2009冬季太原短宣見證

溫正祥

三年前我未曾想過去台灣短宣，今年也沒想過會到中國山西太原傳福音。神的作為豈是小信的我可以料想得到的！

在2006年的聖誕節下午，我特意到Gaylord Resort向一群從哈爾濱來的冰雕師們傳福音。在分享時，突然聽到一個聲音: “到台灣傳福音”。記得當時感到非常的驚訝，何以在這群離台灣有十萬八千里遠的人面前，會聽到如此清晰的聲音。接著在我日後的禱告中，一幕幕的異象向我顯明神的旨意。神的信實廣大是值得我們信靠的。我們夫婦便在2007年夏天, 因著神的帶領組成了台宣的中美團隊，其中有美國教會的敬拜團參加，又有許多弟兄姊妹犧牲的奉獻和擺上的禱告。「台宣」首次出隊十一人, 去了台南的長榮大學帶領新生營。接著在2008年夏天, 有FCBC華人教會, 孫牧師一家人和李偉珍傳道的參與, 一行二十人到屏東里港的兩間小學帶暑期聖經營。在這兩次的短宣裡，體驗了神的大作為。

Mission Taiwan 2009 (upper)and 2008 team(below)

去年七月中從台宣回來後，便於禱告中尋求神指引2009年的短宣事工。在一次的早禱中，我看在高原上一座很古老的城。這城對我是完全陌生的，它不在海邊，也不在草原上，而在一個黃土的高原上。我沒有進一步追問這是什麼地方，倒是注意到從城門口彎曲下來一條路下到山腳，到我腳前，且鋪得很好，像是要我馬上就走上那座城去。可是我心想其中必有詐，便裹足不前。隨後果真有輪番的攻擊阻撓我上那城去。雖然眼前充滿了恐嚇，但我心中卻充滿了平安，深知我主耶穌在保守。

隨後經由石璐姊妹聯繫上太原的一間少兒英文學校。校方對Youtube放映的台灣短宣唱遊影片頗感興趣，期盼也能在該校教唱。我便給了他們在里港短宣的整套聖經教材，還加強了敬拜的詩歌三、四倍之多，為了透過敬拜來加深信息的傳講。於是，校方和山西省政府便以文化交流的名義，正式邀請我們才剛成立的「和諧事工中心」組團前往帶領今年1月12日到16日太原市的“美國村少兒英文冬令營”。這全是神的恩典。

我們一行有十四位弟兄姊妹，除了我們夫婦來自ACC，其他十二位美國人分別來自五間教會，其中有六位來自兩間教會的敬拜團成員。可是，在籌劃時，卻面臨了國際金融風暴，加上太原的冬天很冷，小信的我便一直想拖延。然而每次禱告時，都沒有得到神的答覆，心中也沒有平安。神還透過孫師母叫我不可隨便放棄神給的異象。心中一再躊躇不前時。突然，收到該校校長（他本身也是山西省的外事處長）的一封信，講到他瞭解現在美國經濟有極大的困難，但他相信“神會幫助我們成功的。”他是個不信神的人, 卻講出了怎麼有信心的話, 頓時，我知曉了這是神給我禱告的答覆。

兩天後，我便決定買了五人的機票，因校長說他這次營會只要有三個人成行就好了。心想這已經達到了名額的要求, 趕緊買下還算低的機票，就此成行吧! 但是心中卻淒然，因為此行將沒有敬拜團了。在過去的短宣裡，我們都以敬拜神為首要，不但在白天帶領學生敬拜神，晚上還舉行音樂佈道會。有一個專業的敬拜團一直是我們短宣隊的特色。因為當我們敬拜神的時候，神的名被高舉，祂的作為被彰顯後，祂的大能便會觸動人心，向人顯明祂自己，這時我們便容易領人信主了。過去我們都見證了神的大能，然而這回卻沒有敬拜團來打這場屬靈的爭戰了。

就在當天下午在我開車回家的路上，面對著前面的高速公路時，我突然看到我們在帶領一群孩子們敬拜神，耶穌從後門進來, 說：「我很滿意！」當時，我感動得眼眶都濕了。但是, 我忘了這次我們並沒有敬拜團。

雖然那時還沒有要去的敬拜團，當晚卻趕緊上網尋找便宜的機票，準備給萬一有敬拜團成行來使用。翌日早上也抽空查了一下，但票價早已高漲。中午時，突有奇想，打電話問旅行社的余小姐是否還有便宜機票。回話當然是：「不可能！」就在談話中，她也一面查票價。忽然間，她說中國國際航空正推出大減價，馬上向我要名單定位。正在焦急時，我的電話中傳進有人來電的嘟嘟聲，接上後，竟是敬拜團一行九人決定要去了。感謝、讚美主！祂的信實何其廣大！！神有全知全能來完成祂的旨意，不因人的小信有所變更。當初只想達到最低名額三人就滿足了，神卻有祂至高的意念，預備了敬拜團，也帶領我們一行十四人所有的行程，連我怕的太原寒冷冬天, 也升暖了十度, 保守我們完成了這次的中國短宣。感謝主！

