Twenty-three years after a tragedy shook a rural family in Northwest China, two sisters who once wavered in despair now pastor a small congregation with quiet perseverance.

Reflecting on her spiritual transformation, she said, "When I came to understand God's love and blessings, I realized the need to respond rightly. I no longer focus on worldly matters, nor am I overly concerned with the opinions of others. In the past, I feared what people might say, but now I strive to live according to the Lord's perspective. As long as my actions are clear before God, that is enough."

"For every person who has gone missing because of the Church of Almighty God, there is a corresponding family that has suffered as victims," said Li Rui (a pseudonym), who has endured years of pain as the child of the sect's followers.

My uncle’s conversion to Christianity came naturally. After retiring, he began attending church with my aunt and soon became a core member of the congregation. Skilled in musical notation and piano, he also led the choir in hymns.

Chester was an early advocate for Western recognition of what was then Red China and can be credited with helping Canada to establish diplomatic ties long before the U.S. and other countries were willing to do so. In a difficult period covering a quarter of a century, Chester worked to bridge gaps in communications between North America and China.

While the place has long since been transformed by urban expansion, an elderly Christian still vividly remembers those lively scenes when forty to fifty people crammed in a courtyard, listening to the sermons and singing hymns, whereas he, sitting on a small stool, unable to resist sleepiness, kept dozing off.

Reflecting on her experience, Xiaohang always gives glory to God, “It is not that I am good, but that God is good.” The woman who once could shut her own loving husband out in the freezing cold and routinely let him go to bed hungry now intercedes for her enemies in prayers. The woman who once forced her husband to prove God's existence with "a drawerful of money" now says: "Lord, as long as I don’t die of hunger, I will follow you always."

Ten years ago, A-Lin was working late into the night fixing bugs at a major internet company. Today, he stands on the pulpit, facing a group of people carrying tears and questions. He calls this cross-boundary life a "system upgrade," though the cost has been far heavier than he imagined.

Few would imagine that such a gentle and unassuming man had once endured great hardships, wandering the city streets during his most difficult days, braving countless cold nights alone, and surviving by scavenging. Today, though still a man of few words, Brother Zhang testifies to life-transforming grace through something as simple as a kettle of hot water and a cup of tea offered in service.

An elderly deacon borrowed a copy of A Reading of the Song of Songs, which, in those days of scarce resources, felt like a precious treasure. After he had to return the book, he began copying it word for word.