By Weiyi
At dusk, He Ying went out from Sister Li’s home warily. When she was walking past a park, a faint scent of flowers drifted to her, and she took a deep breath of fresh air. Feeling relieved, she relaxed her pace and found a place to have a rest.
Not far away, there were young parents and their child playing on the lawn. At times, the mischievous child rushed into his father’s embrace; at times he laid his cheek against her mother’s and whispered “Mom” in a sweet voice in his mother’s ear. The child’s whispers “Mom” hurt He Ying deeply, and feelings of grief and desolation all welled up in her heart. She recalled the days with her husband and son, when they were happy like them. If not for the atheist CCP’s cruel persecution and capture, she wouldn’t have left them and drifted around. She remembered when she left home her son was only 12 years old. Now 8 years had passed, and in those years she missed her son so much. She wondered how her son and her husband were getting on those years. In thinking about this, He Ying felt sick at heart. She stood up and walked out of the park. When she was walking along the street, the scenes that happened several years before floated to the top of her mind as if somebody were playing her a piece of film …
Not far away, there were young parents and their child playing on the lawn. At times, the mischievous child rushed into his father’s embrace; at times he laid his cheek against her mother’s and whispered “Mom” in a sweet voice in his mother’s ear. The child’s whispers “Mom” hurt He Ying deeply, and feelings of grief and desolation all welled up in her heart. She recalled the days with her husband and son, when they were happy like them. If not for the atheist CCP’s cruel persecution and capture, she wouldn’t have left them and drifted around. She remembered when she left home her son was only 12 years old. Now 8 years had passed, and in those years she missed her son so much. She wondered how her son and her husband were getting on those years. In thinking about this, He Ying felt sick at heart. She stood up and walked out of the park. When she was walking along the street, the scenes that happened several years before floated to the top of her mind as if somebody were playing her a piece of film …
He Ying was a devout Christian, and understood from God’s words that, to help the corrupt mankind break free from Satan’s influence of darkness, God had personally become flesh and come among man, and that He was enduring all persecutions and sufferings and expressing the truth to save mankind. God hopes that all of us are able to understand His earnest intention of saving man, and stand up and act in concert with Him to testify to and spread the kingdom gospel, so that those who still live in darkness and pain can be brought before God and receive the salvation of God. Burdened with commission of God, He Ying readily devoted herself to spreading the gospel. Unexpectedly, she was reported by evil people while spreading the gospel, becoming a key wanted target by the CCP. Consequently, wherever she went, she was monitored and shadowed by the CCP’s lackeys, and she could be arrested at any moment. She had no choice but to leave for a strange land to hide in the dead hours of the night. However, she worried about her little son, for her son was weak and fraught with sickness since his childhood. She had been taking care of him personally; could her careless husband take good care of her son without her? The more she thought about it, the more she felt worried about her son. But there was no other choice. If she remained at home, she would be arrested by the CCP. Then, not only could she not take care of her son, but it would bring him a heavy blow and more pressure. So she exchanged farewells with her relatives, suppressing her inner pain. Her son burst into tears, but said firmly, “Mom, just go. Don’t worry about me. I will take care of myself.” …
Then He Ying thought of the days when she was out. In a period of time, the moment she saw children going to school with their satchels, she felt pain in her heart, as if a knife had been twisted into her heart. During those years, she missed her son very much. How she wanted to go home to see him! However, in this country which regards God as an enemy, it is simply an extravagant wish for Christians to reunite with their families. He Ying remembered the message from the sisters and brothers of the local church, saying that there were undercover policemen secretly staying near her house; the telephone of her family was also monitored closely by the CCP; provided she appeared or phoned her family, the evil policemen would immediately locate her and arrest her. Hence He Ying was forced to give up her idea of going home to see her son. Luckily, the local brothers and sisters had helped her much all along. In addition, she had read lots of God’s words, experienced many things, and understood some truth gradually. Thus she tided over these years.
