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我 的 信 仰 之 路

杨朝洲 2005年5月2日 

拣 选 

 “我 的 肺 腑 是 你 所 造 的 ． 我 在 母 腹 中 、 你 已 覆 庇 我 。”(诗 篇 139:13)  

我出生在台湾的台中，整个家族信奉佛教和道教。第一次接触福音是我在1985年8月到美国新泽西读工业工程研究所的时候。当时听说有一个活动 - 3天2夜，不但可以钓鱼，划船，还是免费住宿，免费伙食，免费交通……，我就带我妻子去了。我现在还清楚地记得当时的讲员是来自纽约大学医学院的教授徐华弟兄，每一场的讲道，他都是眼泪和汗水一起往下流。当时真是百思不得其解，只觉得这群基督徒好像发疯一般，到底讲了什么，竟毫无印象。讲完了还要人举手，接受耶稣，真是不可思议。还不惜花费2万5千美金，招待这群留学生，到底为了什么，更加想不明白。这就是我的第一次与福音的接触。

自此回到学校，每个星期天，总有人打来电话，问我们是否到教会去？只觉得这群人真是无聊，星期天还不好好休息休息，看看电影电视，睡睡懒觉，不挺好吗。但有时也盛情难却，偶尔去一下，后来去的勤一点。倒不是被牧师的讲道吸引，而是发觉在这群基督徒中有个东西我很想抓住，后来才知道那就是从神而来的“爱”。

在那几年中，有三件事情对我影响较深。第一件是，1986年，我妻怀孕，到医院检查，发现她有德国麻疹，医生要求再检查，还是有。医生对我们解释，胎儿若出生，可能会有脑瘫，心脏病，或四肢不全等各种不良症状，且是90%以上的几率。医生劝我们堕胎，但我们坚决不肯，只因刚认识基督，知道生命是属神，孩子是上帝的礼物，故不愿轻易放弃。见我们的坚持，医生也只有尊重家长的选择，组织了一个TEAM专门来研究, 最后也是不了了之。感谢神！他却给我们送来的是世界上最美好的礼物 –健康，聪明的大女儿！

第二件是，妻和我关系一直不好，只因我太骄傲。我因高中毕业后没考上大学，当了二年兵，回来再考也是最差的大学，只好就读台北工专，一所三年制的大专。毕业那年，妻要求我出国留学。我在英文完全荒废的情况下，以3个月从A到Z背完托福词典，1个月背完GRE单字。在一年之内我顺利考完托福和GRE，并直接入读美国新泽西理工学院工业工程研究所。事事尽在我掌握之中，难免生出许多的自负和骄傲。妻又天性倔强，家里时常擦出火花，杯盘横飞，险象环生。直到有一天，真是觉得走不下去了。当时我们都还不是基督徒，然而妻却要求我跟她一起做一个最后的祷告。简单的说就是：祷告完了，我们就可以离婚了。但就在做这个祷告时，好像有一个声音从我心里面闪过，问我“对妻的争执，你做的完全对吗？”我知道世上没有什么事叫完全，除非是真理，所以心里就回答：“3%是我的错，97%是她的错。”那里面的声音却继续问：“那就为那3%的错，向她道歉。”我说:”跟她道歉这是不可能的, 但跟神道歉是可以的” 。就这样，我把那3%的错对神诉说,要求饶恕。不料，妻竟哭了，她亦真诚地向我承认她也有错。神是何等地看重我们的婚姻，就在这样从认错和饶恕中，我们携手并肩又走了20多年的婚姻路，并育有5个活泼可爱的孩子。在未来的事奉中，妻成了我最得力的帮手。

