Following Jesus since he was 27, Brother Huang has served the Lord for over 30 years, during which he witnessed the power of the Lord despite many difficulties. His unwavering dedication was rooted in salvation from the Lord.
“I got breast cancer at a very young age.”
Before accepting Jesus, the 27-year-old Brother Huang was a construction worker whose right arm toiled the most and couldn’t lift unexpectedly during work. He assumed it was simply exhaustion. Rural residents were not aware of the importance of going to the hospital for medical treatment at the time. Huang rushed to the hospital when the situation worsened but was diagnosed with breast cancer. He couldn't believe it. "Normally, people had no idea about breast cancer 30 years ago, not to mention it was found in a man."
Tried every attempt
The hospital's therapy was surgery, which he was too afraid to take due to the unsophisticated medical technology in such a small, fifth-tier city 30 years ago. Therefore, Huang turned to traditional Chinese medicine. Despite seeking treatment from a senior traditional Chinese doctor and taking numerous herbs, his condition worsened. Worse, his wife divorced him, as the family had exhausted all the money on medical treatments.
In rural areas back then, incurable disease was considered evil, so a friend of Huang introduced his aunt, who healed people by “fox fairy.” After all the tricks performed, Huang was frightened rather than healed by this aunt. For example, she told Huang to burn joss paper in the mountains at midnight, bring the leftover ash back, and take it with hot water. What scared Huang the most was the saying that a woman with long, disheveled hair was following him as he returned from the mountains.
After learning about his experiences, one of Huang’s classmates introduced the Lord to him and affirmed that “Only Jesus can heal you,” teaching him a simple prayer to recite continuously, “Jesus, save me!”
Jesus healed Brother Huang personally.
Brother Huang started repeating “Jesus, save me!” at any time and everywhere since then, which caused suspicion of mental problems from his neighbors.
He also went to gatherings after his classmate’s mother, who told him to just sit down and close his eyes on their ways. He obeyed as he was told till the end of the meeting, as he noticed there were dozens of aunts, but only himself as a youngster. Later, the elder believers in the church encouraged him to lead the choir. In this way, his illness was completely cured after more than a year of praying and singing hymns with the congregants.
Before his real cure, he had already confirmed it with God. As he was once asked by a man in a white gown in his dream, “Would you like to be cured?” “Yes!” he responded. Then that guy injected him with a potion as he stretched out his arm. After waking up the next morning with a sense of relaxation throughout his body, he believed Jesus had personally cured him.
Living for the Lord in return for the grace of salvation
Brother Huang enjoyed going to church more as he had been healed. He was willing to do anything for the church, as long as it was needed. After engaging in many types of gatherings and training, he gradually began to serve in preaching. Although his first sermon was only 20 minutes long, he felt moved because he knew God was calling him to be a full-time servant.
The church was in revival at the time, and the work of the gospel was loaded. Though he had no salary, his mind was not on earning a living. The only financial support was his mother's monthly subsistence allowance of 26 yuan. Sometimes, they could only afford buns and water as meals. Gradually, female believers would send him some food. Huang’s were secondhand donations from believers that he wore till they were worn out. Besides hunger, there was also extreme cold. On winter days, the first thing to do once back home was to remove the ice on the frozen door.
Indeed, choosing a life of full-time service is physically demanding. But he just believes that if the Lord needs him for a day, he will be dedicated for a day. "There is a Chinese saying that a drop of grace should be repaid by a spring, let alone a life-saving grace!" he explained.
Endless grace and blessings with full devotion
In the days before telephones, Brother Huang often had to travel to distant and transportation-inconvenient places to deliver meeting notices or preach. He prayed to get a bike, and there was an unused bike donated to him within a few days. Riding the bicycles alone, he always arrived at the correct spots, even without navigation or even a specific address.
Later, he and his mother’s two-and-a-half-room decaying bungalow were set for demolition, allowing them to transfer to an apartment. He is never concerned with what he lacks but rather grateful for what he has, despite being allocated to the attic, where many people would prefer not to live. He believes that the Lord has made an eternal home for him.
In the past five or six years, his church staff has begun to receive living allowances, which helps Brother Huang's living conditions. He has always been in good health, for which he is very grateful. He still runs around and serves humbly for souls every day. He serves with the heart of a pastor, though he is not one.
- Translated by Poppy Chan
