Sister Xiangqi is a visually impaired anchorwoman who loves literature and art. She lost her eyesight due to retinitis pigmentosa two or three years after graduating from college. In 2010, she began to learn about Christian beliefs and later became a Christian.
Sister Xiangqi once acted in the play “The Blind” at Beijing People’s Art Theatre and was also chosen by a French director to act in the play “Princess Maleine” with actors with impaired eyesight. She was one of the first batch of visually impaired journalists to be granted special permission to interview at the Special Olympics... From 2010 to 2018, she worked for Beijing Xinshouxianglian Information Technology Co., Ltd. on the public service program "Hand in Hand Hotline." She has worked as a full-time co-worker in a Christian organization, responsible for the management of the network media department and the hosting of the program group, since 2019.
The following is her self-report.
Hello, everyone, I'm Sister Xiangqi, and I was born in the 1980s in the ancient city of Xi'an. I love literature and food. I gradually lost my eyesight soon after graduating from college. But thank God, I learned the professional course of broadcasting and hosting for visually impaired people in Beijing and heard the gospel in the process of learning.
I still remembered that I, like a frightened bird, locked myself in a cage in the first few years when my eyes were not good.
My mother heard that there was broadcasting and hosting a training class for visually impaired people in Beijing, so she immediately sent me there, hoping I could open my heart to the outside world through a year of study.
Before I came to Beijing, I had never met any other blind friends. They couldn’t even feel the slightest sense of light, and I seemed much better than them. Several of them are Christians, and they would often get together to sing hymns and study the Bible. I have been invited to gatherings with them many times, but I have never accepted the invitations.
The day before graduation, they loaded my MP3 with a lot of content about the Christian faith and told me to listen to it. I wasn’t going to listen at all. But after that, I couldn’t sleep for three consecutive days. I suddenly remembered the mp3 that I had thrown into the corner, so I turned it on to listen to the pastor preaching, and then fell asleep. I put it on my pillow every day, although I fall asleep within five minutes of listening to it every time.
It took me three years to really believe in the Lord, though I believe that those Christian classmates must have prayed for me for a long time in those years. After following Christ, my spiritual eyes became brighter and brighter, and I was no longer afraid.
During the time I worked in Beijing, I went through a couple of hard times, but my Lord was always there for me. When I read the Bible, I was often moved to tears by God’s love. I felt so humble and small, but the holiest God was willing to pay such a heavy price to love me.
Now, my job is mainly to do some gospel programs and spread them among my blind compatriots. Through my voice, I share the light of life from God with my listeners.
I also hope that believers can pay more attention to the visually impaired group. After all, it’s not enough for blind ministry to be done just by blind people. It is a great difficulty for them to get medical treatment and travel on a daily basis, and they need believers who can see clearly to assist them and preach the gospel to them at the same time.
- Translated by Stephen Huang
