but they have a deeper understanding and thinking about both life and faith itself.
Sister D9 (a millennial): Cherish the ordinary life of the past, pursue a regular life and keep faith at home.
After our neighborhood was closed, I began to train myself to work at home. For example, regularly work, exercise, learn guitar, etc. Now I think about my old life all day, such as going to church to lead worship and praise, going to church to practice the piano, and going to work in the office. Now they have become just all part of my fond memories. Now I miss the ordinary life before. I stay at home now, except for going downstairs to do nucleic acid tests. Much negative news comes in every day, and my heart begins to meditate on people’s lives. Anyway, I am convinced that the power of the cross can change people’s hearts.
Brother Z (a brother in his 70s): Today, I choose to be joyful and help my neighbor.
At the bottom of the refrigerator, I found a few unique New Zealand mussels, four Argentine red shrimps, and cheese that was about to expire sent from a sister. When it arrived in my refrigerator, it became a veritable expired food, and I made a meal with spaghetti.
I’m also doing what I’m doing silently: I’ve been living under the same roof with a family of positive infections for ten days. This is a family of six, renting a two-bedroom and one-bedroom house, which is about the same size as my family. A young child and his parents have been admitted to a pediatric hospital (for about five days), and three other nucleic acid tests are positive. According to my life principle, I won’t say to them, “Hi, please close the doors and windows of your family!” But I can freely choose to open or close my doors and windows. Enhancing immunity is the countermeasure. I sunbathe almost every day. I said to the young people in the building, “We should help them!” So, I took out a sum of money and transferred it to a responsible youth account. The young man said to me, “Uncle, it’s not appropriate for you to take the money out. It depends on the trend of the pandemic ... As long as the traffic is open, I will arrange for materials to come in.” So he returned the money to me on the account. Then, I put a piece of paper on the door: Please don’t knock on the door, call number XXXX…… and start my secluded life.”
Next to the family is also a family from Anhui who came to Shanghai to make a living. The man is a rider, delivering food for logistics and the woman is a preschool teacher, and her two daughters are about to leave primary school. One day, the hostess sent me a message telling me that her husband was infected, but she told me responsibly that before that, her husband hadn’t come home but had been living in his delivery vehicle. I told her that we could camp and set up tents by a river near us. She said that there were clothes and quilts on the bus, and she wanted to report it, so I got the phone number of the staff of the neighborhood committee from my wife. Later, her husband was treated and went home the last night when his nucleic result had turned negative.
Sister K: God was with me throughout the process.
I was infected on April 9th. I was very tired from work on April 8th, and I had a fever the next day. I thought I was tired from work. At that time, there was no antipyretic medicine available in Shanghai. Later, the people downstairs gave me cold medicine. The third or fourth day was much better. The result of my nucleic acid tests did not come those days. On the 12th, I attended an online memorial service of a deceased Christian, and my heart was blessed by God. At this time, Shanghai CDC called me, saying that I was COVID-19 positive. I felt that I immediately went from a state of peace to a state of being in the shadow of death.
I look back at my physical symptoms. When I first got infected, I couldn’t detect the antigen, and it took 2-3 days to detect it. At that time, my heart was in a state of collapse, and I was a rather timid person. I thought that I was going to live in a venue with thousands of people, and there were no familiar people with me, so I felt a little abandoned and helpless. After reading all kinds of negative news before, I was most worried about not sleeping well in the shelter, because I had to wear blindfolds and earplugs when I saw many people together, which was a great challenge for me. I was most worried about not sleeping well. I felt very uneasy. I hardly slept that day. There were many brothers and sisters here in Shanghai who prayed for me. It is very useful to be prayed for.
It was raining in Shanghai that day, and I said I couldn’t change my luck. But when I prayed and felt safe, suddenly news came that I was going to change my luck. It was one o’clock in the morning. It was three o’clock in the morning when I went to the shelter and settled down. I am grateful that I went to a room for four people, wearing masks all the way. At that time, I was very tired, and I didn’t sleep for almost two days. Then I settled in and went to sleep, which was the best sleep in those days.
