Let me tell the story about my mother, a respectable woman in my family.
My mother, a countryside person, dropped out of school to work after finishing the third or fourth grade in an elementary school. As an ambitious person, my mother was not afraid of being looked down upon but refused to give up. It was also because God gave her such a character that my Dad could persevere when he went to study theology.
After my father went to a seminary school, my mother raised two children while farming in the fields in the 1990s, during which time my family was very poor and there were not many people studying theology. Besides paying grain tax at that time, my mother had to financially support my father’s study. Admiring others who had good living conditions, she also knew she could not give up halfway. Suffering more grievances and hardships than anyone else, she still insisted, though it was not her who was studying theology.
Thinking the hard times were over after my father graduated from the seminary, my mother still had to bear a burden too heavy for her to carry, as my father’s meager salary couldn't support the family’s daily expenses and she had to do all the housework due to father’s involvement in church affairs. She had no choice but to continue to face difficulties while relying on the Lord.
Gradually, as we grew up, we hoped to live in better conditions. Unexpectedly, I was also chosen by God to serve Him full-time. Although the service in the church is toilsome and difficult, the person caring for the family behind the scenes faces the toughest challenge. My dad doesn't have much time at home, and neither do I due to the complicated church affairs, but my mom always has no regrets.
Sometimes those who work for the Lord are blessed, but the persons serving them without recognition are also commendable. Without much knowledge of the Bible, my mother knows she should support my father and me in the service to God no matter how difficult it is.
As an ordinary person, my mother has worked hard to support two seminary students.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
