Rice Ball

Zizian Zhong

“ Rice Ball ” is her nickname, given by Sister Little Sheep in church. Her first name is not Rice, and none of her family is called Ball.--by author

 

A little white sheep

It was the beginning of this story. It was a Sunday morning. Pastor had already finished his ermon. Everybody got together for the weekly Chinese tea gathering. It was about lunch hour. Everybody got hungry. Among them, there was this little white starving sheep. She was getting hungrier and hungrier while the Pastor was talking. And then, Pastor started to thank God for the food on table.

Finally, the little white starving sheep was able to focus on what Pastor ’ s voice. This was true until she saw a sister she knew from youth group. The sister was sitting close to her. When everybody was heading to the food, the sister was not moving. Instead, she was looking for something in her bag. Finally, she took out a white rice ball. It looked so delicious. 

Our little white starving sheep went to talk to that sister. The little sheep was thinking that she may get to taste the rice ball. She failed. She was sad for about two minutes. 

A few weeks later, it was another Sunday morning. It was also after a sermon. That sister came to the little sheep. Out of sudden, she gave our little sheep a rice ball. The little sheep opened the cover of this rice ball, and it tasted as good as her had always expected. She was so happy.

Later, every time she saw that sister, she would ask her for a rice ball. In the end, the little sheep just skipped the real name and called her “ Sister Rice Ball. ” 

Sister Rice Ball

This was how our story started. It was a Sunday morning in church. After sermon, everybody was in the weekly Chinese tea gathering. It was about lunch hour. 

Everybody was hungry. This was also true in her case. She was waiting for Pastor and some other people finished their talk. And then, she heard Pastor to thank the Lord for giving people all these food. All the tea and desert were prepared by church, and the suggested donation was 50 cents. She did not have money, and she did not want to take them for free. Therefore, she searched her bag and took out a rice ball. The rice ball was made from her leftovers last night. 

At that moment, a little white starving sheep went to her. The little sheep tried to taste the rice ball, but she was too shy to share the rice ball. The little sheep was looking sad. 

A few weeks later, she finally got some extra money. She prepared another rice ball with better fillings. It was also on a Sunday morning. It was also after a sermon. She gave the sheep a rice ball. The little white starving sheep was very happy. However, her own feeling was a bit complicated at the time. On the one hand, she was happy to serve the sheep. On the other hand, she was kind of worrying about her next meal. 

Half a month later, she found a stable job. She no longer worried about her next meal. Meanwhile, whenever they met up, the little sheep was always asking for rice balls. In the end, the little sheep just skipped her real name and called her “ Sister Rice Ball ” instead. 

Nowadays, when she thinks about this story of rice ball, she always thanks God for making everything happen. In the Bible, it is written “ It is more blessed to give than to receive, ” and it is also written “ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. ” What she experienced has demonstrated these verses in her life. The teachings that Jesus gave us through Bible are for real. They are reliable.

厄地馬拉宣教之旅

作者: 丘懿翔 | 譯者: 蕭淩

預備宣教
六年前，當我第一次聽到一位姐妹分享她的宣教旅程時，我就感受到了神要我參與宣教事工的呼召。那時，我心裡剛硬，不願為了宣教而放棄自己的年假。直到經過了為期兩年的，與神的不斷摔跤，我終於願意委身這個事工。可此時，神又向我關閉了通往宣教之旅的大門——父親與我在一年之內先後被診斷出患上癌症。於是對於神的呼召，我產生了懷疑，不僅如此，我更懷疑的是自己以後能否恢復健康。但在神醫治的大能及弟兄姐妹的禱告支持下，我的身體得以康復。並且在此期間，我對於宣教的熱心也從未冷卻。於是，我在禱告中再次尋求神的旨意，祂在夢中向我顯明我將要前往拉丁美洲。通過與多個宣教機構的面談，鷹派事工（ImpactMinistries）深深地觸動了我的心。更巧的是，他們服事的對象正是厄地馬拉的窮人。

