During a business trip to a city in Eastern China, I met a part-time worker in a church who provided shelter for a needy mother and daughter for 10 years.
Enfeng, a career professional born in the 1970s, currently serves as a part-time pastoral member in a church located in S city.
Enfeng grew up in an atheistic family. When he was young, he always had questions about the meaning of life, such as why he came into this world and where he would go in the future. Enfeng recalled, "Because my wife is a Christian, I began to explore Christianity when I first fell in love, just to win her heart. However, I felt uncomfortable with the various religious rites and hymn worship in the church at first."
His turning point in faith came when he heard the story of the Israelites. "The pastor talked about how the population of Israel was not very large at the time, but her accomplishments surpassed that of many nations, and they even returned as a nation hundreds of years later. It just struck me how blessed it was to be chosen by God. Later, I attended Bible study classes and made a decision to become a Christian in 2005, and got baptized that same year."
"Before I became a Christian, I was a regular office worker who just got by. But after I became a Christian, I always strive to do my best at work, regardless of whether someone is watching, and gets promoted."
Enfeng shared a prayer that was answered. "One time, my grandmother, almost 90 years old, contracted shingles, which is a neurological virus and the doctor suggested giving up treatment. She could not even take water in the hospital, and her condition was deteriorating. Suddenly, I remembered that Jesus is the God of healing, and if I prayed with absolute faith, He would take care of my grandmother."
While caring for his grandmother, he attended morning prayer meetings in the church. One day, he started praying for her healing, and the following day, he noticed she could eat and walk. Her condition started to improve until she fully recovered.
"This experience made me feel God's love for me. At the same time, I found answers to those questions I had as a child and gained confidence in God. I was created by God, and I came into this world to love and save more people in God’s kingdom. After it suddenly dawned on me, I developed a passionate desire to serve in the church."
After Enfeng's daughter was born, they hired a live-in nanny to help with taking care of daily activities, due to work reasons, One summer, they visited this nanny’s hometown and stopped by her sister’s, who had two daughters. The elder daughter contracted meningitis as a child and has been paralyzed ever since. The younger daughter also suffered from rheumatoid arthritis as a child and could not walk normally.
After Enfeng's wife saw the situation at hand, she discussed it with him and decided to take this nanny’s sister and her daughter to their home in S city for medical treatment. Enfeng said, "After bringing this mother and two daughters to our home, I sought help from a male believer who was an orthopedic surgeon. After two surgeries, she was able to walk without crutches, whereas she previously needed assistance even to climb the stairs. Later, I helped the elder daughter find a job as an accountant. She learned from scratch, obtained her accounting certificate, and worked as an accountant. Her monthly salary helps support her father and bedridden sister in their hometown. It has been ten years since she and her mother came to live in my home when she was 20."
(To protect the interviewee, the names in the article have been changed.)
- Translated by Nonye Nancy