第三件是,我因受进化论科学的影响，对创造论和童女怀孕百思不解。有一天坐在椅子上，想想这个问题，直觉得这群基督徒真是幼稚 – “没有男人的精子，女人怎能生小孩？”。突然有个声音像意念闪过，问道：“你比爱迪生还聪明吗？”我整个里面科学的根基顿时崩溃，俯服在神面前。为什么呢? 其实神所说的是，如果我回到爱迪生的那个时代，爱迪生向我解释他的发明，例如电灯，没有人见过，他说有个插头插入，灯就会亮了，我一定不会相信。但问题是我不相信的东西，还不是在爱迪生手中一件一件地发明出来了。我不相信，并不代表它就不会发生。另一层意思是我和爱迪生之间，有着极大的智慧区别。如果有一位神，正如圣经所说，“他是全知，全能，无所不在的”。那他做什么事，需要我能明明白白的？这时我猛然看到人的渺小和自己能力的有限。“风从何道来、骨头在怀孕妇人的胎中如何长成、你尚且不得知道、这样、行万事之神的作为、 你更不得知道。”(传道书 11:5) “我对你们说地上的事、你们尚且不信、若说天上的事、如何能信呢？”(约翰福音 3:12) 难道不正是我们这些渺小的人的写照吗？

                                  受 洗

       你们得救是本乎恩、也因着信、这并不是出于自己、乃是　神所赐的．(以弗所书 2:8)

    神知道我心刚硬，迟迟不肯就他，所以用了一个很奇特的方式来成就他的救恩。1987年的一天，我在家里，突然来了十几个弟兄姐妹（家庭聚会所），问我“你相信耶稣基督吗？”。我说“我相信！但我还未完全明白圣经。”殊不知，他们已将浴缸放满了水，奉圣父，圣子，圣灵的名为我施洗。受洗完后，我非常愤怒，因自觉自己尚未准备好。然而，现今回想起来，心中却充满感恩。因天父顾念我，他知我心顽固，迟迟不愿对人称自己是基督徒，特此用这个不同寻常的方式来成全他对我的救恩。

复 兴 & 呼 召

 我又听见主的声音说、我可以差遣谁呢、谁肯为我们去呢．我说、我在这里、请差遣我。(以赛亚书 6:8)

受洗后2-3年，常常离开神，不读经，不祷告，不上教会。1989年7月底，带领全家从美国移民来到加拿大。去了一年的聚会所，看到一群虽爱主却自以为只有他们才是真正的基督徒的人。后来到了一个国语宣道会，当时教会刚成立。聚会两年后，推选我为教会执事。当时因圣经一遍都没读过，自觉惭愧。所以在5个月内从创世记到启示录，读完一遍。每天读5 - 6个小时，常常读到半夜1–3点，也不觉疲倦。好像神亲自对我说话一般，又自觉自己的渺小，神却愿意从灰尘中抬举我，神的爱常常包围着我。不曾想却遇到了教会分裂，被教会的一群基督徒（尤其是从大陆来的）伤害甚深。你知道圣经所说“凡称呼我主阿，主阿的人，不能都进天国。惟独遵行我天父旨意的人，才能进去。当那日必有许多人对我说，主阿，主阿，我们不是奉你的名传道，奉你的名赶鬼，奉你的名行许多异能吗。我就明明的告诉他们说，我从来不认识你们，你们这些作恶的人，离开我去吧。” (马太福音 7：21-23) 耶稣所说的就是你，我心里受伤极大，因为他们引用的是神的话。当时，我因刚看完一遍圣经，心里时常火热，带了很多人信主，其中有一些家庭是拜佛的。当他们要信耶稣时，常常家里就发生一些怪事，我先禁食一到三天, 因为马太福音 17:21说 “至于这一类的鬼、若不祷告禁食、他就不出来。〔或作不能赶他出来〕” 然后再到他们家,奉主耶稣的名和耶稣的宝血替他们赶鬼。也有人被邪灵附在里面的，也都能把鬼赶出,只因我信耶稣的大能。虽然我被如此的伤害，但还是继续事奉。直到有一天主日讲道，田光安牧师呼召，要全时间事奉的，请走出来，我就毅然走了出去！从此神继续带领我走他为我预备的传道之路。 

