On the morning of the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month in 2005, snowflakes were fluttering down. After having breakfast, Zhou Ying, with a heavy heart, went outside pushing her bicycle. Two days later, it would be the Spring Festival. As the old saying goes, “One misses his family all the more on every festive day.” So her mind went to her husband, son and daughter…. I haven’t seen them for over three years. How are they? At that time, the couple of the host family went out to see her off and said, “It’s snowing. Come back earlier this afternoon. And celebrate this Spring Festival with us!” Zhou Ying nodded to them. Their short words deeply touched her heart. She couldn’t help shedding tears of gratefulness. By then she dared not turn around or speak lest they saw she was in tears.

Her thoughts returned to the day in the autumn three years ago. At a gathering, she was arrested by the atheistic CCP government and beaten brutally in the detention jail. … So weak once was she that she thought about suicide for fear that she could not bear the police’s afflictions. It was God’s words that led her to stand witness and not to betray Him. After getting out of the detention jail, she had some knowledge and discernment of the evil and contemptible substance of the CCP police, and deeply appreciated God’s love and protection. To avoid being hunted and monitored again by the CCP police and not to bring the danger of being arrested to brothers and sisters, she decided to leave her hometown for other places to hide herself. What’s more, as a creature of God, she was willing to perform her duty within her power to repay God’s love and salvation. That day, the dawn was breaking, and it was raining. Her husband called a taxi. Hardly had she gotten into the car when her daughter, draped in clothes, went out to say farewell to her. Zhou Ying felt pain in her heart at that moment. Seeing her husband and lovely daughter, she didn’t know what to say. In this way, such a happy family was forced to part from each other by the atheistic CCP. She held back her tears, saying to her daughter, “It’s raining. Just get inside the house in case you catch a cold.” The car drove off into a distance and the tears blurred her vision …

Day had broken when Zhou Ying boarded the train. She looked out of the window, the rain still falling. At the time, she felt somewhat desolate. Then God’s words she had read before came into her head, “For thousands of years this has been the land of filth. It is unbearably dirty, misery abounds, ghosts run rampant everywhere, tricking and deceiving, making groundless accusations,^[1] being ruthless and vicious, trampling this ghost town and leaving it littered with dead bodies; the stench of decay covers the land and pervades the air, and it is heavily guarded.^[2] … Forefathers of the ancient? Beloved leaders? They all oppose God! Their meddling has left all beneath heaven in a state of darkness and chaos! Religious freedom? The legitimate rights and interests of citizens? They are all tricks for covering up sin!” (“Work and Entry (8)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s words enabled her to understand: China is a ghost town and is under the control of the atheistic government, which is of Satan. The CCP deceives and bounds the Chinese people with atheism to make them turn away from God and worship it. Furthermore, it disallows people to believe in God and walk on the right path. Numerous Christians suffer its arrest, are imprisoned, and even are mutilated to death, which is an obvious fact. When the incarnate Almighty God, descending into Mainland China secretly, carries out the work of judgment in the last days, the CCP does everything in its power to impair and disturb God’s work: in cities and villages, installing cameras everywhere to monitor believers in God, as well as posting up notices all over and rewarding heavily those who report believers to them; breaking into houses at will to perform investigation and search or letting neighbors trail and watch on believers; oppressing and arresting wildly the Christians of the Church of Almighty God and interrogating them by cruel tortures, as well as running the brainwashing class to brainwash them so that they can deny God and betray God…. Zhou Ying has been suffering persecution since she began to believe in God. She can only have gatherings with a handful of brothers and sisters and dare not sing loudly; even when she walks, she needs to check whether someone tracks her, for the lackeys of the CCP are everywhere. The CCP pursues and condemns believers without restraint, but leniently deals with those who do evils, murderers, arsonists, thieves and robbers in the world, with the result that in the society run amuck the wicked. The substance of the CCP is a gang of devils, specially fighting against God. As a result, so many innocent brothers and sisters cannot go back to their own home, separating from their families …

At this point, a rush of cold air drove into her face, instantly bringing her to the real world from the memory. It would be the Spring Festival two days later. Seeing others spend it with their families, she was a bit homesick. Just then God’s words appeared in her mind, “The path that I am leading you on is My work and My mission, and it was ordained by God long ago, such that we were predestined to come this far, until today. That we have been able to do this is our great blessing, and although it has not been a smooth path, our friendship is everlasting, and it will be passed down through the ages. Whether cheers and laughter or sadness and tears, let it all become a beautiful memory! You may be aware that the days of My work are numbered. I have many work projects, and I cannot accompany you often. I hope you can understand Me—because our original friendship has not changed. … I hope that the things we shared in the past may become the flower of our friendship” (“The Path … (8)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Her tears began to pour down her face. She really felt that God was by her side and was comforting her with His words. She clearly knew that in experiencing God’s work, whether it is persecution or tribulation, God’s will is to perfect and save man. At the moment, feeling God’s love, she was not lonely, because God was with her.

The snow had ceased falling and the sun came out. The sunlight shining down on her body, she felt so warm in her heart and also acquired confidence. She pedaled her bicycle to the meeting location.

On the way home, she felt she gained a lot at this meeting, realizing that every one of us, coming into this world, has our own mission, and that her mission is to cooperate in spreading the kingdom gospel of God to complete His commission. She remembered Almighty God’s words, “From the moment you come crying into this world, you begin to fulfill your duty. Performing your role in God’s plan and in His ordination, you start your life’s journey” (“God Is the Source of Man’s Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). The words of God made her understand more clearly: Everyone lives in the ordination of God and all things in the universe exist under the sovereignty of Him. Everyone’s breath is from Him; no person can exist independently and all of us enjoy the gratuitous provision and nourishment of Him. She felt assured to commit her husband and children into God’s hands and allow Him to rule over their subsequent fates. She was aware that it was due to God’s ordination that she could come before Him and that doing her duty as a created being was the performance of her own obligations, which was even more God’s exaltation. She thought that thanks to God’s care and protection, she could come this far; due to God’s leading, she walked out of the negativity and weakness and all manner of dangerous situations. At the same time, she got acquainted with a number of brothers and sisters who were strange to her and weren’t her relatives but were even closer than relatives.

She returned to the sister’s home happily, and spent the Spring Festival’s Eve with them. Although she wasn’t reunited with her family, yet having God’s love and the sister’s company, she did not feel lonely.

Footnotes:

1. “Making groundless accusations” refers to the methods by which the devil harms people.

2. “Heavily guarded” indicates that the methods by which the devil afflicts people are especially vicious, and control people so much that they have no room to move.