屬靈爭戰
啟程前的一星期，正當我整裝待發之時，母親因腦部損傷被送入急診室。這個消息對我來說如同晴天霹靂，並且讓我感到十分困惑。我所不明白的是，既然神激勵我去參與宣教事工，卻又為何讓環境一再阻止我成行。在禱告中，我祈求神向我顯明祂的旨意，祂的回答是：當我委身參與神的事工，我就會進入屬靈爭戰。所以，我猜想我與我的家人正在遭受的是出於惡者的攻擊，唯有通過禱告，通過神的大能，才能戰勝撒旦的陰謀。禱告勇士們與我圍成一圈，為我們一家迫切禱告。在神的恩典與能力下，母親在腦手術後恢復迅速，這時雙親都不約而同地支持我繼續前往參加宣教。

早晨崇拜
每天早晨，宣教團都會與當地的基督教學校一同敬拜神。那是我第一次注意到這些可愛的厄地馬拉學生，他們身著漂亮的校服，眼睛緊閉，高舉雙手，在敬拜中大聲讚美神。然而我卻被當地的宣教士告知，在厄地馬拉，酗酒和家庭暴力現象非常普遍，大部分的婦女和她們的孩子身受折磨。也許在來到教會的前一天晚上，他們剛經歷過一場拳打腳踢。於是隔日早晨的敬拜之於他們，就像是神的避難所，在此他得以在神面前卸下心頭重擔，開始全新的一天。從那時起，每一次參加敬拜，我都淚流不已。他發自內心的誠摯敬拜，深深打動了我的心。

兒童
厄地馬拉的公立學校裡，有許多兒童從未聽到過耶穌基督的名字。我們宣教團的任務之一，便是前往建立一個兒童事工。去到厄地馬拉之前，我曾聽組裡成員聊起有可能會被孩子們的頭蝨和皮疹傳染，到埠後，更從他們身上聞到一股異樣的味道。孩子們渾身上下髒兮兮的，大部分孩童的衣服破爛不堪。因此，初來乍到的我覺得有些害怕。神就在那時提醒我，耶穌——神聖潔的兒子——來到這個充滿罪惡污垢的世界，擁抱接納我們。神的愛再次感動我，張開雙臂擁抱這些孩子。

異夢
宣教團曾有一次機會參觀當地的自由市場，體驗厄地馬拉人的日常生活。我驚奇的發現，一些曾在我以前的夢中出現過的場景，如今正展現在我的眼前！我想起夢中曾見到過這許多婦女兒童在塵土飛揚的街道兩側販賣物品的景象。我這才意識到，神早已在我的夢中讓我見到了這一刻。

洞穴和西希姆
當地傳教士帶我們參觀了幾個瑪雅人的敬拜場所：其中有一個洞穴，據說是冥界神靈的居所；另一個則是按傳統建立的崇拜大教堂。最初，我注意到教堂前面有兩個十字架，但當我走近觀看，發現十字架下面掛著一個朗姆酒瓶，裡面還有一些灰燼。走進教堂裡面，看到一個耶穌被釘十架的雕像，旁邊匾額卻寫?“西希姆之神”(LordofCixim)。傳教士向我們解釋，西希姆是當地粟米之神的名字，瑪雅人曾在此處向他們的神獻燔祭。西班牙佔領期間，羅馬天主教在此處建立了教堂，並豎立耶穌的雕像，將之命名為“西希姆之神”。看到天主教曾為了贏得信徒而將真理扭曲，以迎合當地的偶像崇拜，我感到很痛心。不幸的是，瑪雅人終究也沒能認識真正的耶穌，和差派他的那位真神，直到如今，他們仍然生活在謊言之中。在這兩個地方，我們宣教團圍成一圈向神獻上讚美，祈求祂將真光照進厄地馬拉的黑暗裡。

