On an old seven-story building, two rooms larger than 10 square meters face each other. One serves as a kitchen, while the other is a dormitory. The dormitory has no anti-theft door and lacks decoration. It contains an old coffee table and a fabric sofa facing the door, and a narrow single bed against the wall with a simple cloth curtain hung over it. Under the window is a wooden desk, stripped of paint, accompanied by a small stool and a large wooden chair. These are the only main pieces of furniture in the room.
In the corridor, beside the kitchen, is a small door secured with an iron lock. This is the toilet. Because the facility lacks lighting, a flashlight is required to use it.
In these rented rooms, which resemble a simple sketch, lives Brother Lu, an independent minister in his fifties who frequently travels between the city and his hometown.
Science Graduates Began to Listen to the Gospel
Lu's father was a rare intellectual in the 1960s. Living in the harsh mountainous regions of western China, he firmly believed that "knowledge changes destiny" and actively supported his children's access to education. Therefore, Lu applied himself diligently from a young age and was eventually admitted to university to study biology.
During college, Lu saw a Bible on his roommate’s bed for the first time. However, as someone with a "scientific" mindset, he was not initially interested.
After graduation, Lu was recruited by a subsidiary school of a corporation. As a newcomer to the workplace, his mind was set on teaching science well and excelling in his career. However, he soon sensed something unusual in the large organization. Just days after starting, a colleague approached him to preach the gospel and gave him a book—the Bible he had seen before. As a naturally studious person, Lu began reading the Bible daily and quickly finished it.
At that time, his colleagues worked during the day and gathered in the evenings, and they invited him to join the gathering. Lu had never attended such gatherings before, and he recalled, "I found it amusing, especially seeing many brothers, who were already aged, still reading books as if they were students."
Seeking Christmas Out of Love for Singing
Back in those days, apart from work, life was simple and routine. Most of his colleagues attended gatherings in their free time, and Lu was often brought along. Although he felt little connection to the sermons or Bible readings, he found one thing he truly enjoyed—praise.
Lu shared with excitement, "I’ve loved music since school, so I began to enjoy singing and praising in the gathering. Even though I didn’t fully understand the sermon, I could quietly read the Bible."
Since then, Lu has dedicated more time to the choir, rehearsing and singing.
Four months after joining the company, Christmas arrived, leaving a deep impression on him.
He continued, "That Christmas, I attended the entire event in the county, which ended around eleven o'clock in the evening, but I still felt it wasn’t enough. When I learned there were Christmas events in the countryside, I rode my bicycle for 15 kilometers to join the celebrations there, as I had heard there would be a Christmas vigil."
Leaving the Workplace to Serve in the Lord’s Field
A year later, despite moving to another city for work, Lu did not leave the church. He continued attending services, joining the choir, and singing for ten years.
During these ten years, Lu continued attending gatherings, preaching to young people, and engaging in rural ministry. Additionally, he recorded sermon CDs, hoping to serve as a channel for spreading God's word in an era when economic conditions and information dissemination were limited.
In 2004, during a revival meeting, Lu recalled, "After hearing the revival sermon, I decided to resign and commit to full-time service."
Subsequently, Lu received theological training, focusing primarily on missionary work while also being actively involved in training and providing pastoral care to young people.
Persevering Through Fifteen Years of Challenges
Today, Lu is no longer the young man who once loved singing. His voice is no longer loud and deep, and his steps are no longer as agile as they once were.
He shared, "Western China feels like hard soil. The church isn’t very revived. Young people in the church either don’t pursue education, or in churches where young people study theology, the lack of health in the church leads to insufficient long-term growth."
He also openly stated that churches in Western China have long fallen behind those in other regions. In addition to the geographical challenges that have hindered the spread of the gospel, long-standing economic factors have led to a significant outflow of people. He highlighted issues such as aging congregations, a shortage of believers, and the lack of young people.
Lu felt that serving in Western China was challenging, with limited success, but he believed it was the Lord’s calling. He was committed to staying in this "hard soil" and continuing as a "sower" of the gospel.
Over the past fifteen years, Lu has faced countless challenges, but the one thing he has never lost is the hope that comes from relying on the Lord. He has traveled tirelessly, visiting various churches and believers. Some churches he has visited lack grand pulpits, advanced sound systems, or an active congregation. Even when the church's believers are mostly elderly, with him being the exception, he still prepares sermons with dedication, preaching while writing on the whiteboard, engages with the elderly after the service, and assists with the church's weddings, funerals, and other daily matters.
His wife shared that he had been struggling with a serious stomach issue. She said, "Lu has lost more than 15 kilograms over the past two years, yet he can't stop because he feels that not serving would be even more stressful."
Lu's wife continued, "Choosing this path has not been easy. The pressure within the home is immense. We don't have extravagant financial demands, and God always provides for us. However, since Lu started serving full-time, our family has often faced criticism and misunderstanding. Some congregants have even gossiped, believing we are always running around, neglecting our children, and failing to lead the church independently. These voices often become my weaknesses. Still, I see God's guidance and grace. Now, I just hope Lu can take better care of his health."
- Edited by Karen Luo and Poppy Chan, translated by Poppy Chan
