August 15 has become an unforgettable day in my life. On August 15, 2015, a phone call from my uncle hit me like a bolt from the blue. He said my father's life was hanging by a thread due to a car accident and urged me to rush to a hospital in Beijing to see him, possibly for the last time.
My parents are Christians and hardworking farmers, and I am the eldest daughter in the family. When I was eighteen, they dedicated me to the Lord and supported me in studying theology.
In the summer of 2015, after finishing my graduate courses, I planned to stay at the university and read more during the vacation instead of returning home. However, my uncle's call disrupted everything. I boarded the high-speed train to Beijing, overwhelmed with sorrow.
All the way, I kept praying, crying out in my heart, "Lord, please save my father!"
The accident occurred on a highway in Xiong County, Hebei Province. On August 14 that year, my father was asked by a fellow villager to help load vegetables. Early the next morning, he rode in the villager's truck to Beijing to work. He sat in the passenger seat while the fatigued driver crashed into a slowly moving, unlicensed vehicle on the highway.
In that instant, the driver died on the spot, and my father suffered severe head and leg injuries.
During the more than eight-hour surgery, I pleaded with God to heal my father. God's words came to me: "Whether he lives or dies, he belongs to me!"
During this time, the doctors repeatedly asked us to sign in critical condition notices. Just when we thought my father might leave us, the surgery was successfully completed, but my father remained in a coma and was placed in the ICU.
Four days later, the nurse wheeled out him, whose head was badly swollen and disfigured. Although his consciousness was blurry, we told him, "The Lord is with you, and we are with you as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Stay strong, as many believers are praying for you." During the brief five-minute visit, he could recognize my mother and family members by our voices.
Thousands of people formed a prayer circle to intercede for my father. People would tell us that they were woken up in the middle of the night just to pray for him.
The doctors said that due to the severe head trauma, there was a 90% chance my father would be blind in both eyes. They also warned of possible long-term consequences. He might either become a "vegetable," with a blank stare, or become "irritable," with extreme mood swings. My mother and I smiled at each other, understanding that no matter what happens, the Lord is in control.
In October, after returning home, I settled my parents in, and then my brother and I each returned to school. After a year of my mother's care, my father became self-sufficient. One of his eyes regained vision, and although one of his legs is now lame, he can walk normally. They go to the field, market, and church together. We are grateful that my parents are now helping me care for my child, and my father even worked in the school cafeteria for two years. My father did not become a "vegetable" nor an "irritable person."
My father's car accident made me more deeply aware of the fragility of life and the power of faith. During those difficult days, prayer became the greatest support for me and my family. My father's recovery process was filled with challenges, but through countless prayers, we witnessed God's grace and experienced a transformation from despair to hope. This experience taught me that whether in good times or bad, as long as we firmly rely on God, He will grant us peace beyond understanding. The circumstances may be overwhelming, but our God is greater than any situation.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission. )
- Translated by Abigail Wu
