In a modest restaurant in a small southern city, Sister Wu smiled as she introduced the four Christian women seated around the table. With unadorned faces, simple clothing, and no makeup, they radiated a quiet warmth. "They are all locals, and we often serve together. I'm truly grateful for that," Sister Wu shared.
Two decades ago, Sister Wu, originally from Northeast China, set out with her husband, Teacher Guo, and their four-year-old daughter, traveling thousands of kilometers to this unfamiliar mountainous region in southern China. Their mission was clear: to reach believers scattered across remote villages. "In the past, missionaries planted many seeds of the gospel deep in these mountains. We are here to serve and minister to them," she said.
From Hearing a Hymn to Serving Full-Time
Sister Wu's journey of faith began unexpectedly in her childhood.
One day, while playing at a neighbor's home, the little Wu heard a hymn sung by her neighbor. The melody struck her deeply. "I went home still humming it. My mother thought it was beautiful, so she took my brother and me to church," she recalled.
Her mother's faith was steadfast. Despite her father's continuous attempts to stop them from believing, she never wavered.
Sister Wu still remembers the winters when, after returning from church meetings in the bitter cold, her father would lock them outside. Yet her mother never complained or got angry. Instead, she said to the children, "Let's pray for dad and ask him to open the door."
Wu's mother once received an evangelical team and was deeply moved after her conversations with them. She even vowed to dedicate both Sister Wu and her brother to God.
At the time, Wu was unaware of this promise, as she was working away from home to earn a living. However, a sudden illness soon changed her life.
Painful, itchy red bumps suddenly appeared on the soles of her feet. A doctor diagnosed them as rheumatic nodules, warning, "If they worsen and spread to the stomach, it could be fatal." Fearing the seriousness of her condition, her landlady refused to let her stay, forcing Wu to return home. In her distress, she prayed, "Lord, if You truly want me to serve full-time, then please heal me."
Her illness was later miraculously healed. In response, she resolved to fulfill her promise to God and entered faith training. In 1995, she began accompanying the team to serve in various places.
This decision only deepened her father's discontent. He continually blamed her mother, saying, "You took both children away. Now there is no one to earn money and no one to work at home."
Thankfully, the church in her hometown offered strong support to Wu's family. During the busy farming seasons, believers often set aside their own work to help her mother first, hoping to spare her from criticism.
In 2019, Wu's father passed away. Before his death, the man who had once fiercely opposed the faith also came to accept the Lord.
Serving in the Mountains: Language, Transportation, Poverty, and Faith
Two decades ago, transportation in the southern mountainous regions was extremely limited, with only a few roads linking the villages. Wu and her co-workers often had to catch the only daily bus into the mountains and then walk long distances to reach their destinations. "The mountain paths were all rocky. Even with a new pair of socks, a single trip in and out would wear a hole in the heels of the socks," she recalled.
Over time, conditions improved. Bicycles eventually made travel possible, later giving way to motorcycles. Yet regardless of the distance, terrain, or weather, they always went.
Reaching the villages was one challenge; communicating with the locals was another. Most villagers had little or no schooling and spoke only their dialects, which varied from one village to another. "I honestly couldn't understand a word," she said with a wry smile.
Economic pressures in the region are also severe. Most of the believers Wu serves are elderly and from impoverished families, some with members who have disabilities. Wu recalled Aunt Liu, over 80 years old, whose son, daughter-in-law, and grandson all have intellectual disabilities.
On one occasion, Wu and her team arrived at Aunt Liu's home at 10 a.m. only to find two family members missing. Aunt Liu anxiously explained, "My grandson accompanied his father to the hospital. He suddenly fell ill this morning and became paralyzed. He was taken by ambulance around 9 a.m." Without a phone, she couldn't contact her son.
Wu and her co-workers located a number from the call logs of Aunt Liu's landline, but her son, who answered the phone, could not speak coherently. Eventually, a hospital doctor took the call and explained, "The 120 ambulance fee is 300 yuan, and the color Doppler ultrasound costs over 300 yuan. Both fees must be paid as soon as possible."
Aunt Liu's family barely had any money, and her medical insurance card held just over 60 yuan. Wu and her co-workers pooled over 800 yuan to help them through the crisis.
"Serving means building a family relationship with them," said Wu. "We shepherd them in the truth and support them in daily life. Although our resources are limited, we must do our best."
To make ends meet, Wu opened a bookstore specializing in religious books. "It wasn't easy. Rampant book piracy posed a huge challenge, and the rise of e-books made running a physical store even harder. The small gift items we sold on consignment were niche, with high costs and low sales, earning very thin profits." After six years, the bookstore was forced to close.
She and her husband also tried other small ventures, such as selling socks.
"There were many times when we didn't even have food at home, but there was always a Christian woman who would bring us meals," she recalled.
On one occasion, when there was no rice at home, Wu opened a women's devotional notebook at random and read, "God will feed the birds in the sky, and He will also feed us." Her heart was suddenly filled with peace and relief.
"I am deeply grateful to God for helping me through several critical moments. He has taught us to live by faith," she said.
Today, Sister Wu continues to serve in the mountainous region. "There's a 90-year-old woman who can no longer move, and she loves our visits. Every time we meet, she is so excited and moved," Wu said. "If we don't visit for a while, we miss them, and they really look forward to our return."
Over the past 20 years, many elderly believers have passed away, and in some villages, the number of faithful has declined from a dozen or more to single digits. Yet new believers continue to join. Wu smiled as she gestured to her co-workers: "These sisters have all come to faith, learned, and grown here. Now we walk this path of service together."
Originally published by the Christian Times
- Edited by Katherin Guo and translated by Poppy Chan