敬拜團每天在早上和下午課之前帶領孩子們敬拜神，邊唱邊講解神的信息，在孩子心中種下美好的福音種子。也因神的幫助，孩子們在營會的成果發表晚會上，在眾多不信主的父母前，用所教的英文詩歌大聲頌讚我們的神。那種情景真是不可思議! 願榮耀全歸於父神。後來, 我才認識到, 這很可能是首次在中國,有中國孩童在教會的講臺上頌讚神!

每晚我們在當地的三自教會舉辦音樂敬拜晚會。吸引了許多太原市民前來參加，並與我們一起熱忱地頌讚神，高舉主名。期盼日後他們都能來教會，繼續領受神的光和愛，早早接受救恩。值得順便一提的, 在我們分享、感謝主的復活時, 會眾都大聲的讚美神！

之前, 因著敬拜團演出場地的需要，我勇敢地聯繫了三自教會的主任牧師。本來以為不可能的事，加上自己對三自教會已有的偏見，便一直向神禱告盼能借到三自教會的主堂來敬拜祂(這個禱告聽起來, 是很奇怪!)。在我一人獨講了半小時的電話後，她便答應了我一切借教會主堂的請求，更出人意料地反問我，可否給他們做一些培訓？因我先前曾譯著、出版「從震怒到榮耀」一書，便一口答應，願意分享啟示錄。隨後我便郵寄了一些書稿供她參考。她看後，就進一步的邀請我帶領他們教牧的退修會。原來，他們有十六位牧師要牧養約35,000人。同工們最近才盼望主任牧師給他們辦個退修會，可以互相切磋，學習神的話語，從神話語的供養中重新得力。想不到因著向神禱告祈求敬拜場地的關係，我可以在許多祂所重用的僕人中分享啟示錄，闡揚天國福音裡的盼望, 和神所預定要賜給人的榮耀。

就在「中宣」出發前，我搜索了網站來認識「太原」這個城市，首先映入眼簾的就是這個敘述:「太原的意思就是指座落在高原上的一座城市」。原來，神早在異象中向我顯明了這短宣的地點, 而我卻一直以為「太原」是大平原的意思。既是出於祂的旨意，祂便供應和保守了我們的短宣，因為祂的信實是何等廣大，遠超乎人所求所想的，叫我不得不禁讚嘆神奇妙的作為！

神的憐憫近來特別臨到海峽兩岸的華人，從我個人的領受和其他許多海內外神僕人的分享中，祂不斷的在呼召工人去兩地傳揚天國的福音。在我們這次短宣的隊員中，便有一位才十六歲的高中生，聽到「中宣」後，就一直要參加。她父親告訴我，在過去四年來她一直夢到去中國的孤兒院裡,照顧孤兒。我不知道神為什麼這麼鍾愛中國人？祂正在經由各種渠道, 賜下救恩給海峽兩岸的中國人, 在華人中擴展祂的國度。感謝主！

A history in Taiyuan, Shanxi China

Martyred Missionaries of the China Inland Mission in 1900 Missionaries serving with the C.I.M. who were killed during the Boxer Crisis In 1900, attacks took place across China in connection with the Boxer Rebellion which targeted Christians and foreigners. The China Inland Mission lost more members than any other agency: 58 adults and 21 children were killed. They were soon referred to as some of “the China Martyrs of 1900“. However, in 1901, when the allied nations were demanding compensation from the Chinese government, Hudson Taylor refused to accept payment for loss of property or life in order to demonstrate the meekness of Christ to the Chinese. ^[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_China_Inland_Mission_missionaries_killed_during_the_Boxer_Rebellion

How faithful His words are!

During  Mission Harmony (7/14-19) to Taiyuan church this July, one early morning I was praying for the church, Psalms 3-5 came to my mind and I read it and medicated over these verses.

At noon time as I walked into the church from our other camp, English VBS camp in a nearby school, a troubled mother brought her son over to ask me to pray for him. These kind of things happened to me before in this January’s mission, but when I saw him bringing a mid-aged man, I felt like asking other team members to pray together for him. However, everyone is talking with his or her students in the church’s Bible camp, so I calmed down and prayed to God and talked with them alone.

The mother hesitated in talking about his son, while his son was wordless in sadness. As I was observing them, I asked God to reveal to me what to say.  Soon the “sleep” word, mentioned three times in Psalms 3-4, occurred to me, I asked him how his sleep situation was. He was kind of shocked and confessed it was bad. Then, I asked him to read Psalms 3-4, especially paying attention to “sleep” related words, and meditated on them. After explaining further, I laid my hand over him and prayed for him.