At this moment, He Ying thought of God’s words: “Why don’t you commit them into My hands? Do you not believe in Me enough? Or is it that you’re afraid I will make inappropriate arrangements for you? Why do you always miss your home? And miss other people!” (“The Fifty-ninth Utterance” of Utterances and Testimonies of Christ in the Beginning). “I once agreed to join man and walk together with him—and yes, unto this day man has lived under My care and protection, but when is the day that man can separate himself from My care? Though man has never cared for My heart, who can keep living in a land without light? It is only because of My blessings that man has lived until today” (“The Twenty-eighth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe). “God created this world, He created this mankind, and moreover He was the architect of ancient Greek culture and human civilization. Only God consoles this mankind, and only God cares for this mankind night and day” (“God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind”). She thought, “It’s true. God created the universe and all things; the life of each one of us comes from God; whether one’s path in life is smooth or rocky is also ruled over and arranged by God; and God is the most responsible One for every one of us. In the several years when I was far away from home and lived alone, although there were many difficulties in life, haven’t I passed through them under the guidance of God’s words? My son is also a created being. Whether he lives a better life or not, whether he is healthy or not, whether he studies well or not, and what a life he will live in the future, are all held in God’s hands and completely determined by God. Even if I’m always at his side and never let him out of my sight, what could I change then? Who could part from God and live independently?” He Ying realized that even though she wasn’t at his side, God would always rule over his fate and lead him to step onto the life journey which belongs to him. The CCP didn’t allow people to believe in God and walk the correct path of life and vainly attempted to eliminate all the believers of God in one fell swoop. They adopted despicable methods to monitor and hunt her, which forced her to depart from her son and made her feel extremely distressed. However, when she was most weak and helpless, God gave her faith and strength again and again, protected her heart, and led her to be free of the pain of missing her son, so that she could face the life journey ahead tenaciously. God’s such meticulous love could not be articulated. At this moment, He Ying offered up a grateful prayer to God, “O God! Thank You for Your years of guidance to me! You know my stature is immature and often live in negativity and weakness. Every time, it is You who guide me to understand Your will and make me walk free from negativity and weakness. O God! No matter how the CCP persecutes me, I’m willing to settle down to perform my duty as a creature, testifying to Your name and Your work and satisfying Your heart desire.” After praying, He Ying felt especially inspired. She increased her pace and went to spread God’s gospel as usual.
Not long afterward, an unexpected thing happened to He Ying …
The July sun, like a huge ball of fire, beat down on the earth, and the heat rose in waves. While walking in the hot sun, He Ying suddenly heard someone calling her name behind her. She hesitated but didn’t turn back, for she thought that there was nobody knowing her in the strange city. However, she heard hurried footsteps and felt that somebody was catching up with her. When facing about, she was shocked: Whom should she meet but her sister-in-law and her younger sister! She held their hands tightly, being too excited to say a single word. Her sister-in-law said happily, “I have never expected to meet you here! I moved to this city several years ago. Your son is living with us all along. He misses you so much. Come and see him.” He Ying nodded her head in surprise and excitement. It was just what she had longed for. Yet walking on the road, she had mixed feelings in her heart. Even though she was delighted to see her son, she worried that her son would blame her due to years of separation. She was troubled, but could not wait to see her son …
When He Ying entered the house of her sister-in-law, she and her son stared at each other, and her son was astonished with his mouth wide open. She hugged her son tightly with excitement, tears streaming down her face freely. When her son was wiping her tears softly, He Ying said, “Son, it’s so many years, and I finally meet you. Don’t you blame me? …” Her son shook his head and said in a broken voice, “Mum, I understand you. Mum, you don’t know, during these years when you weren’t at home, the policemen often came to interrogate us about your whereabouts, and threatened Dad and me that if we knew your whereabouts but didn’t inform them, they would not allow us to go to work or go to school. They are too evil, and too despicable! It’s lucky that you didn’t come back. If you had come back, you must have been arrested. Mum, I have been getting along well these years. I seldom got ill, and I had no difficulty with my study….” After hearing her son’s words, He Ying was so moved that tears were running down her face, and kept thanking God in her heart. She had never thought that since last time she saw her son, he had become much stronger and especially sensible. Moreover, he could understand her and support her to believe in God and walk the correct path of life. She had seen God’s protection to her son, and realized that everything God had arranged for her was the best. She truly experienced God’s words, “God created this world and brought man, a living being unto which He bestowed life, into it. In turn, man came to have parents and kin and was no longer alone. Ever since man first laid eyes on this material world, he was destined to exist within the ordination of God. It is the breath of life from God that supports each living being throughout his growth into adulthood” (God Is the Source of Man’s Life). These words are so true. Although I gave birth to my son and brought him up, God gave him life and cared for him throughout his growth. These years, I wasn’t at his side, but God has been protecting and accompanying him and making him grow up in good health. No matter when, we can’t live without God’s guidance and supply; only God is the source of man’s life…. He Ying recited this passage of God’s words to her son, and he, leaning close to her peacefully, listened carefully and nodded his head at times.
The night was far gone, but He Ying wasn’t sleepy. She thought of the path she had walked. Though she was separated from her family and couldn’t return home under the CCP’s persecution, and she was once weak and passive, God had been watching over and protecting her all the time, and God’s words strengthened her faith time after time, and led her to live in the atheistic country. Not only was she not destroyed by the government’s high-handed actions, but she had more faith and strength to believe in God and followed God firmly on the correct path of life. Simultaneously, she saw clearly the atheist CCP’s hypocritical evil face: It always proclaims that “Citizens enjoy freedom of religious belief,” and prettifies itself as a crusader for justice. Actually, it extremely hates God, hates the truth, and adopts despicable means to track, monitor, arrest, and persecute Christians. It forbids people to worship God, and vainly attempts to establish a godless realm in China. He Ying saw clearly that the CCP appears humane, just, and virtuous, but it is an insidious and evil satanic regime in substance, and therefore people believing in God in China will be cruelly suppressed and persecuted by the CCP. Although He Ying suffered a lot in such a harsh environment, she experienced God’s companionship and guidance and felt sweet. She made up her mind: No matter what environments, trials, or tribulations befall me in the future, I will follow God all my life …
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