"I hold no doubt to God's healing power, but I respect His sovereignty. I believe God's will is good, pleasing and perfect whether He heals me or not." Xinwen said this when she suffering from terminal breast cancer.
“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (James 1:27, NLT)
Xinwei Schroeder along with her husband Stephen Schroeder(American), called by God, was the founder of "The House of Mephibosheth" in 2009, which serves the disabled children and abandoned babies.
Mephibosheth, is the name of son of Jonathan, who was treat kindly by King David. "The House of Mephibosheth" is to find children in China who have severe special needs. Currently the children adopted by them are from China: children with cerebral palsy, autism, Down's syndrome, meningomyelocele and congenital heart disease.
However, life is not always peace. In Oct, 2013, Xinwei was diagnosed with breast cancer. She fought with the cancer for over a year. The doctor declared that she only had six months on March 20, 2015. She died in July, 2015.
She didn't complain the cancer in the rest of her life. She reknew herself and her service and saw the life and death in the gospel way. Below is her moving testimony:
From a Volunteer to Marriage
In July, 2001, Xinwei, a Chinese Christian, came to a children's welfare home of Hebei the first time. She saw so many orphans were abandoned by their families for their disabilities. Since that day, a faith was rooted in her heart. Later she became a volunteer in the welfare home.
The same year Xinwei met her future husband, Steve Schroder, an American who was engaged in philanthropy. Steve was invited to hold the piano training, whose interpreter happened to be Xinwei. Through the mutual communication, they found many in common. Steve opened his home in Los Angeles to help the homeless people in the last about 20 years. Both Christians, they married with the same belief and mission in 2003.
They stayed in US for four years after they got married. Back in China in 2007, they continued serving the disabled children.
Founding "The House of Mephibosheth" and Her Service
In Aug 2009, the couple founded The House of Mephibosheth in a hill of Shandong, with ploughing all their savings and the donation from the society into it. As Steve says, "Life is short. What are you gonna do for Jesus, or for God before you die? Can you hear what Jesus said: love your neighbour, as much as you done on the least of these, my brother, you've done it for me. "
God taught them the lesson of love through their ministry. Xinwei recalled a story: one day they adopted a child in danger whom they spent almost all the money. She prayed to the Lord if they should save him or not for she already had three children and three adopted children. God whispered to her, "Xinwen, if the child was born from you, would you ask me this?" Xinwen said, "Since then I didn't ask Him for I know God's will was to be responsible for the child all the way!"
Xinwen said she learnt a lot from children. God taught her what truth was and she learnt what relationship and life were. God taught her what thanksgiving and true joy were through the children. God reflected her true self and she touched the Lord. As she shared in Beijing: it was not us who were loving and caring the children but the children used by God who served us.
She continued, "Many people think we are so great when seeing our service. Compared to Jesus, we are nothing. The world was not worthy of the children whom we serve, who have the image of Jesus Christ. They are used by God to serve us rather than we love them. Steve and me are so fortune that we're served by the Lord every day. God uses the children who can't walk, speak or do anything to serve us."
God Cares Us More Than Our Work
What is important in the eyes of God? Xinwei said God wanted her not her work. God opened her eyes to see the fact she used wood, hay and straw rather than gold, silver and costly stones when doing God's work. She shared that when we give ourselves to God, God works more than we can imagine.The work God really wants is our faith. Faith, namely being humble, obedient and waiting, is meaningful and valuable in Jesus.
She said, "During the illness, God is building my faith and the building is totally different from what I thought before. Jesus prayed God before being crucified, 'My father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.' The real faith is in the last two sentences of the Lord, 'yet not as I will, but as you will.' God is strengthening, guiding and leading me. I believe someday God will lead me to the degree where I can say, 'Lord, as you will.' "
There is No Death
Before dying Xinwei declared there was no death."Looking at the nail-pierced hand of Jesus, we can see the other side from one side through his hand scar. One side is the world while the other is heaven. The scar on the hand of the Lord tells he has overcome the death, if one day we can overcome it, then it doesn't matter how we go to the other side."