                             神 学 院

他对我说、我的恩典够你用的．因为我的能力、是在人的软弱上显得完全．

所以我更喜欢夸自己的软弱、好叫基督的能力覆庇我．(歌林多後书 12:9)

1998年4月19日，我母亲过世，让我觉得生命走得如此仓促，难道神在我的生命当中，没有更高的旨意吗？我是个珠宝商人，也会修理珠宝和钟表。有一天在修理时，突然想到“我还可以修理多久呢？20年？30年？”当下我心里就有个不甘心，然而我已知道神已在回应对我的呼召。当我告诉妻我要去读神学院时，迎来的却是强烈的反对。但我知如果这是神的呼召, 那他一定预备. 一个星期后，妻竟也俯服在神的面前, 同意我去读神学院。

哪曾想神学院却是我痛苦的开始。40岁重又拾起生疏且不流利的英文，漫天的书籍，写不完的报告……每个星期我都跪在神的面前哭泣，流泪，抱怨神选错人。然而却一个星期一个星期地渡过，直到读了两年后，我告诉妻不读了，因为我把每天亲近神的所有时间都挪去读书，写报告，一心只想赶快拿到学位，却已经忘记了进神学院的目的，是让我能更好地服侍他。

    短 宣 & 再 次 复 兴

         你们饶恕人的过犯、你们的天父也必饶恕(医治)你们的过犯。(马太福音 6:14)

    2001年初，妻在一个Mission Fest上认识了Martyn Hartley牧师，促成了我去俄罗斯短宣，也改变了我事奉的路。我在俄罗斯所看到的教会是: 一群人坐在仓库里，没有椅子，所坐的不过是上面一块长板子，地下三四处用砖头支撑着。一个人坐着板子会摇，但几个人坐上就好了。没有西方教会的任何设施，但你却能很明显地感觉到他们用心灵敬拜神。我看到了他们对神话语的渴慕：虽然他们被警察歧视，也属不合法聚会，但他们为了聆听神的话语，关了生意来参加聚会。他们赞美神，没有任何乐器，没有诗歌本，但却全部记在脑海里。他们用心来赞美神，我看到了上帝的容光洋溢在他们的脸上，仿佛置身在天堂中，这也是激励我事奉的最主要原因。每场聚会都有人接受耶稣，就在这里，上帝让我看到了这群子民的需要，但也是曾经伤害我最深的族群，我在那里挣扎，求神医治内心的创伤，然後又重新站起来。突然才明白人的灵魂在神面前是没有贵贱的，都是一样的。因为神来是为了拯救那些认为需要救恩的人，不在乎你是谁？我更知道神已经在预备我的生命来服侍他们。 

事 奉

“……万军之耶和华如此说，我从羊圈中将你召来，叫你不再跟从羊群……” 历代志上 17：7 

记得当初神学院毕业后，为了逃避神的呼召，向神作了二个有条件的祷告。第一是我不发一份履历表去找教会。二是从零开始（拓荒）的教会。哪知呼召来的不但快，而且出乎意料。只能感慨神不只是知我们人心的主，而且是那意念道路都高过人的神。

当初来到贵湖也只是想到这里有一群中国人，也许可以在夫妻或个人的需要方面帮助他们。与妻讨论和祷告，决意离开住了13年的剑桥。这不但是个大挣扎，尤其更要面对小孩子需要换学校的反抗。但不知神却在一步一步的在带领，从单纯的体恤中国人，却变成日后的传道人也是始料未及。

当Martyn Hartley牧师，那曾跟我到俄罗斯宣教的同伴，听到我要搬到贵湖，将我带到Calvary Baptist Church，介绍给Robin Pifer牧师 – 又岂知他竟已为中国教会的诞生祷告了3年！他诚挚地邀请我，我说需要回去祷告。这是2003年2月的事，直到5月，前面的道路更是清楚。历代志上 17：7 “……万军之耶和华如此说，我从羊圈中将你召来，叫你不再跟从羊群……”我已知神已预备一条传道人的路，顺服是唯一的选择。

