On May 13, two churches in Linfen and Houma City, Shanxi, held memorial services for a dedicated deaconess and a sister in Christ, respectively.
Cheng Yumei was a deaconess at Matthew's Pastures Church in Yao Du District, Linfen, and served at the reception point in Lingang District No. 2 since her baptism in 1996. Cheng came to Christ at a young age and passed away at the age of 90 years old. After various Bible trainings, she became a preacher and began to preach at Sunday services. When she saw that there was no gathering place for the congregation, she opened her home as an activity point for believers to pray, worship, and study the Bible. At its peak, more than 20 people came to the meetings. Cheng's husband and children were supportive and joined her in ministry. This continued until 2018 when the meeting point had a new place to meet.
Alongside her co-workers who serve at the meeting place, Cheng often visited the elderly, sick, and weak members to give them support and encouragement. Even in her old age, Cheng insisted on reading the Bible, taking notes every day, and praying for the ministry and members of the church until the last moment of her life.
Our elderly sister in Christ, Hao Fengqin, was a member of Nanshangguan Church in Houma City. She passed away on May 8 at the age of 89. Her husband was an elder in the Houma church and had been with the Lord for more than 20 years. The couple was active in the ministry of the church and adopted more than ten handicapped orphans.
Before Hao's conversion, she was weak and often fell ill. In 1985, a believer took her to a church meeting in the neighboring village of Xicheng. At the meeting, she understood the word of God, and her health improved greatly as she received the guidance and healing of the Holy Spirit. So, Hao decided to come to Christ and be baptized. After she shared her true story with her husband and neighbors, her husband also became a Christian and resigned from his official position at the local custody and repatriation center to serve in the church. The couple continued to pray and evangelize the other villagers, and when more than 100 villagers came to faith, Nanshangguan Church was established. Many members offered financial support to build a new chapel, and many seekers came to Christ and were baptized.
Despite living in poverty, Hao adopted and raised more than ten handicapped orphans after coming to Christ, and one of these children has even graduated from a seminary.
(This article was written by a special contributor to the Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Joyce Leung