I stayed in the shelter for about a week, and it turned cloudy on the third day in the shelter, and then I was discharged from the hospital four days later. In the past few days in the shelter hospital, I had been well taken care of. Every day, I got up at 5-6 o’clock to do a nucleic acid test and then got breakfast. Lunch and dinner were very good, two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. This arrangement was to improve our immunity. One day, I really wanted to eat fruit, but I didn’t get it. But later that day, I suddenly got two apples and felt loved and cared for.
I’m a person who has not formed the habit of going to bed and getting up early in my ten years of faith. This is my weakness all the time, but I didn’t expect that in the shelter. I developed the habit of going to bed early and getting up early because I had to get up at 5 am every day to prepare for nucleic acid tests. I took a nap at noon and went to bed at 9 pm. This is the biological clock that I have been pursuing.
My feeling was that when people experience disasters, there is no peace in their hearts, and there is no real peace in the world. I am a fragile person and I don’t know when my nucleic acid result would turn negative, and I don’t know how to spend every day, but someone who encouraged me said that there must be God’s grace in times of trouble. Thankfully, I can still have a complete night’s sleep here. When people are in trouble, they should have eyes to find God’s grace. I spent Easter in a mobile cabin hospital. It was a very special Easter for me. I stayed out of the cabin with the expectation that the difficulties would come to an end. In the whole process, I can’t say that this experience is not suffering, and we can’t deny suffering, but at the same time, I see God's presence. I felt that God kept me in the whole matter.
- Translated by Charlie Li
从2020年1月到今天的公元2022年的4月，新冠疫情已经在人类历史的长河上走过了二年多的时间。几位基督徒都曾有处在疫情爆发和反扑中心的经历，分别经历过2020年1月的武汉、2021年底的深圳和2022年春天的上海。他们在艰难的处境中，虽然也时常软弱和无力，但是却可以常常因着信仰刚强起来。
武汉A姊妹
2020年，武汉成为了新冠疫情爆发的风暴之眼，那个时候的武汉人无法拥有像今天大家对病毒的基本认识和警惕，随着当时对街道、社区、小区的管控，武汉居民才开始认识到这个疫情的严重性。
——疫情下的百味人生
