JILIN, China – “Look, God loves me very much! I will treasure this Bible, I will read and keep it well,” 78-year old Zheng Yuzhen shared excitedly with her husband upon receiving a large-print Bible from her church with the support of United Bibles Societies (UBS).
“This large-print Bible is exquisitely crafted. The thumb index makes it very convenient for me to find the Scriptures. Most importantly, its huge font size makes reading clearer. I don’t have to strain my eyes reading the Bible now and could read it anytime!” Zheng was indeed overjoyed.
Life of Poverty
Zheng was born in a poor family and her father died when she was two years old. To escape from poverty, she married farther from her hometown. However, her life was still hard. “My husband had epilepsy and could not work. We lived on a shoestring budget in a single room with my in-laws and we always ended up in arguments. After giving birth to my child, we had even less meals, often worrying about the next meal. I was feeling down everyday,” Zheng recalled.
When her husband had more frequent seizures, Zheng had to take up temporary jobs assembling grommets and working in a brick factory. It came to a time when she couldn’t go on, and she almost wanted to divorce her husband.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, ESV).
During that very desperate season of Zheng’s life, a neighbour shared the gospel with her. “It was my first time hearing the good news. But I couldn’t attend church because of the heavy workload at home and long working hours,” Zheng shared.
She finally took her first step through the church doors two years later when a faithful Christian friend persisted in inviting her. Although she didn’t fully understand the sermon, the Holy Spirit worked in her heart. She felt her burden lifted and her mind was clear of confusion. Deeply touched by God’s Word, she would cycle for more than 40 minutes from home to attend both the morning and evening worship services. “My heart has been ‘captured tightly’ by God,” Zheng said.
Transformation Begins
“Before knowing God, I was never satisfied in my heart. I wanted someone who could comfort me and earn money. Instead, my husband had epilepsy and couldn’t work. He wasn’t good at expressing himself. I didn’t look up to him and would often scold him and quarrel with him.”
After becoming a Christian, Zheng understood from the Bible that the husband is the head of the family, and he should be respected. “Gradually, I discovered that my husband was actually very concerned about our family. He lived his life within his means, didn’t gamble and remained faithful to me. I then started to pray for him, asking God to heal his illness. I took care of him wholeheartedly, read the Bible to him and, amazingly, his epilepsy was cured!”
Blessing Others
When her husband experienced healing, and saw the changes in Zheng, he too became a believer! Since then, the couple has been getting up at 5 a.m., and Zheng’s husband would lead her in prayer. “Whenever I hear my husband praying, ‘Lord, your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, please teach me to understand your will’, my heart leaps with joy. We have been praying and reading the Bible every morning for several years now. We don’t stop even during the New Year celebrations!” Zheng shared.
Zheng’s life has been so blessed that she now leads some believers in her church in Bible reading and worshiping God from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. daily. “I use this large-print Bible to prepare for this ministry. I will read the Scriptures many times beforehand and ask my husband when I come across difficult words that I do not know. And I’ll write words with similar sounds next to the new words to help me remember. Thank you UBS for making all these possible!” Zheng shared gratefully.
Story: May Ang & Priscilla Fan
Photo: UBS China Partnership
2023 ©UBS China Partnership