在8月22日英文堂长老会中，分享神如何在俄罗斯打破我里面对中国人一些歧见，简单的说是神医治我内心的创伤。神让我看到的是，一群走向死亡（地狱）的子民，灵魂是确实的，在那里悔改，也在那里重新站起来 – 神已将中国人，尤其是大陆来的，变成我的负担。只有打破和医治，神才能用我们。感谢神自己恩典满满。9月要当场表示是否开始中国教会，记得当时有12位长老，3位说要祷告，其中1位说“我看过教会成立了3个月就关掉的。”我只是笑笑，因为神已把一幅教会的景象放在我一次的祷告中。之后，记得在一次祷告中，我求主挪去这3位长老的心，却听到神说；“Let me do it.” 当时只有羞愧。有时我们以为祷告是对的，但却不合神的心意。如果这是出于神，神必成就。如果不是，也只是自己的想法而已。一个星期后，全数通过！

Robin Pifer牧师带我到图书馆，希望我从9月21日开始在那里聚会。当时里面只能容纳12人左右。我说：“我不要在那里聚会，地方太小了。”他说：“你还没有人，怎么会小呢？”我说：“我要外面的篮球场。人，上帝自己会带来！”就这样开始了聚会。人的顺服也带来了神的祝福。

在过去的一年半里，只有感恩 - 神竟如此眷顾贵湖的华人，使用我们这些卑微的人来成就他的救恩。这一年半里只有感恩，从最初31人到现在100多人，我们没有什么可夸口的，只有耶稣吸引人，只有耶稣怜悯人。而神亦如此眷顾贵湖的华人，在美丽的城市南端，赐给了我们一间更大更舒适的新堂，可容纳250人。6月18日，我们就要满怀喜乐和感恩，搬入新家了！在这里求神纪念跟我一起同工的弟兄姊妹和默默在背后为我们祷告的弟兄姊妹，愿神在今后的一年里使我们在耶稣里面扎根更深。其实，在过去的一年里，有眼泪，是因为看到人心的刚硬和对灵魂的不在意；然而更多的是喜乐，因为看到人从黑暗国度里，因耶稣的缘故，被带到那光明国度里，内心里只有哈利路亚！感谢神！但愿赐人生命的主，将恩惠与平安赐给更多的贵湖的中国人。让他的名得荣耀，直到永永远远，阿们！

             My Testimony and The call from God                                         

                    Choice

 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.  

 (Psalms 139:13)  

 I was born in Taichang, Taiwan. My whole extended family was Buddhist. The first time I heard about the Gospel was in 1985, when I was in New Jersey studying Industrial Engineering. At that time, I heard about a retreat that was the length of three days and two nights.  At this retreat, fishing, canoeing, carpool, room and board etc. were all free of charge. Therefore, I went with my wife. I still remember the speaker of the event, a medical school professor from NYU. Every sermon, he would be crying and sweating. During this time, I did not understand what was going on –why was he so emotional? I thought that all of the Christians there were basically insane. What was this speaker talking about? I did not know. When he finished, he would ask for people who wanted to accept Christ to raise their hand; I could not understand this logic. The whole conference had also spent 25,000 US dollars, in order to invite us international students, and so I thought, “Why? I don’t understand why they would spend all this money on us.” This was my first time experience of the gospel.

After the retreat, we went back to school. And every week, someone would ask me whether or not I wanted to go to church. I thought that these people had no lives. My concept of Sundays was to relax: sleeping in, watching television or movies…was not this better? However, sometimes, out of obligation, I would go. Then I started going to church more often. It was not that the pastor’s sermons were attractive; it was because I had noticed the interaction between Christians –it was something I wanted. Later, I realized that it was the love from God that I had seen in these Christians.