我是武汉的一名基督徒，武汉的疫情最开始的爆发是从华南海鲜大市场，离我们教会只有两三站的距离，我们最后一次实地聚会之后的两天就封城了。之后我们的生活也从上班工作，下班回家，户外运动的模式直接被压缩到了自己的家里。之前大家都有各自的事情做，其实很多矛盾也就错开了，现在我和老公和在家待业的孩子都在一起。我老公因为无法做生意，店面的租金和每月的房贷的压力，他的脾气变得很暴躁，他心情不好的时候 ，他就冲我发火，他没有基督信仰，我是基督徒，所以只能够默默的为他祷告，我也努力地学习体会他的艰难和焦虑。
那段时间，他对吃的要求高，所以他来炒菜，炒菜的时候，他就会找茬批评我，我就带着笑脸面对他 ，心里默默地祷告。感谢神，让我接受这个被熬炼我的过程。将近4个月的封控期间，我的先生是一个那么爱自己发型的人，也开始和儿子互相剪发了，最后弄的对方都不高兴，因为剪得的确很丑。
我的感受是：疫情之前，我们的日子过的太安逸了，一切都很顺利，很富足，感恩的心在慢慢消失。疫情来到后，很多平常认为我们配得到的东西，这一刻开始学会珍惜、敬畏和警醒，其实借着这个疫情，是对我们基督徒信心的熬炼。
为83岁母亲天天祷告
当时我的母亲已经83岁，她生病入医院的第二天，武汉就封城了。那时，我已经被封在家里了，这个期间，我的姐姐和哥哥在医院里照顾我的母亲。后来我妈妈出院后，因为我姐姐和哥哥都没有办法回自己的家，因为他们的小区都被封了，所以母亲和哥哥姐姐都没有地方住，再后来他们三个人住到了我姐姐在小区以外自己拥有的一个地下室里。
在这个期间，我很担心母亲的身体是否可以承受得住地下室的阴冷和潮湿。那个时候，我的想法有些消极，我想到了自己的婆婆去世的事情，我就拿到了基督徒归天家时要穿的白衣服，我就拍视频给姐姐，告诉她衣服怎么穿，后来我就让我二姐把衣服带给我母亲，我怕母亲一走，衣服送不出去，除非有工作人员的通行证，不然无法出小区。后来我就每天为母亲祷告，求神看顾她的身体，感谢的是，神垂听了我的祷告，最终我的母亲扛过来了，疫情结束后，她回到了儿女的家中生活。
——自发组织爱心团促邻居彼此相爱
武汉疫情解封之后，不同教会的基督徒自发地组建了一个爱心团，我们当时主要是给身边有需要的人免费发口罩。慢慢的，我们接触了到很多街坊邻居，更加熟悉彼此，之前人际关系的淡薄也通过这个事情开始变得更加温情。在发口罩的过程中，也让我看到了人间真实的疾苦，底层人的真实需要。比如，有一家夫妻，男的有外遇，要离婚而未离婚，在疫情期间，在家里经常发生争吵与打闹。
一位家境贫困的，41岁的女儿一个眼睛瞎掉了，70岁的爸爸是聋子，中风瘫痪在床。看到这些街坊邻居的需要，神就让我想到雅各书中提到的虔诚是看顾患难中的孤儿寡妇，保守自己的清洁。当时我们家没有什么好吃的，我就拿一些库存的熏肉送给这些艰难的家庭。
与此同时，教会也自发组织筹钱和捐款，给那些有需要的穷人。我的感受是：藉着这个疫情，把我们从自己的小家里拉了出来，神让我看到了众生的疾苦，神赐给我比以往更大的怜悯之心和爱的勇气。我们家能够经历过这次的考验，其实是神把更高更重的担子帮我们扛过去了，我要真心感谢耶稣的怜悯。
深圳：
2022年3月，深圳经历了‘7+7’的14天的静态管理。这个过程中，无论是管理层还是社会层面都体现出极大的配合，深圳市周边的市、县积极调动资源来倾力相助，最终高效完成了动态清零的战疫，因此确保了深圳快速步入生产生活的正轨。
——Y弟兄作为上班族的观感：良好的社会管理与公共秩序是深圳疫情期间的亮点
作为一名在深圳工作的上班族来说，我想通过我经历和感受来分享一下，关于在深圳疫情期间的高校的社会管理和良好秩序。
首先，最直观的感受就是工作人员或者志愿者非常多，每个监测点都有很多工作人员或者志愿者，大家各司其职，有维持秩序的，有指导扫码的（有些年纪大的人不会扫码或者不会注册，会单独有人在旁边帮忙），有督促大家保持距离的......态度都很好，服务也很周到。队伍很长的时间，隔一段距就有一个工作人员拿着Voi供人扫，就避免了大家都要在入口处才能扫码的拥堵现象。
其次，全程封控的时候，大家一开始还是挺紧张的，怕买不到菜，怕出现哄抢现象。后来发现虽然是全程封控，但是以城中村或者社区为单位封。也就是说社区和社区之间不能随意往来。但是在自己所属的区域里可以自由购物，可以保持正常的生活秩序。社区里的一切生活还是井然有序的，所以除了封控第一天大家有些紧张之外，其他的日子都很安静。大家都各自过自己的生活，除了不能在工作场所上班，其他的没有太大的影响。
最后，非常触动我的就是媒体方面的工作。比如深圳卫建委的公众号，能够很真实感受到每篇公众号的文章写的非常的接地气。通过文字或者图片缓解读者的压力，文章写的简单易懂，健康科普知识天天推，但是文字非常幽默或者非常的“家常”。看深圳卫建委的公众号有种和同事或者朋友唠嗑的感觉。（据说，疫情期间，在公众号下面留言，表达自己的难处的人都第一时间得到了回应，并且切实的解决了他们的需要），也就是说这个公众号不仅仅是为了宣传而存在的，而是真正发挥了媒体的媒介作用，发挥了影响力。不是单方面的灌输，是双向的互动。
——X牧师作为一位教会牧者：如何帮助信众走出疫情中人生的底谷？
