阅读这篇见证的中文原文
God Opens the Way
Yanzi
At the end of 2018, after a few months of intense preparation, our family of three returned home from abroad. We took a week’s rest in our hometown. Originally, I had hoped to give myself a three-month vacation. I was physically and mentally exhausted from the process of preparing to return, while serving in the church, and taking care of the children at the same time. I was expecting to have some much-needed rest. However, my husband is not one who likes to be idle. The next week, he drove us to visit our friends who had returned before us. On the way we drove all the way to the city we had decided to settle down in before we returned to China.
Finding a Church
After staying a few days at a sister’s house, we found an apartment, and again we had a lot of work to do. On Sundays, the sister took us to visit some churches. The first Sunday, we went to a church pioneered by a returnee pastor. Members of the church were relatively young, but we did not feel moved or led to commit there. On the second Sunday, I went to the church where we are now settled. On that day, I carried my baby in my arms and climbed up six floors to reach the meeting room. I was surprised how big it was inside, and there were many people sitting there, preparing for the service. I don’t know why, but I felt very close to them and rejoiced in my heart. A Sunday school teacher was handing out Scripture cards, and the verse I was given was the same one that God had given me when I first came to faith in the Lord:
” What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
After the service we talked with the senior pastor and shared with her where we came from and about our faith background, as well as the church we served when we were abroad. We felt that this church was willing to receive us and invite us to worship with them, even though they were a little concerned about whether we had been in a heretical church when abroad.
The pastor later shared that our openness touched her and she appreciated our initiative to share.
Getting Involved in Service
That’s how we found a place to worship. And after a few weeks, we asked if there was a young professional group in the church, and we got involved in that ministry. Soon after we joined the group, we felt that the bible study leader was misguided in his interpretation and sharing of the Bible. He tended to overuse allegorical and chain reference methods. My husband said to me, “Don’t you care about people understanding the bible correctly?” So we talked to the pastors about our concerns, and they trusted us, though we had only been here for a short time. After some investigation, one of the pastors talked with the young professional group leader, but he was unwilling to take the pastor’s advice and abruptly left the church. The pastors knew I had a theological background, so they let us continue to serve the in the young professional group where we led the bible study.
Soon we were recognized by the pastors and brothers and sisters, and were able to take the church training courses such as the New Family and other discipleship training. Although we had received similar training before, we felt it was important to get familiar with the local church’s approach. It has helped us and the church understand and communicate with each other better.
Later on, I served as a teacher in a church school, led in another small group, and was part of a praise team. I was never idle. Although I had some difficulties adjusting to situations, and the conditions were sometimes not as favorable as in Korea, I knew clearly that my home country was God’s harvest field for me, so I was willing to follow Him in everything.
When I was pregnant with my second child, I did not stop serving, and I didn’t miss worship services and served right through the pandemic. Although I felt weak at times, I relied on God’s grace, and always experienced his strength.
I thank the Lord for His grace and for using me, so that my family, as small as it is, can worship Him and serve the brothers and sisters. Hallelujah! I thank the Lord for His leading!
A message to our returnees-to-be friends:
There is no right or wrong way to return, because everyone’s circumstances are different. God grants everyone grace to sustain them. If you decide to go back to China, you need to prepare well, so that you will not be caught off guard. You can learn about the situation in China and your future local context ahead of time so you can be prepared and not panic when things get tough.
Pray and commit yourself to finding a church through the network of other returnees. Finding and settling into a church after returning to China should be your top priority. Learn to commit, persist, and serve. God will make rivers in the desert and roads in the wilderness. We welcome you to our city if it’s where you are heading. We are always willing to receive returning brothers and sisters with open arms. Blessings to you all.
Yanzi is a millennial (“post-80”) mother of two children. She came to faith in the Lord in 2009 while studying abroad. She studied for a master’s degree in theology 2015-2018, and returned to China in 2018. She is now settled in a city in northern China, where she and her husband are involved in returnee ministry together.