In those years, there were three things that impacted me greatly. First, in 1986, my wife got pregnant, went to the hospital for a routine checkup, and was told that she had German measles. The doctor had offered to double check, but it was true. So the doctor told us that our baby might be mentally challenged, have a heart problem, or be paralyzed. There was a ninety percent chance that any one of these things could happen. The doctor advised us to abort the baby, but we emphatically refused. It was because we had just started learning about Jesus Christ that we realized that children are a gift from God, so we refused to give up hope. Because of our insistence, the doctor respected our choice. There was a medical team that was studying my wife’s case, and in the end, there were no results. I thank God that He gave us the best gift in the world: a healthy, wise daughter.

Secondly, my relationship with my wife was not good, because I was too arrogant. After high school, I did not pass the entrance exam for university, so I became a soldier for two years. When I had come back from the army, I only got accepted by a university that was considered one of the worst in Taiwan. I studied at the Taipei Institute of Technology in a three-year program. In my graduating year, my wife asked me if I wanted to study in the States. My English was not good at all; I knew almost nothing about English. Therefore, in three months, I memorized the TOELF dictionary. In one month, I memorized the GRE vocabulary, and within a year, I passed both exams. So then I began studying industrial engineering in graduate school at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. I thought that everything was under my control, so I had a lot of pride. My wife is very stubborn, so we often had conflicts. You could see plates and cups flying all over the place. Until one day, I did not know how to go on. At this time, we were not Christians, and my wife asked me to pray with her for the final time. To sum it up, after we prayed, we would divorce. Yet while praying, there was a voice that flashed in my mind asking me if I was perfectly right every time my wife and I fought. I know that, in this world, there is nothing that is perfect –except truth. So I inwardly replied that three percent of the arguments were my fault and the rest was hers. Then the voice told me to apologize for the three percent that were my fault, and I thought, “It is not possible for me to apologize to her.” Yet, I could ask for God’s forgiveness, so I started asking for God’s forgiveness for what I had done wrong. While I was praying, I realized that my wife was crying. She had also acknowledged that she was wrong. God watched over our marriage.  Since that time, we have walked through twenty years of marriage, and we now have five lovely children. In our current ministry, my wife has become my greatest helper.

The third thing that impacted my greatly was the concept of evolution. I could not understand concepts of creationism and the virgin birth. Therefore, one day I pondered these questions. I decided that Christians blindly believed. If there is no sperm, how can a woman become pregnant? A voice seemed to speak in my mind that asked, “Are you smarter than Edison?” My foundation of science crashed, and I surrendered to God. Why? The truth is, what the Lord was saying was that if I returned to Edison’s time, and Edison tried explaining to me his inventions –such as the light bulb, and he told me that if I plugged one end into the wall the bulb will light up, I would not believe him. This led me to the conclusion that what I had believed to be illogical impossibilities, Edison proved to be possibilities. Between Edison and I is a vast IQ difference. If there were a God, who “is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent”, then what He could do would not depend on my understanding. I could now see how miniscule humans were and how limited our abilities are.  It seemed as if He were talking to me, telling me that I knew nothing before the Lord.

                           Baptism

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

(Ephesians 2:8)

God knows that my heart is very stubborn, and for a very long time I would not accept Him. Therefore, He used a very special way to extend his invitation of salvation to me. One day, in 1987, I was at home. Suddenly, there were more than ten brothers and sisters who came from the local church -which belonged to Watchman Nee –that came to my house. One of them asked me if I believed in Jesus Christ. I told them that I believed, but I did not fully understand the Bible. They then filled my bathtub with water and baptized me in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. After I was baptized, I was very angry, because I was not prepared or willing. However, now that I reminisce about this story, my heart is filled with thankfulness, because God loves me. My heart was so stubborn, and I was not willing to declare that I was a Christian. Therefore, God used this way to accomplish His salvation.