对于作为一位教会的牧师的我来说，疫情带给我们最大的挑战是无法自由做实地聚会和深度牧养。在疫情管控不严重的时候，我们就已经采取了线上和线下结合的方式来做牧会。并且疫情不那么严重后，我们会去弟兄姐妹的场所与他们见面，关怀和鼓励他们好好追求生命的长进。无论是实地还是在网络上，我们也会有关怀牧养。面对软弱的弟兄姐妹，我们会有不同牧者，不同的层次的介入，以此来帮助他们面对苦难，接受事实，走出低谷。
比如，我们教会有一个姐妹，她刚生了孩子，在哺乳期，突然知道爸爸因为得了胰腺病，不想治病，最后选择了自杀。这个姐妹就很埋怨神。那我们面对这样的情况，首先是帮助她接受父亲离开的事实，告诉她人总是会离开这个世界的，其次要为他祷告，也要为自己的信心在基督里得坚固祷告。不能因为这个事情而埋怨神，要看到神是掌管一切的神，他的恩典是打过我们人生的苦难。我们会有这样的商谈和祷告。
我们教会有一个姐妹，她学历很高，疫情的影响，她没有及时找到新的工作，有困扰，陷入到焦虑当中。我们面对没有工作的弟兄姐妹，能做的就是资源对接，找教会中能够帮助到的同行给她认识，让她能够尽快解决眼前的问题，同时也在礼拜聚会的方面强调，敬拜的重要性。
——X牧师同时作为一个深圳人谈：城市带着爱和智慧管理非常重要
我是基督徒，也是深圳人，在疫情期间，我看到了深圳在做动态清零的过程中比较均衡的照顾到了居民民生方面的需要，当时我们出现紧急状态时，是周围的县城，从医护到社区配送人员都有大量的支援，因此对于深圳市民各方面的需要，都给与了极大的帮助。
这个过程让我感受到，一个城市带着爱与智慧来管理是非常的重要。城市的核心，不是高楼大厦临立的外表，而是她充满爱与智慧的管理能力。比起这硬件的华丽，更需要爱与智慧的提升，作为基督徒 ，我觉得我们需要多为城市的需要献上爱的祷告。
上海：
2022年3月到4月，上海经历了严峻的疫情反扑，牵动了很多人的心。这个过程中，很多基督徒也经历了各样的艰难，但他们无论是对生活，还是信仰本身都有更深刻的认识和思考。
——D9姊妹（90后）：珍惜过去的平凡的生活，在家追求规律的生活与信仰的持守
我们小区封禁之后，我开始训练自己适应在家工作的状态。比如，有规律的工作、运动，学吉他等。我现在整天想着以前的生活，比如去教会带领赞美啊，去教会练琴啊，去办公室工作啊，现在都成为了我美好的回忆。我现在居然很怀念之前那平凡的生活，我现在足不出户，除了下楼做核酸，就是在家里待着。每天有很多负面的信息进来，我的心开始对人的生死的事情有了默想。不管怎么样，我自己很确信十字架的能力是可以改变人的心。
——Z弟兄（一位70多岁的老弟兄）：今天，我选择喜乐，选择帮助邻舍
搜到冰箱底还有几只绝无仅有的新西兰青口、四只阿根廷红虾，一个姊妹送给我的将过期的奶酪，到了我的冰箱就变成名副其实的过期食品，做了一顿意大利意面。
我也在默默的做着当做的事情：与阳性感染者家庭在同一个屋檐下生活已有十天了，这是一个六口之家，租住在二室一厅房子，与我家大小差不多。一位幼童与他的父母已住进儿科医院（约有五天），另外三个核酸阳性。按我的生活原则，我不会对他们说：“Hi，请关好你们家庭的门窗！”但我可以自由选择或开或关闭我的门窗。增强免疫力是对策，我几乎天天日光浴。我对楼里的青年人说：“我们应当帮助他们！”于是，我拿出一笔钱划进一个负责任的青年账户。那位青年人对我说：“叔叔，由你拿钱出来不合适，看疫情走向.....只要交通解禁，我会安排物资进来。”于是在账上将钱退给我。接着，我在房门上贴了一张纸：请不要敲门，电话联系XXXX……开始了我的蛰居生活。 "
旁边的家庭也是一个安徽来上海谋生的家庭，男的是一位骑手，送外卖做物流，女的是一位幼教工作者，二个女儿快要小学毕业。一天，那位女主人给我发信息，告诉我他丈夫感染了，但她很负责任对我说，在此之前，她丈夫就没有回家了，一直住在他送货的车上。我告诉她，在我们附近一条河道旁可以露营搭帐篷，她说车上有衣被，她是要报备一下，于是我从妻那儿得知居委会工作人员的电话。后来她的丈夫得到照顾就医，昨天晚上转阴回家。
——K姊妹：
我是4月9号感染的，4月8号工作很累，第二天就发烧了，我当时以为我工作的疲惫，当时的上海是买不到退烧药的，后面跟楼下的人要了感冒药，第三、四天好了很多，那几天我的核酸结果还没有出。12号的时候 ，我参加了一个基督徒的线上追思礼拜，我的心里是得到神的恩典的，就在这个时候疾控中心来了电话，说我是新冠阳性，感到自己立马从平安的状态到了一个死荫幽谷的状态。
我回溯自己的身体症状，刚感染的时候，测抗原测不出来，2-3天才可以测出来。那个时候心是崩溃的状态，我自己是比较胆小的人，想想即将要与几千人住一个场地，也没有熟悉的人跟我在一起，有点被抛弃和无助的状态。之前是看了各种负面消息，最担心在方舱睡不好，因为看到很多人在一起，要带眼罩和耳塞，这对我是很大的挑战，因为我最担心睡不好。心里很不平安，那一天几乎没有睡觉。上海这边是有很多弟兄姐妹为我代祷，被代祷还是很有用的。
本来那天上海下雨，说不转运了，但是当我祷告感受到平安不久，突然又来消息说要转运了，当时凌晨一点。去了方舱安顿下来是凌晨三点。我很感恩的是，去的是四个人一个房间，全程戴口罩的，当时我其实很累了，我差不多两天没有睡觉了。然后安顿好就睡了，是那几天睡的最好的一次。
