Editor’s note: Sister Xiaohui (pseudonym) born in the 1980s is a fifth-generation Christian. After graduating from university, she studied for four years in a famous theological seminary in China. She is currently participating in a full-time ministry in a discipleship training ministry, and also accepting invitations to serve in some local churches after work. When Xiaohui was very young, her mother began to serve full-time. The fact that she can embark on the path of service today is related to her mother's consecrated life.
Sister Xiaohui's mother had been married for several years without getting pregnant, and her mother's family is almost all Christians. They all prayed for the mother to be able to conceive. Her mother tried her best to check herself, recalling that she unexpectedly accompanied her in-laws to visit a temple after marriage. There were statues of a virgin boy and a virgin girl in front of the temple. Traveling with her non-Christian in-laws, she threw the coins down and said "early birth of a precious child". Thinking of this, her mother confessed and repented her sins for this matter. God gave her a daughter shortly after.
When Xiaohui was probably in the first grade of elementary school, the children were lined up in a road queue to go home from school. One day a classmate who was her good friend invited her to stand in the line of hers, but when she came to a fork in the road, there were several roads there. She did not know where to go. She realized that she was lost. One by one, the children were picked up by their parents to go home, leaving her alone. She got scared, and at this time she remembered to pray, and she said, "Lord Jesus, I'm lost, I need to find my mommy, please take me home." After praying, she walked boldly and casually, praying and walking along the way, and miraculously walked home.
Xiaohui has attended church services with her mother since she was a child. After watching her mother doing ministry, she followed suit.
She said: "I was actually greatly influenced by my mother, especially in life and character. I feel that my mother's service to God's family was very faithful, kind, and knowledgeable. In addition, she was very good at management, and when the church encountered difficulties, she was very brave, willing to stand up, not afraid of offending people, she used wisdom and reasoning to help the church protect its property."
"She can especially endure hardships. At that time, transportation was not developed. My mother often walked dozens of miles of mountain roads to serve in the church, and sometimes went to two or three places to preach in a day. She has always been able to endure hardships. If I were in her position, I definitely could not do it and could not endure hardship like her," she added.
Xiaohui also recalled the house where her mother lived in the town she served. She still remembered visiting her mother when she was about to graduate from university. At that time, the roof of her mother's house was tiled, which might have been in disrepair, especially the kitchen. If it rained heavily outside, it would rain lightly inside. After a long time, there were small insects on it. On windy days, the wind blew over the roof tiles, and the insects on them fell to the place where they had their meals. "In 2005, we didn't even have an electric fan in our house, and we didn't have any electrical appliances except the lights. My mother never regretted it or complained."
Looking back on her growth, Xiaohui was a good girl all the time because her life was deeply influenced by her mother, but there were times when she was very rebellious in her heart. Her mother who is very enthusiastic about ministry always gives tithe and offerings, including raising money to build a church and place for gathering, the travel expenses to the mountains and the countryside are often paid out of her own pocket, and will even donate the last penny she has to believers who encounter difficulties. At this point, Xiaohui couldn't understand for some time.
Xiaohui said: "I haven’t liked her giving tithe and offering for some time. I feel that we don't have enough money to buy food. Do you still give money to the church? In my memory, she went to build churches all day long, so our family had no money. I once said to her, 'You donated all the money I bought for shoes, look! I have no shoes to wear!' In fact, my shoes could still be worn."
"When she was sent by the church to study at the seminary, I was sent to the volunteer's home. At that time, I was in junior high school, and a temptation came over. I saw some students in the class who were proud and just like some kind of stars, and I wanted to join them and play with them. I didn't want to go bad, but I liked that pride. Two laws were fighting in my heart. On the one hand, I wanted to become a 'shining star in the school' like them. On the other hand, I was afraid that my mother would be sad. Thank the Lord, I did not go astray and I chose to be a good girl who reassures my mother."
When talking about how to embark on the path of full-time ministry, Xiaohui mentioned a prayer she had when she was a child, "I want to be a good girl, and when I grow up, I want to be a good shepherd."
After graduating from university, she went to work in a company. She was excellent and quickly became one of the best among her colleagues. During her work, for about four years, she used her vacation to serve in the church every year. Later, the pastor of the church began to invite her to work in the church, and she struggled for a while. Because her job benefits at that time were very good, she had a long vacation, the company's development prospects were also good, and her personality was also very suitable for this job. But in the end, she chose to quit her job and enter the ministry.
After Sister Xiaohui had been serving in the church for a while, the pastor suggested that she apply for the seminary. She prepared very hard and was accepted to several seminaries in China at the same time. In the end, she chose the seminary farthest from her home. After graduating from the seminary in four years, she returned to serve in the church where her mother served. By chance, she moved to the organization she is currently serving. Although she struggles and is weak in her ministry, she has persisted for five years now.
"I want to follow my mother's path, but we wait for God to tell us how. I believe that God has his own plan to raise me and shape me in different circumstances. I also hope that I can become a holy vessel in his hands. In the future, please prepare an opportunity for me to continue my education," she confessed.
- Translated by Nianhong Zou