                    Reviving & Calling

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. (Isaiah 6:8)

Two or three years after I became a Christian, I often left God. I would not read the Bible, pray, or go to church. In July of 1989, my family and I immigrated to Canada. We went to a local church for a year there. We saw that the people at the church truly loved the Lord, but they believed that they were the only true Christians. We then started going to a newly formed church in Hamilton called Hamilton Mandarin Alliance Church. After two years of going to this church, they asked me to become a deacon. Since, at that time, I had not read the Bible once all the way through, I felt embarrassed. Therefore, in the next five months, I read the Bible from Genesis to Revelations. I read for about five to six hours each day, often reading until two or three in the morning, yet not feeling tired at all. It was as if God was personally speaking to me. I realized that I was insignificant, yet God was willing to lift me up from the dust. I learned that God’s love always surrounds me. I never imagined that the church would split. I was hurt by a group of people who originally came from China in my church. You know how the Bible says;

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23)

Who Jesus was talking about, is you. My heart was greatly hurt, because what they had used was God’s Word. At that time, I had just finished reading the whole Bible. Therefore, my heart was burning to witness to others, and I had led a lot of people to Christ. In the people that I had led to Christ, a couple of the families were Buddhists. When they were about to accept Christ as their Savior, strange things began happening in their house. I fasted for one to three days, because in Matthews 17:21, it says, “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting”.  I then went to their house, and in Jesus’ name and His precious blood, I cast out the demons from their house. One person was also possessed by demons. I was able to cast them out also; this was only because I believed in the great power of Jesus. Although those people had hurt me, I continued to witness to others. One day, during Sunday worship, Pastor Tang called for anyone who wanted to be in a full-time ministry to walk to the front, and I went. From that time, God started preparing me for future ministries.

                        Seminary

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

(2 Corinthians 12:9)

 April 19, 1998 my mother passed away. After she passed, I realized that life was very short and precious. I then questioned whether or not God had a higher purpose for my life. I am a jeweler; I can repair jewelry and watches. One day, while at work, a thought suddenly occurred to me: how long can I repair for? Twenty years? Thirty years? And then I would die. I was not willing to accept this as the purpose for my life. I then realized that God was calling me to ministry. When I told my wife that I wanted to study in the seminary, she strongly opposed me. I then decided that if this calling comes from God, He would prepare His way. One week later, my wife acquiesced to my studying at the seminary.

My suffering and pain began when I started studying at the Heritage Seminary. At forty years old, with my broken English, having to read a lot of books and write a lot of papers…every week, I would kneel down before God and weep –complaining that He had chosen the wrong person. Rather, week after week passed until I had studied there for two years. I told my wife that I would not study anymore, because I was using the time I had used to spend with God writing papers and studying books. My mind was only filled with one thing: to get my degree. I had forgotten the purpose of my studying at the seminary: to serve the Lord better. After I realized my problem, I repented before God and continued to study until I achieved a Masters degree in Theological Studies.

            Shorten Mission & Reviving again

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

(Matthew 6:14)

At the beginning of the year 2001, my wife attended an event called Mission Fest.  There, she met a pastor by the name of Martyn Hartley. He gave me the opportunity to go on a mission’s trip to Russia that changed my ministry.  In Russia, the churches that I saw were groups of people sitting in warehouses –no chairs –sitting on benches that were made of sets of four bricks stacked upon each other and planks that were put on top of them. If one person sat on it, the “bench” would wobble, but if there were five or six people sitting on it, it would not wobble. They have no facilities like western churches have, but you could see that they worshiped in spirit and truth. I could see their hunger for God’s Word, even though the police were persecuting them. These meetings were illegal, but because they wanted to hear God’s Word, they closed their businesses and would attend. They praised the Lord –no instruments, no handbooks –they had it all memorized in their heads. They used their heart to worship and praise God. I saw God’s glory upon their faces, as if we were in heaven. This was a major encouragement for my continuing in ministry. Every meeting had people accepting Christ. In here, God let me see the people’s needs, and those people were also people from China, from the same place where the people, from before, who had hurt me, were from. I struggled there, and I asked God to healed my wounded heart. I then started anew. Suddenly, I understood that souls, in front of God, are all the same, no matter where you come from. Jesus came to extend salvation to all; He does not care about what race you are from. I became surer that God prepared my life to serve them, people from China.