我在方舱待了大约一周，在方舱的第三天就开始转阴了，然后转阴四天后出院了。我在方舱医院的这几天，是得到了很好的照顾，每天我是5-6点起来做核酸，然后领早饭。午餐和晚餐是吃得很好，两荤、两素，这样安排是为了我们免疫力的提高。有一天我很想吃水果 ，但是没有要到，但是那一天后来突然发了两个苹果，感受到被爱与关怀到。
我是一个信仰十年也没有形成早睡早起习惯的人。这是我一直一个软弱的点，但是没想到在方舱期间，我养成了早睡早起的习惯，因为我每天早上5点就要起来准备测核酸，中午要午睡，晚上9点就要睡觉。这是我一直追求的生物钟。
我的感受是，人经历灾难的时候，心里是没有平安的，这世界没有真平安。我是一个脆弱的人，我不知道什么时候转阴，我不知道如何度过每一天，但是有一个鼓励我的人说，在患难中一定是有神的恩典，感谢的是在这里我晚上还可以睡一个完整的觉。人在患难中，要有找到神的恩典的眼睛。我是在方舱里度过了复活节，这是我一个很特别的复活节。我是带着困难一定会结束的期待坚持到出舱的。整个过程，我不能说这个经历不是苦难，我们不能把苦难否认掉，但是同时我看到，有神的同在。整个过程感受到神保守了我。
对话｜疫情三年：武汉、深圳和上海弟兄姐妹的一些经历和感悟
From January 2020 to April 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic has lasted for over two years. Several Christians have been at the center of the pandemic outbreak and recurrence respectively in Wuhan in January 2020, Shenzhen at the end of 2021 and Shanghai in spring 2022. In difficult situations, although they were often weak and powerless, they often gained strength from their faith. Below is their sharing in the first person.
Sister A in Wuhan
In 2020, Wuhan became the eye of the storm when the pandemic first broke out. At that time, people from Wuhan were unable to be aware of the harm of the virus as they are today. With the control of streets and communities at that time, the Wuhan residents began to realize the seriousness of it.
The living scenes under the pandemic
I’m a Christian in Wuhan. The first outbreak of the pandemic in Wuhan started from the South China Seafood Market, which is only two or three bus stops away from our church. The city was closed down two days after our last church service. After that, our life was directly limited to our own homes. Originally, it had just been the journey between home and the workplace and outdoor sports. Before, everyone had their own things to do and in fact many conflicts were staggered. As my husband and I were together with our unemployed child at home, he could currently do business so the rent of the store and the pressure of the monthly mortgage have made his temper worse. When he was in a bad mood, he got angry with me. He has no Christian faith, while I am a Christian, so I could only pray for him quietly. I also tried hard to understand his hardship and anxiety.
