Thanksgiving for The Lifeboat Fund From God (5)
December 2023
This is the final post of thanksgiving from our community in China.
Last November, the Lord impressed upon Sara, after our retreat in Pai, to start a Lifeboat Fund to help our brothers and sisters in China, which was under a hard lockdown. You can read it in the post: https://www.communityofbrokenspirit.org/blog/2023-don-t-be-a-dumb-elephant
The Lord’s timing is perfect, as usual, the Fund was specifically set for only four months, past Christmas 2022, through the Lunar New Year in January, until March 2023.
No better way to end this series, as we celebrate Christmas, than with a testimonial by Yang which is especially inspiring. He was the driver who drove Sara, Asha and Sonia some years ago to the cable car station to get to the top of the majestic Mount Taishan, one of the five great mountains of China. It was a magical journey from beginning to end that left them awed and hanging in suspense; as the miracle they saw up there defies explanation and remains a mystery to this day.
Anyway, after picking them up from the hotel, Yang asked if they had come to make offerings at the temple up in the mountain. When Asha replied that Jesus had asked Sara, who came a long way from the tropical island of Singapore, to come watch the sunrise with Him in this cold snowy winter, he jovially uttered that Jesus ranks Number 3 in the list of powerful gods.
That was when Sara chuckled to herself, totally bemused, “He is so done. To be so audacious to rank the Lord of Lords and King of All Kings number 3! The Lord is going to show Him exactly who he is.”
True enough, by the end of the trip, he gave his life to Jesus and even brought his wife and two children to meet them at the train station as they were departing, all receiving salvation that day.
** His name has been changed for privacy and protection.
Yang
2022 has been a tumultuous year for the entire nation due to the pandemic, and Shandong was no exception. People have been suffering, unable to go to work or school, businesses closed, and families, already not well-off, faced additional hardships due to home quarantine. We felt helpless as resources were getting scarce, even medicines in hospitals and pharmacies were sold out. It was a bleak situation. All hope was lost. Depression was setting in.
It was at this moment that the great Lord, Jesus, extended His helping hand to us through the Lifeboat fund, rescuing my entire family. It was a timely “gift of hot coal in the cold winter”. The 'emergency kit' medications provided by the fund proved to be essential when my family and I contracted COVID-19. These medicines saved our lives and eased our suffering. I'm truly grateful to God, thankful for His presence, His boundless love, and grace! I believe the Lord can control everything.
When I first learned that the God worshipped by millions in churches is Jesus, in my mind, it was just a name, maybe he existed, maybe he did not. When I heard that the Lord was crucified to atone for the sins of the people he loved, I might have ignorantly thought it was just a story from a movie. And the resurrection of the Lord in a distant Jerusalem? It seemed like a legendary myth to me. When I became a young man, I became more ignorant, reckless, lost, and confused. I couldn't make sense of right and wrong, and I was lost, like a stray sheep. Like many others, I had done some wrongs, but I also felt guilty, though not completely, and did a good deed occasionally to soothe my conscience, seeking a kind of balance, which was essentially hypocritical. Yet, it didn't stop my life from being a mess.
Until one day, an angel of God appeared before me. At that moment, I was completely unaware, our first conversation wasn't pleasant at all, which led to some laughter at my expense. But I was stumped by the impossibility of these visitors actually getting to see the sunrise in Taishan, And then finally, the impossible turned into 'it's possible.' Why? Why... only God knows. [Sara’s explanatory note: Yang, a local, thought it ridiculous that the Lord would ask me to go all the way to Mount Taishan to watch the sunrise with Him, which to him, is impossible in that time of the year].
Since that day, I felt like God has been following me. Even my wife and two sons could feel it, and there were several miraculous events that defied explanation. Gradually, I understood in my heart that I was a chosen one of the Lord, reaffirmed repeatedly with grace and blessings. I'm not a fool, so I questioned myself why I should continue to doubt.
God's gift of worship music has cleansed my soul, anointed me with oil to nourish my body. He illuminated my darkest nights with the Bible. He governs my every aspect, and I'm truly thankful. The Lord also introduced me to brothers and sisters from all walks of life, in different places, making us like one big family where I've learned a lot, absorbed much nourishment and positive energy. Every week, we share, listen to the holy songs the Lord has given us, discuss our insights, read the Bible together, and learn, explore, and accept the teachings of God. In my heart, they are already my family.
With these changes came improvements in my life, and my income increased substantially. All of this is a result of God's grace! I have experienced a rebirth. I ask myself, “Is it because I suddenly gained some special ability?” Don't be foolish! Don't ask me why things have happened this way; if you want to know, ask the Lord, because only He truly understands!"
Amen!!! 2023.03.06
2022年.全国疫情一波三折，山东也不例外,百姓苦不堪言、班不能上、学不能上，生意关门。居家隔离.让我们都束手无策、本就不太富裕的家庭雪上加霜、物资缺乏.连医院、药店的药品都抢购一空,让我们看不到希望。面临崩溃。
就在这时、伟大的主.耶稣。对我们伸出救助之手,救生艇基金.拯救了我的全家。真是雪中送炭。让我们渡过人生中最困难的时刻。同时又向我们全家赏赐的我们最需要的“急救包”药品,才使我和家人在感染新冠的时候、换救了我们的生命、减轻了身体的痛苦、感谢天父.感谢主,让我真真切切感受到主的存在、主的博爱.主的恩典！相信主可以主宰一切.
当我知道教堂里万亿人拜的神是耶稣时、脑海中或许只是一个人名, 或存在、或不存在，当主被钉在十字架上为他所爱的人们赎罪时，我或许无知的认为这只是一个电影中的一段故事、当主在遥远的耶鲁撤冷复活的时候,我只觉的那只是一个传奇的神话、慢慢从少年.青年再到中军、无知,轻狂，迷茫、徬徨.越来越看不清人世间的是是非非，尔虞我乍。迷路了! 就像一只迷路的恙羊。也像很多人一样做过几件坏事、但是心里自责不安、良心被狗吃了、但还没全吃掉，于是偶然也做件好事、来安慰自己, 寻求所谓的平衡罢了, 其实就是一种虚伪！但并没有阻止自己的生活"一地鸡毛。
直到有一天神的使者出现在我的面前, 当时的我却全然不知,尽管第一次的谈话交流并不愉快，闹出不少笑话，让我无地自容。但我还是被“泰山今天不可能有日出“最后变为可能. 所折服。为什么，为什么……究竟为什么，只有神知道.
自从哪天起,我就感觉神一直跟着我、就连妻子、和两个儿子.也能感觉到，期间也发生多次神奇的事情、无法解释。我心里逐渐明白，我是被主选中的人。一次次被验证，一次次被恩惠，我又不是傻子，难道还在半信半疑吗?
神赏赐的圣歌洗刷我的心灵, 神用油脂来滋润我的肉体。神用圣经来照亮我的黑夜。主宰我的一切、我真的感谢主，主还让我认识了来自五湖四海的兄弟姻妹宛如一个大家庭,在那里我学会很多,吸收很多养份和正能量。每个礼拜我仍一起分享。聆听主赐给我们的圣歌。分享各自的感悟，一起读圣经. 去学习、探索，接受主的恩典教诲！在我的心里、他们早已是我的家人了。
随之而来的好转，收入增加不止一点。这一切的一切都是蒙受主的恩典！整个人有了重生般的改变。“难道是自己又有本事了?”别傻了! 别问我为什么会这样，要问就去问主，因为只有主最知道!
阿门！！！ 2023.03.06
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