家庭探訪
家庭探訪是我整個宣教之旅的高潮，也是我印象最深刻的部分。部分團員或在宣教之前，或在宣教過程中，資助這裡的一些兒童。我們走訪每一個家庭，給他們帶去衣服、字典等禮物。通常大部分家庭都非常歡迎我們的到來。但當我們拜訪最後一個家庭時，情況卻大相徑庭。這家人住在山坡頂上，就在我們離他們家還有幾步路時，母親從家裡哭喊?奔跑出來。當我們走進他們家，只見家中每一個人都在哭泣，後來我們才知道，這是因為他們的小嬰兒剛剛夭折。房間裡充滿了悲傷淒涼的氣氛。我們呆若木雞，不知該如何回應。我暗自問神：“為什麼偏在這個時候，你把我們帶來這裡？你的旨意是什麼？”神藉著“除你以外”這首詩歌向我說話：祂才是那位唯一可以擦乾我們眼淚的，我們在這裡，充當祂的使者。我從背囊中拿出紙巾，過去擦乾孩子們的淚水，緊緊地擁抱?他們，並向神祈求祂的愛和安慰能通過我帶給這些孩子們。我甚至走近觀看那個剛剛夭折嬰孩的臉龐。雖然曾有過瀕臨死亡的經驗，再一次，我又直面死亡。我意識到我這一刻能活著，不是因為我比這嬰孩更應得到生命，乃在於神的主權。臨走前，宣教團員們圍在這家人的身邊，為他們禱告。我們告訴他們一個好消息，就是我們將會資助這家的其中一個孩子，讓他有機會接受教育並得到醫保。離開的路上，我們心情沉重，大家都很沉默。但神安慰我，在這家人絕望之時，我們被呼召代表祂給這家人帶來了希望。而祂會親自帶來醫治和生命的更新變化。

結語

通過這次宣教之旅，神拓展了我屬靈的眼光，通過特別的方式，我經歷了神的大能。我學到了，無論在人看來多麼微小的貢獻，只要我們敏銳地察覺到並順服聖靈的帶領，神就會完成祂自己的工作，並允許我們承受他所應許的果實。

My Sharing regarding Mission Trip to Guatemala

Yvonne Yau

 

I first sensed God ’ s calling to get involved with missions when I heard a sister ’ mission sharing about six years ago. At that time, my heart was hardened and I was not willing to give up my annual vacation for mission work. After two years of wrestling with God, I finally surrendered and signed up for a mission trip. However, the door was closed as my dad and I were both diagnosed with cancer within a year. I questioned God ’ s calling and doubted that I would ever regain my physical strength. Through God ’ s healing power and the prayer support from brothers and sisters, I was able to recuperate. Despite the situation, my heart for mission never ceased. Once again I prayed to seek God ’ s plan and He revealed to me in a dream that I will go to Latin America. After interviewing with many representatives from several mission organizations, Impact Ministries touched my heart the most. Coincidently, Impact Ministries serves the impoverished people in Guatemala! 

Spiritual Warfare

Just one week before my departure, as I was preparing for my mission trip, my mom had a brain injury and was admitted to the emergency room. I was devastated and confused. I did not understand why God would keep pounding on my heart to participate in mission work but the circumstances kept preventing me to go. When I asked God for clarity, He answered my prayer by telling me that as soon as I commit myself to do God ’ s work, I will enter into a spiritual warfare. I suspected that my family and I were under spiritual attacks and the only way to overcome Satan ’ s scheme was through accessing God ’ s divine power through prayers. I gathered a circle of prayer warriors and asked them to fiercely pray for my family. By God ’ s grace and power, my mom was able to have a speedy recovery after her brain surgery, then both my parents endorsed me to continue with my mission trip. 

Morning Worships

Every morning the mission team would join the worship at the local Christian schools. My attention was first drawn to the cute Guatemalan children all dressed in nice uniform as they closed their eyes and lifted their hands praising God at the top of their lungs. My perspective changed however when the local missionary explained that as alcoholism and domestic violence are very common in Guatemala, many children or their mothers were probably beaten the night before. The worship serves as their refuge in which God could release their burden and give them a brand new day. Since then my tears never stopped every time I was in the worship. I was so overwhelmed and touched by their sincere, heartfelt worship to the Lord our Saviour. 

