"On one evening in 2013, on my way home from work, I picked up a book, on the cover of the book was written these words: Those who believe in God will have eternal life. There were many people walking on the road at that time, and no one noticed this book or picked up this book, but I happened to pick it up. Since then, I have come to know God and have believed in the Lord Jesus. God has great grace and power, the sun, moon, and stars were all created by God, which shows how great God’s power is. During my years of walking with God, He has helped me a lot, who is truly a God of mercy, the book tells me how to pray, and I pray every day, no matter the time or place."
Whenever I visit my brother at my parents' house or talk to him at home, my brother always tells me the above words and shares his experience of conversion to Christianity and testimonies.
From 2011 to 2019, my brother has been working in Shanghai. One evening in March 2013, on his way home from work, my brother picked up the Gospel booklet that reads “Those who believe in God will have eternal life”, and then he came to Christ. I don't remember how many times my brother said these words to me, every time he said it, I never got tired of hearing it, and the more I listened, the more grateful I became.
At the end of March, my father died. After his death, my brother decided not to go to Shanghai to work because he had to take care of my mother, who was nearly 80 years old. There is an old yard next door to my mother's house, it has been unoccupied for many years and is dilapidated. The owner of the house decided to make this yard a farmhouse, mainly because it is convenient for the elderly in the village to eat.
This solves the meal problem. My brother sometimes had to cook for our mother when he came back from farming, it was very tiring for him. Since there is a farmhouse, it is convenient for them to eat, because they were neighbors, my mother and brother always go and eat, but they never paid for food. In order to make up for it, every time the neighbor comes back with goods, my brother goes to help them unload the goods so that their relationship becomes better. The farmhouse and our yard are connected, every night when the farmhouse's business is over, they deliver the unsold meals, and my mother and brother don't have to cook the next day.
In 2021, the farmhouse was closed for a while due to the epidemic and then reopened. In those days, I was still there, and before I could taste their food, they brought the rice over. It was all farmhouse food, tasting like when I was a child, but they made it more delicate and it tasted even better. I was very grateful.
Thanks to the good relationship between my brother and his former boss in Shanghai, during the Spring Festival of 2022, the boss called several times to ask my brother to return to Shanghai to work. My brother kept saying that he had to take care of his mother, so he refused.
Yesterday afternoon, my brother and I talked on the phone about the epidemic in Shanghai. My brother was thankful for God’s protection that he did not go to Shanghai. He added that if he went there, he would not make any money, instead, he would have to spend much money during the lockdown. My brother kept saying that people would not know their path of tomorrow, but God knows, and he gave praise to God. I told my brother, "As you have filial piety to take care of our mother, and because you have love, God loves you."
In the more than two years of the epidemic, I have seen the manifestation of God's love in my mother and brother, and I have witnessed His blessings to them every step of the way.
I also believe that God will also take care of all his children during the epidemic, for He does not show favoritism as every child is a treasure in the eyes of God. In the same way, God also cares for those He has made who have not yet accepted His salvation, for He so loved the world, He sent His only son to be crucified and to give his life as a ransom for all men.
- Translated by Luke Liu