During that time, he had a high demand for food, so he cooked. When he cooked he’d take the chance to find fault and criticise me. I faced him with a smile and prayed silently in my heart. Thank God who let me accept this test. During the nearly four-month lock-down, my husband who loves his hairstyle so much began to cut the hair of our son. In the end, our son was unhappy because the haircut was really bad.
My feeling was that before the pandemic, our life was too comfortable, everything was smooth and rich, and our gratitude was slowly disappearing. As the pandemic came, many things that we took for granted we slowly learnt to cherish, fear and watch over at this moment. In fact, through this pandemic, it is a spiritual exercise of our Christian confidence.
Praying for my 83-year-old mother every day
At that time, my mother, 83 years old, fell ill and was admitted to the hospital. On the second day, Wuhan was locked down. By then I had been locked in at home. My sister and brother took care of my mother in the hospital. Later, after my mother was discharged from the hospital, my sister and brother couldn’t go back to their own homes. Because their communities were closed, neither my mother nor my siblings had a place to stay. Later, the three of them lived in a basement owned by my sister outside the community.
During that time, I was worried about whether my mother’s body could withstand the cold and dampness in the basement. At that time, my thoughts were somewhat negative. I recalled the death of my mother-in-law, so I took out the white clothes that dead Christians would be in. I made a video of it for my sister and told her how to put the clothes on for the dead. Later, I asked my second sister to bring the clothes to my mother. I was afraid that if my mother died, I wouldn’t be able to reach her with the clothes. Later, I prayed for my mother every day, asking God to take care of her body. Thankfully, God listened to my prayer, and eventually, my mother made it through the lockdown. After the outbreak was over, she returned to my home.
Spontaneous organizing groups to promote love among the neighborhood
After the pandemic in Wuhan broke out, Christians from different churches spontaneously formed a loving group. At that time, we mainly distributed masks to people for free. Slowly, we came into contact with many neighbors and became more familiar with them. The weak interpersonal relationship became more tender through this group. In the process of handing out masks, I also saw the real sufferings of the world and the real needs of the people at the bottom. For example, there was a man who had an affair and desired a divorce but could not. During the pandemic, the couple very often quarreled and fought at home.
A 41-year-old daughter from a poor family has lost sight in one eye, and her 70-year-old father is deaf and paralyzed in bed after a stroke. Seeing the needs of these neighbors, God reminded me of the piety mentioned in the Book of James, that is, caring for orphans and widows in distress and keeping oneself clean. At that time, there was not much food in my house, so I took some bacon in stock and gave it to these families in need.
At the same time, the church also spontaneously got together to raise money and donations for the poor.
My reflection was that through this pandemic, we were forced out of our small world. God showed me the sufferings of all beings, and he gave me greater compassion and courage to love than ever before. Our family has been able to go through this test. In fact, God has helped us carry a higher and heavier burden. I want to sincerely thank Jesus for his mercy.
Voices from Shenzhen:
In March 2022, Shenzhen experienced the static management of "7+7" for 14 days. In this process, both the administration and the society showed great coordination. Cities and counties around Shenzhen mobilized resources to help each other and finally completed the dynamic zero-COVID policy, thus ensuring that Shenzhen quickly resumed production and normal daily life.
Brother Y’s perception as a working class: good public administration and order have been the highlights during the pandemic in Shenzhen.
Being a working class in Shenzhen, I would like to share my experience and feelings about the public administration and good order of colleges and universities during the pandemic.
First of all, the most intuitive feeling was that there are many staff or volunteers. There were many of them at each monitoring point, all of whom performing their duties, maintaining orders, instructing QR scans (some elderly people didn’t know how to scan QR codes or register and need help alone). Some organized the queue to keep a proper distance from each other. They showed good attitudes and gave thoughtful services. For a long time, there was a staff member holding the place code for people to scan at intervals, thus avoiding the congestion that could be caused by scanning the codes at the entrance.
Secondly, at the beginning of the lockdown, everyone was quite nervous fearing that they couldn’t buy food and there would be looting. Later, it was found that although the city was sealed and controlled, it was specific villages or communities that were isolated. That is to say, people could travel between communities at will, but you can shop freely in your own area and keep a normal life order. All the community life was still orderly, so all the other days were quiet except the first day when everyone was nervous. Everyone lived their own lives, except that they could not work in the workplace, but the rest did not have much impact.