                        Ministry

 Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be ruler over my people Israel: (1 Chronicles 17:7)

After I graduated from the seminary, I tried to run away from my calling by asking God to grant me two conditions: first, I did not want to write a resume to find a church. Second, I wanted to start a church. It was beyond my imagination -the calling was so quick; He had already answered my prayers.        I can only say that God knows our mind, and His mind is higher than ours.

We were thinking of moving to Guelph because we knew there were a large number of Chinese people living there. We were hoping to help them with their needs and perhaps marital problems. Therefore, after I prayed and talked to my wife, we decided to leave our home of thirteen years in Cambridge to move to Guelph. This was a very big struggle, especially because our children would have to change schools. We did not realize that God was leading us, step by step. We never thought, when we had decided to help the Chinese people in Guelph that I would eventually end up becoming a pastor to them.

When Pastor Martyn, whom I had gone to Russia with, heard that I was moving to Guelph, he took me to Calvary Baptist Church and introduced me to Pastor Robin Pifer and learned that Pastor Robin had been praying for a Chinese church in Guelph for three years. He sincerely invited me to start a Chinese church in their church, and I told him that I would have to pray about it. This was February 2003. The path that I was to take became clearer in May 2003.

“Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be ruler over my people Israel:” (1 Chronicles 17:7).

I knew that God had prepared me for becoming a pastor. To obey was the only choice and blessing.

In August 22, at an elders meeting, I shared my testimony of how God took away my discrimination against people from China, when I was in Russia. Simply said, God healed my heart. What God let me see was a group of people who were walking towards death (hell) -their souls are real. I told them of how I repented in Russia, and how I had begun anew there. God gave me a burden for the people from China. Only when we are willing to let God break our prejudices and heal our wounds can He use us. Thank the Lord for his abundant grace. We discussed at this meeting whether or not we should start the Chinese church in September. At this time, there were twelve elders. Three of them said that they would have to go home and pray. One said that he has seen a church open and close within three months. I laughed a little, because God had already given me a vision of the future church. After the meeting, I remembered praying to remove the three elders’ doubts, and then I felt God say let me do it. When I heard this, I felt ashamed. Sometimes, when we pray, we want God to do our will, not His. If starting a new church comes from God, then God will fulfill it. If it does not come from God, then it will not be fulfilled. One week later, all the elders agreed.

Pastor Robin Pifer took me to the church’s library, indicating that he wanted us to start worship there for the twenty second of September. However, the library can only hold 12 people. I told him that I did not want to have the service there because it was too small. He said that since we had no people, how could it be too small? I said that I wanted to use the gymnasium, because God will bring people there. Like this, we started the service. Our obedience brings about God’s blessings.

In the past year, I only give thanks. God is taking care of the Chinese people in Guelph, using us who are insignificant, to extend His message of salvation. From the starting number of thirty-one people to more than a hundred at present, we have nothing to boast of. Only Jesus attracts people, only He gives mercy to people. God so loved the Chinese people in Guelph that He gave us a large new church located south of Guelph, which can hold two hundred and fifty people. In June 2005, we are going to move to this new church. May our Lord remember those brothers and sisters who work alongside me, and also those brothers and sisters who prayed in the background. May our Lord, in this coming year, let us have a deeper foundation and understanding in Christ. I tell you the truth, in the past year, there have been many tears wept, because we have seen the stubborn hearts of the people who do not care about their soul. However, there has been even greater joy because we have seen many people come from the darkness to Christ. Our hearts can only say, Hallelujah！ Praise you God！ May the Lord give His grace and peace to more Chinese people in Guelph? May His name be glorified forever and ever? Amen.