Right then a verse showed up, “.. let their evil designs be the cause of their fall; let them be forced out by all their sins..”(Ps 5:10), then I asked him if he was troubled by his coworkers’ plotting against him. He said YES. I asked him to read Psalms 5 and medicated on 5:10 -12. I then prayed over him, asked Lord to be “a shield for him; his glory, and the lifter up of his head.”(Ps3:3),  since he believes in God, and “that the Lord is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”(Heb 11:6)

Afterwards, they seemed to be relieved, some smiles showed up on their faces. As I saw them leaving the church, they dropped some money into the church’s offering box.  I continued to pray for God’s grace and peace be with them to overcome the current difficulties.

God revealed His words to me in my morning prayer for the church, by noon these words were turned out to be the strength and encouragement in building up His people. How faithful and powerful His words are! Praise the Lord.



John Wen

Oct 21, 2007

Thank God for answering all our ten prayer requests. He strengthened us to work from morning till night, teach English camp during the day and lead students to worship God during the night. Although we were very exhausted every day, but no one became sick and everyone was joyful and filled with the Holy Spirit. On the second day, the university told me that the students felt being loved by us. I also want to thank God for uniting us from seven different churches through Him, and under one Lord, one faith and one baptism to work together for the gospel to extend His kingdom in Taiwan. Praise the Lord! We had twenty plus new believers, at least three persons were healed and many more were greatly comforted by the prayer ministry after worshiping God.

There were many wonderful testimonies during our mission trip; I’d like to share with you just one to praise His wonderful faithfulness upon us.

Back in May I was touched by God to bring a worship team to Taiwan to praise His name above all other gods there. I didn’t know a worship team wanting to go. One day in my prayer, I said to God that I’d rather giving up our four and half star, luxury hotel accommodation to save money for supporting a worship team. Soon afterwards, a worship team from a local American church, Wellspring church, told me that they were willing to go, and will try to raise fund as well. It turns out that God had long ago prepared this worship team for mission Taiwan.

But Satan started to work overtime to block this. First, just two weeks before the trip, the Bass guitar player can’t go. I searched for a replacement in vain, unexpectedly I found out one of the mission members played guitar, and furthermore he also had this special Bass guitar. It turned out that God had long ago prepared this Bass guitar player from Houston Chinese Church.

And then, just three days before our departure, suddenly I discovered that our drummer’s ticket got canceled after examining his four page long ticket. I called the travel agency to find out that it was their mistake of forgetting to buy a new ticket after a name correction, instead, issuing me a canceled ticket with a correct name on it, that misled me to think I have received the right ticket all along.

But only three days to go, there was not a single ticket can be found at such late. I dropped in despair, and cried out to God to let us still be able to worship Him. After praying, I felt peace in me, then I called the travel agency again to find me a ticket. After a long hold, the agent shouted out that a ticket just became available. But for a long while I was afraid to ask about the price, what if a high price for the first class ticket? Finally I did, and they told me the same old price. It turned that God had long ago prepared this last minute ticket for our drummer.

Upon arriving at the university, the worship team found out the horrible condition of the sound system. After more than three hours of trying to set it up, its sound quality was still poor. At this time, I can only pray to God to behold the sound system so that we can still worship Him. The next morning, Rev Mike Miller of SBC stationing in Kaoshiung came to meet me. We were all excited to meet each other the first time, and happily talking about praising God to let Him touch students so we can outreach them afterwards.

I then mentioned to him about our team spending so much effort last night trying to set up the poor sound system. Although the sound quality was still poor, but nobody complained, and even taking a taxi all the way to find a music store in a large city nearby late into the night, trying to buy some sound equipments themselves. And then, I asked him to pray for the sound equipments not getting worse.

Out of sight, he drove couple hours all the way back to Kaohsiung and brought back a black box two hours later. It was compact but very heavy. He told me that he didn’t know how to use it, and had no idea if it can be used with our guitars. That was a gift from an American mission team when they left Taiwan just this past May. He thought to bring it over for us to try it out. Soon our worship team saw this, setting up the box and connected all their equipments to it. Almost instantly it worked and played perfectly great music, just in time for the first night’s worship. Afterwards, we used this sound system to worship God every night.

It turned out that God had long ago prepared this wonderful sound system for us to worship Him, not just a simple sound amplifier. I turned out that God had long ago prepared a Bass guitar player for the worship team. It turned out that God had long ago prepared this last minute airline ticket for our drummer to make the trip. It turned out that God had long ago prepared this worship team for mission Taiwan. It turned out that God had long ago wanted us to worship Him first, outreached students later, and then He will use signs and wonders to extend His kingdom in Taiwan. Praise the Lord, His faithfulness turns out to be indeed truly wonderful and great upon us. Praise the Lord, Amen.