Finally, what touched me very much was the work in the media. For example, you could really feel that the articles written on the official WeChat accounts of both the Shenzhen Health and Construction Commission were very down-to-earth. They served to relieve the readers’ pressure through words or pictures. The articles were simple and easy to understand, and the knowledge of health science popularization is promoted every day, but the words are very humorous or “homely”. Looking at the official WeChat account of the Shenzhen Health Construction Committee, there was a feeling of chatting with colleagues or friends. (It is said that during the pandemic, people who left messages under the WeChat official account to express their difficulties got a response straight away, and practically solved their problems). That is to say, this WeChat official account not only existed for propaganda but really played the role of media and exerted its influence. Not unilateral indoctrination, but two-way interaction.
Pastor X: How can the church help believers to get out of the valley of life in the pandemic?
Being a pastor, the biggest challenge brought by the pandemic is that I could not freely organize on-site gatherings and ministries. As the pandemic control was on and off, we adopted a combination of online and on-site ways to do pastoral work. If the pandemic is not so serious, we will go to the homes of the congregation to meet them, care for and encourage them to follow their pursuits well. Whether in person or online, we have pastoral ministries. For weak members, we have different pastors and different levels of intervention to help them face hardships, accept the reality and get out of the trough.
For example, there is a sister in our church, who has just given birth to a child. During lactation, she suddenly learned that her father didn’t want to be treated for pancreatic disease, and finally chose to commit suicide. This sister blamed God for this. In such a situation, we first helped her to accept the fact that her father died. We told her that people would always leave this world. Secondly, we prayed for her and for our faith to be strengthened in Christ, that one ought not to blame God for this matter but see that God was in charge of everything, and His grace had beaten the hardships of our lives. We had such talks and prayers.
Another sister in our church, who has a high degree of education, couldn’t find a new job in time due to the pandemic. She was troubled and fell into anxiety. What we did when facing unemployed members was to provide resources, and find friends in the church who could help her to know more people, so that she could solve the immediate problem as soon as possible. At the same time, we emphasized the importance of worship.
Pastor X: It is very important to manage the city with love and wisdom.
I’m a Christian and a native of Shenzhen. During the pandemic, I see Shenzhen taking care of the needs of residents’ livelihood in a balanced way amid the dynamic "zero-COVID" policy. At that time, when we were in an emergency, we were in the surrounding counties, and there was much support from medical staff to the community. Therefore, it gave great help to the needs of Shenzhen citizens in all aspects.
This process makes me feel that it is very important to manage a city with love and wisdom. The core of a city is not the appearance of tall buildings, but its management ability full of love and wisdom. Compared with the splendor of this hardware, it needs the promotion of love and wisdom. As Christians, I think we need to pray for the needs of the city.
Believers in Shanghai:
From March to April 2022, Shanghai experienced a severe pandemic counterattack, which touched many people’s hearts. In this process, many Christians have experienced all kinds of difficulties, but they have a deeper understanding and thinking about both life and faith itself.
Sister D9 (a millennial): Cherish the ordinary life of the past, pursue a regular life and keep faith at home.
After our neighborhood was closed, I began to train myself to work at home. For example, regularly work, exercise, learn guitar, etc. Now I think about my old life all day, such as going to church to lead worship and praise, going to church to practice the piano, and going to work in the office. Now they have become just all part of my fond memories. Now I miss the ordinary life before. I stay at home now, except for going downstairs to do nucleic acid tests. Much negative news comes in every day, and my heart begins to meditate on people’s lives. Anyway, I am convinced that the power of the cross can change people’s hearts.
Brother Z (a brother in his 70s): Today, I choose to be joyful and help my neighbor.
At the bottom of the refrigerator, I found a few unique New Zealand mussels, four Argentine red shrimps, and cheese that was about to expire sent from a sister. When it arrived in my refrigerator, it became a veritable expired food, and I made a meal with spaghetti.
