A church leader, Brother Zhang, has been following the Lord for more than 30 years.
This 50-something-year-old brother lost his father when he was a child. He went to work in Shanghai as a teenager due to poverty. His mother, a pious Christian, said to him before he left home, “Don’t be afraid of suffering, which can actually be a blessing; don’t forget to get near God, who is always with us!”
In a few years, he stood out among a group of apprentices. He always kept what his mother said in mind: suffering would be a blessing, something worthwhile that he should not be afraid of. Accordingly, he learned more and had better skills. Later, he became a foreman with a high salary in his twenties.
Since he left home, he has nearly never stopped attending Sunday services. After becoming the foreman, he also discussed with his boss that as long as he was allowed to go to church on Sunday mornings, he would obey any other requirement from the boss. He could even work overtime at night to make up for the time. His boss trusted him more and more because of his hard work and sincere attitude.
Later, Brother Zhang had to go home since his children had become increasingly rebellious due to his absence at home, and Zhang’s mother was too old to deal with the children. Brother Zhang then opened a small store in his hometown. He did business and did voluntary work actively, and he never stopped worshiping God. He was not very talkative and never judged others casually.
The old head of the church observed him and helped him grow. Later, Zhang entered the church committee. Then he became the deputy team leader, then the team leader, and now the head of the church.
While attending his business at times, he would always offer help at once when the church is in need, leaving the company to his wife. In addition, he never asks for reimbursement of several hundred RMB per month for putting gas in his car due to his service, and his attitude really motivates several other staff members.
(The writer is a grassroots church volunteer in Jiangsu.)
- Translated by Stephen Huang
