"We're a Christian family" - say the women in my family all the time.
In truth, we're not different from others. People still smoke, drink, and gamble during Spring Festival, not to mention the constant bickering.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, everyone gathered at grandma's. A painting of Jesus hangs on the wall in the living room. Just under the painting, the men of the family were smoking, drinking, playing a drinking game, and bragging. Women, on the other hand, were not allowed to eat at the table in my memory. Even when they did eat there, they had to leave quickly. Though things changed a little, children dine at separate tables and women still can't eat at the same time as the men.
By the time the men are tipsy, women start cleaning the table and serve them their tea. Next, it is time for playing cards. Everyone participated, young and old. The whole family had a very good time under the gaze of Jesus in the painting.
On the second day, I went to church with mom in the county. Other relatives probably were doing the same thing as the day before. The next day was also spent in the church. After the service, we went to my aunt's and continued to eat and play cards.
In the afternoon we had a fellowship meeting at my grandma's. There are a dozen seniors in their 70s and 80s and it is not convenient for them to go to church, so they have meetings at my grandma's. Normally it is led by my aunt, but it's my job when I'm home. My aunts showed up without their husbands. Maybe they were playing cards.
Spring Festival has always been like this in my family with no change.
This is at most a nominally Christian family.
Speaking of the faith, it pretty much ended with my parent's generation. Right now, only three out of ten cousins still go to church.
The last generation all accepted the gospel due to sickness. When it comes to us, all young and healthy, we need a different way to believe.
My grandfather worked as a lumber when he was young. Once he was severely injured in an accident and it magically healed when he turned to Jesus after the hospital and worshipping idols failed him. The whole family was willing to believe because of it.
Later, his four daughters all married unbelieving husbands and it was not easy for their faith. Two out of three sons followed their unbelieving wives. By the time the youngest son was old enough to marry, he was introduced to a sister by all means possible.
To this day, my father still won't believe. In his defense, believing in my mom's God makes it very complicated since he needs to take one day off each week and he is the breadwinner of the family.
My second aunt's husband has always had some minor issues. He became so helpless because of gallstone problems. Now that he has retired, he joins my aunt at church.
My third aunt's husband used to be a local god of gambling. He gambled away all of their property. After he nearly died from a major traffic accident, he converted. Now that he's gotten better, he is considering giving up going to services for gambling.
The business of my fourth uncle is really expanding these few years. He gave half of the credit to my aunt's God. My aunt is like a warrior in prayers. Every day, she spends at least three hours kneeling down and praying. It's hard for my uncle to ignore, so he follows her to believe.
Last year, two of my uncles fought over some family matter. When my aunt tried to break them up, she was accidentally pushed and banged her head hard on the wall. She passed out right after saying "pray for me." Fortunately, she recovered in about two weeks in the hospital after everyone prayed for her with one heart. Both my uncle, who pushed her, and my aunt were so frightened that they kneeled down on the floor praying for God to save her and promised to believe in Jesus.
My other aunt and uncle were very determined not to believe. Their son was brought up by my grandma and went to church with her, however, he stopped going after high school.
My youngest uncle and aunt went to Shanghai for a few years after they got married. Later, my aunt got sick. Since then, they never skip church.
It's not hard to see that since my grandparents, everyone in the family became believers due to sickness. Jesus is for sure a healing God. However, this way of preaching the gospel works only for some people, there is no way to keep repeating it. That's why it was so difficult when they tried to pass the faith to the next generation.
Things were easier before. When people encountered a situation, they would inform other Christians to pray for them. But after my cousin graduated from medical school and became a doctor, people go to her first instead of praying.
Obviously, believing Jesus for the sake of sickness is still mainstream in rural areas. It's not necessary one's own disease, close relatives also count.
Anyway, people are generally not willing to choose Jesus if they have any other way. In the countryside where the gospel is underdeveloped, it is not an easy choice to make. Believing Jesus equals changing your last name and it is considered impious for people to no longer kotow or burn incense.
Many rural churches are in an awkward situation like "women's club" or "senior community center." They are also anti-intellectual and lack good pasturing. Take my mother for example: she reads the Bible only her whole life, yet she still doesn't understand. I bought many reference books for her, including newer translations. She simply puts them away and never reads them. She told me she didn't have the time or the understanding for it. Besides, those books are full of the writer's mindset. She has to listen to a pastor. When I played sermons from Pastor Yuan Zhiming, of knowledge and methodology, she falls asleep to them.
Let me give you an extreme example. I was a weak child and tended to have quinsy with chills. However, I've never been to a hospital. Each time, my mom would make me pray and confess my sins until it stopped hurting. For me, the worst memory was to recall what I've sinned and if I cursed anyone, every day! I was finally brought to a hospital by my dad when I had a high fever after quinsy got serious in school. My throat stopped hurting the next day after taking some medicine.
-Translated by Grace Hubl
