On the evening of March 6, 2020, Meihekou City TV Station in Jilin Province broadcasted a news story titled "The ‘Heat’ Transfer of a Boxed Lunch”. It reported that a female believer named Zhang Shulan led her family to provide free lunch to the coronavirus pandemic frontline workers. Zhang was the manager of Yuelai Restaurant in Meihekou City. At the age of 68 that year, she had been a believer for almost 20 years. While running the restaurant, she also participated in charity activities.
Unexpected Turn Changed Her Life
With a wide range of hobbies, she had been very famous in the local catering industry before turning to God. At that time, her goal in life was to run the restaurant well to make a lot of money, so later she could do what she really liked.
Yet, despite being busy with work and life in general, her soul was seeking satisfaction, as she felt very empty in her heart, being lost in life directions and goals. Especially when encountering difficulties in business, she usually would pray and draw divination sticks at a temple, or worship idols, for which she not only wasted a lot of money, but also opened a bigger hole in her heart. After losing a judicial lawsuit caused by relocation, she completely lost hope for life and even no longer had the courage to live on.
By chance, she heard the gospel and came to the church thinking of giving it a try and seeing what would happen. After becoming a believer in 2002, her attitudes towards work and life both changed. Previously, she saw making money just as a way to meet her own needs. After finding God she actively participated in charity, helping those in need. In order to provide customers with safe and high-quality catering services, she always purchased the best ingredients, which the customers highly appreciated.
Faith Became Mature After Trials
After believing in God, the biggest challenge she encountered was about the lease contract of her restaurant. Planning to take back the premises once the lease contract expired, the landlord violated their original agreement and stopped renewing the contract. It turned out that the landlord wanted to take advantage of the booming restaurant run by Zhang, and to then manage it himself upon the expiration of the venue lease contract.
Yuelai Resaurant was forced to relocate and restarted operations. With the help of the church executive pastor and staff, Zhang began to select a new location, prepare funds, and sign a new venue lease contract, stepping into her new entrepreneurial journey. She started all over again with confidence and heartfelt management, so her business quickly became successful. On the contrary, it didn’t take long for the landlord who broke the contract with her to close his restaurant due to poor management.
Practice Good Deeds
After believing in God and receiving his grace, the female Christian worked hard to preach the gospel, especially to her old friends. Whenever she had the opportunity, she would tell them the essentials of the gospel. As Zhang herself has always lived up to her words, many friends of her begin to believe in Jesus, as they feel her kindness and love. Besides contributing to churches on remote borders where ethnic minorities are populated, she regularly visited elderly orphans in nursing homes in spring and autumn every year, bringing them daily necessities.
Provide Free lunch to Help the Pandemic Prevention
Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19, after discussing with her family, she decided to provide free lunch for the pandemic prevention and control staff in residential compounds with no maintenance services in Meihekou City starting on February 14, 2021. Due to the impact of the pandemic, her restaurant had suspended operations, with a shortage of staff for this action. As her whole family was called into action, she became the chef, while her husband drove the car, together with their daughter who was responsible for delivering food according to the needs of prevention and control checkpoints.
The restaurant didn’t stop providing free lunch until the local prevention and control checkpoints were removed when the pandemic was basically under control.
- Translated by Shuya Wang
