Regarded as a "people's leader" in God's family, a senior sister in Christ served God wholeheartedly in Shanxi Province, but died accidentally on the road of preaching the gospel.
Born in Ganjun Village, Lizhai Town, Yicheng County, Linfen City, Shanxi Province, the female Christian was called the "Fourth Aunt" as she was the fourth child in her family. After joining the army at a young age, her eldest son did not believe in Jesus, for he didn’t grow up around her. Her youngest son repented later in life, while her two daughters became Christians at a young age.
In the memory of the local believers, Fourth Aunt's life was spent on two things: evangelizing and walking the path to preach the gospel to nonbelievers. She was devout and loved the Lord, with gifts of healing and exorcism.
Once, she went to preach the gospel at the home of an old Christian woman who had been bedridden for 18 years. She asked this woman, "If Jesus can't heal you, will you still believe in Him?" The woman replied, "Yes!" Fourth Aunt then slapped her hard on the back three times and loudly commanded, "In the name of Jesus, get up and walk!" She then instructed the church worker who came with her, "Lift her up and make her walk!" The woman was helped up and walked several laps around the room.
Although her elder sister had repented and believed in the Lord, she never pursued spiritual maturity but cared more for her body and family. For this, Fourth Aunt rebuked her severely more than once.
Yet, when it came to nurturing God's little lambs, Fourth Aunt had a mother’s loving heart. When her sister's granddaughter-in-law was having surgery in the hospital, Fourth Aunt went to the hospital room. During the day, she took care of her body and strengthened her faith in God's words. At night, she would curl up at the end of the bed to rest briefly before getting up to pray.
Fourth Aunt spent at least half of each year preaching God’s words away from home, returning only after preaching for many days. After taking care of household chores and visiting family members, she would leave again to preach the gospel. Unfortunately, she passed away while on the road.
She died on her way from one Christian woman's house to another. Her shoes were found on a steep slope, leading her family to speculate that she accidentally rolled down the ridge. A man discovered her body and buried it, and later a "body identification notice" was broadcast on television. Her family retrieved her body by giving a reward of 1,800 yuan to the man.
On the day of the Fourth Aunt's funeral, many believers from Quwo, a county under the jurisdiction of Linfen City, came. Some of them saw a vision—angels and heavenly armies playing music to welcome her. She has been gone for nearly 30 years, but her testimony in life continues to inspire future generations to run swiftly and follow the Lord.
(This article was written by a Christian from Shanxi.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
