Editor's note: As Father's Day approaches, what would the children of pastors/preachers want to say to their fathers? Five children of pastors/preachers share what they want to say to their fathers. Some of them are an undergraduate, a preacher, and a pastor. Their letters represent the pride of being a child of a pastor, the gratitude of having a godly father, a review of their warming moments, or the love to fathers. The same thing is that they all expect their fathers to have good health.
He Zenghai (theological undergraduate): I'm proud of my father.
First of all, since young, I have been beaming with pride for being a son of a pastor. The financial difficulty is not able to prevent me from feeling proud of faith. Rather than that you need to prove something or be recognized, the pride is that at night, you feel moved for faith in your room alone.
Secondly, my father's teaching is an alarm bell for me at any moment. For example, he first taught me to be an "upright man" since my childhood.
Next, I want to talk about the mutual trust between my father and me. Although I live over 3,000 km from him, my father believes in my capability, giving me enough freedom and trust. Rather than interfere with all my decisions, he supports them. I trust my father, too. I believe that my father will definitely back me up even though the world deserts me. His support gives me the courage to face all sufferings and consider all hardships as treasures because I will not fall down with the presence of my fathers.
My father has a busy working schedule. My earnest wish is that I can be independent as soon as possible to reduce my father's stress and shoulder part of the responsibility.
Preacher Wang Zongzhu: Thank my father for giving me a warm family.
I want to thank my father (a preacher in Inner Mongolia) for providing me a warm family. I hope he take care of myself and stay up less.
An impressive scene often gives me warmth. When I was a theological student, my parents sent me to the railway station after every winter or summer vacation. My parents dragged my suitcase, took food for my trip, and called a taxi to accompany to the station. Then they walked back home.
Preacher Piao: I want to learn from my father to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ever since I was a child, I have seen my father's consistent effort to imitate Jesus to love, endure, and forgive other people in the ministry and life. These have impressed me the most and planted an idea in me - learning from my father (a pastor in Liaoning Province) to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my father who correctly leads me in spirituality. I have seen a life of God's presence from him who comes near to God, fears, and serves Him.
My father often instructs me to build a one-on-one, great relationship with God so that the God of Abraham, the God of Issac, the God of Jacob, and the God of my father can be my God whom I firmly serve throughout my life.
My childhood wish was that he could always stay with me, while I more and more understand him after pastoring the church for years. His devout service pattern makes me have enormous respect and love for him. He is getting older. I hope that God will be as gracious to my father as to Abraham and keep him healthy. He can have good health so as to continue on the path of servanthood, work for the Lord and preach the gospel, and lead more souls to Jesus Christ to feel his love.
Preacher Gao Bang: I pray that my father can recover from illness.
Every day I say words I want to tell my father (an old preacher in Henan) on Father's Day: I pray that he can recover from illness and resume to work in the mission field with me.
This Father's Day is the 30th holiday for my father. As the only son of my family, my only wish is that he can miraculously get well. The doctor said that his recovery from the relapse would be a luxurious dream, but that is my greatest hope. Whatever the future will be, I will still pray and move on.
My father used to be a peasant, simple and good-natured. The frank man served as a soldier and is never out of the mountain. My father's most memorable exhortation was that "Despite that I do nothing for you in my life, be a good man who never steals or messes about women, has a clean conscience, and do serious affairs in the future."
My father works as a volunteer preacher all his life. Even though he may be hospitalized tomorrow, he can still preach in the pulpit today. His godliness and ministry instruct me in deeds.
During my early days in the ministry, my father always told me that I performed badly in some areas. However, I talked back to him who said that God would deal with my stubbornness. After I served God for years, my father encouraged me not to give up my ministry in spite of any difficulty, adding that I should not work for money and God will reward for the faithful service.
If this hardship is huge, I will have to lift my head to heaven and entrust the unknown tomorrow to the heavenly father. I'm convinced that the Father will never forsake His servant and let me lose my father.
Pastor Gao Yongli: Dad, God loves you and I love you, too!
My father (a preacher in Shaanxi) lives in a distant mountainous area in Shaanxi, making a living from the soil. He is honest, upright, and kind-hearted. As the first convert in our village in the 1980s, he preached the gospel to his relatives and neighbors.
When I was young, I really loved the believers gathering at our home. Though I didn't understand the truth, I was fond of singing. One day my father said to me that I would go to a seminary when growing up. Not knowing what theology was, I felt thrilled and excited. Until middle school, I often proudly told my classmates that I would study theology. I recalled that that pride came from guts and courage God granted me.
In the blink of an eye, I have served in the church for over one decade. For the sake of the gospel ministry, we travel in distant areas, unable to pastor my hometown's church and care for my elderly parents. There are just a few days with them in a year. However, my parent never complain but support us quietly. They often urge us to be faithful to the Lord and not forget his grace...
In my thirties, I'm unfilial and ungrateful, unable to accompany them when they are lonely, comfort their pains or gather with them on holidays... There are many things I cannot do, so what I can do is to make my yearning and concern for them into prayer and blessings. Dad, God loves you and I love you, too!
- Translated by Karen Luo