I’m also doing what I’m doing silently: I’ve been living under the same roof with a family of positive infections for ten days. This is a family of six, renting a two-bedroom and one-bedroom house, which is about the same size as my family. A young child and his parents have been admitted to a pediatric hospital (for about five days), and three other nucleic acid tests are positive. According to my life principle, I won’t say to them, “Hi, please close the doors and windows of your family!” But I can freely choose to open or close my doors and windows. Enhancing immunity is the countermeasure. I sunbathe almost every day. I said to the young people in the building, “We should help them!” So, I took out a sum of money and transferred it to a responsible youth account. The young man said to me, “Uncle, it’s not appropriate for you to take the money out. It depends on the trend of the pandemic ... As long as the traffic is open, I will arrange for materials to come in.” So he returned the money to me on the account. Then, I put a piece of paper on the door: Please don’t knock on the door, call number XXXX…… and start my secluded life.”
Next to the family is also a family from Anhui who came to Shanghai to make a living. The man is a rider, delivering food for logistics and the woman is a preschool teacher, and her two daughters are about to leave primary school. One day, the hostess sent me a message telling me that her husband was infected, but she told me responsibly that before that, her husband hadn’t come home but had been living in his delivery vehicle. I told her that we could camp and set up tents by a river near us. She said that there were clothes and quilts on the bus, and she wanted to report it, so I got the phone number of the staff of the neighborhood committee from my wife. Later, her husband was treated and went home the last night when his nucleic result had turned negative.
Sister K: God was with me throughout the process.
I was infected on April 9th. I was very tired from work on April 8th, and I had a fever the next day. I thought I was tired from work. At that time, there was no antipyretic medicine available in Shanghai. Later, the people downstairs gave me cold medicine. The third or fourth day was much better. The result of my nucleic acid tests did not come those days. On the 12th, I attended an online memorial service of a deceased Christian, and my heart was blessed by God. At this time, Shanghai CDC called me, saying that I was COVID-19 positive. I felt that I immediately went from a state of peace to a state of being in the shadow of death.
I look back at my physical symptoms. When I first got infected, I couldn’t detect the antigen, and it took 2-3 days to detect it. At that time, my heart was in a state of collapse, and I was a rather timid person. I thought that I was going to live in a venue with thousands of people, and there were no familiar people with me, so I felt a little abandoned and helpless. After reading all kinds of negative news before, I was most worried about not sleeping well in the shelter, because I had to wear blindfolds and earplugs when I saw many people together, which was a great challenge for me. I was most worried about not sleeping well. I felt very uneasy. I hardly slept that day. There were many brothers and sisters here in Shanghai who prayed for me. It is very useful to be prayed for.
It was raining in Shanghai that day, and I said I couldn’t change my luck. But when I prayed and felt safe, suddenly news came that I was going to change my luck. It was one o’clock in the morning. It was three o’clock in the morning when I went to the shelter and settled down. I am grateful that I went to a room for four people, wearing masks all the way. At that time, I was very tired, and I didn’t sleep for almost two days. Then I settled in and went to sleep, which was the best sleep in those days.
I stayed in the shelter for about a week, and it turned cloudy on the third day in the shelter, and then I was discharged from the hospital four days later. In the past few days in the shelter hospital, I had been well taken care of. Every day, I got up at 5-6 o’clock to do a nucleic acid test and then got breakfast. Lunch and dinner were very good, two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. This arrangement was to improve our immunity. One day, I really wanted to eat fruit, but I didn’t get it. But later that day, I suddenly got two apples and felt loved and cared for.
I’m a person who has not formed the habit of going to bed and getting up early in my ten years of faith. This is my weakness all the time, but I didn’t expect that in the shelter. I developed the habit of going to bed early and getting up early because I had to get up at 5 am every day to prepare for nucleic acid tests. I took a nap at noon and went to bed at 9 pm. This is the biological clock that I have been pursuing.
My feeling was that when people experience disasters, there is no peace in their hearts, and there is no real peace in the world. I am a fragile person and I don’t know when my nucleic acid result would turn negative, and I don’t know how to spend every day, but someone who encouraged me said that there must be God’s grace in times of trouble. Thankfully, I can still have a complete night’s sleep here. When people are in trouble, they should have eyes to find God’s grace. I spent Easter in a mobile cabin hospital. It was a very special Easter for me. I stayed out of the cabin with the expectation that the difficulties would come to an end. In the whole process, I can’t say that this experience is not suffering, and we can’t deny suffering, but at the same time, I see God's presence. I felt that God kept me in the whole matter.
- Translated by Charlie Li
Dialogue: Christians from Wuhan, Shenzhen, Shanghai Shares Experiences During COVID-19