The Children

One of our tasks was to deliver a children ’ s program to the public school students who may have never heard of Jesus. On our way there, some of my team members shared stories about getting hair lice and skin rashes from the children. I was a bit intimidated at first and as soon as I arrived, I could detect an unpleasant smell. The children had dirt all over their bodies and most of their clothes were torn. God reminded me of how Jesus, a holy man, came to this sinful world and embraced us. God ’ s love moved me and helped me to embrace the children with open arms. 

Prophetic Dream

Our team had a chance to go to the marketplace to experience the everyday life of the local Guatemalans. To my surprise, some images in the dream, revealed to me earlier, appeared right before my eyes! I recalled from my dream seeing many women and children selling things on both sides of the dusty streets. I realized in that moment that God had revealed to me a prophetic dream. 

Sink Hole & Cixim

The local missionary took us to visit a few worship sites of the Mayan people: One was a cave where it was believed the spirits of the underworld are. Another one was a cathedral church which was built on a traditional worship site. Initially I noticed two crosses in front of the church building but as I looked more closely, I noticed that there was a rum bottle and some ashes under the crosses. When I walked inside the cathedral, there was a statue of Jesus nailed on the cross but the plaque nearby says the “ Lord of Cixim ” . The missionary explained to us that Cixim is the name of the corn god and the Mayan people used to offer burnt sacrifice to their god on this site. During the Spanish Conquest, the Catholic built the church there and named the status of Jesus, the Lord of Cixim. It hurts to see how the Catholic church presented a twisted truth by syncretizing with the local religion in order to win converts. Unfortunately, the Mayan people never got to know the one and the only true God, and they are still living under the lies. In both places, our team stood in circle and praised God to bring light to the darkest place in Guatemala. 

Home Visit

The home visit was the climax and the most memorable part of my mission trip. Some of our team members have sponsored children or just started sponsoring children during the trip. We went to each of their homes and brought them gifts of clothes and stationaries. Usually all the family members would come to greet us with their warmest welcome. However in our visit to the last family, the situation was very different. That family lived on top of a steep hill. Just when we were a few steps away, the mother ran out from the house and burst into tears. When we arrived, every members of the household was crying because a baby boy just died. The entire room was filled with grief and sorrow. We were stunned and did not know how to respond. I asked God: “ Why did you bring us here at this moment? ” and “ What is you purpose in this? ” God spoke to me through a song (named 除 你 以 外 ) that He is the One who wipes our tears away and we are to be His representatives. I took the tissue papers out from my bag and went to wipe the tears of the children. I hugged them tightly while praying that God's love and comfort will flow through me. I also went to take a closer look at the dead baby. Having come close to death, I once again faced death. I was reminded that the reason I am alive today is not because I deserve to live any more than that little boy but because of God ’ s sovereignty. At the end of the visit, all our team members surrounded the family and prayed for them. We brought them the good news that we would sponsor one of her sons and from then on, her son will have access to education and the family to healthcare. When we left, our hearts were heavy and nobody said a word in the van. God had comforted me that all we were called to do is to represent God to bring hope to the family in the midst of their desperation. He himself will bring healing and life transformation. 

Conclusion

Through this mission trip, God has opened my eyes to the spiritual realm and I have experienced His mighty power in a very special way. I ’ ve learned that no matter how insignificant our contribution may seem, as long as we are sensitive and obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, God will complete His work and will allow us to inherit the fruits of His accomplishments.

一個沒有耳朵的人

Jona

 1952年，在台灣新竹縣的石磊部落裡，有一位泰雅族的女人分娩後，看見她的嬰兒竟然沒有耳朵，傷心之餘，想到他以後要忍受被人嘲笑的痛苦，又擔心殘疾人難以在窮困的部落裡生活，於是偷偷用布把嬰兒包起來，丟到山下，希望早一點結束他不幸的一生。兩天之後，這個女人想去幫嬰兒收屍，卻驚訝地發現，嬰兒還活著。女人的父親知道這事後，因著他的基督教信仰，他鼓勵女兒好好把這孩子養大。

這嬰兒後來被取名為“徐正路”。由於天生聾啞，他自幼在族人的嘲笑中長大，雖然聽不到聲音，但看得到人家臉上的表情；也由於無法表達心裡的憤怒，他的性情變得非常暴躁易怒，而且相當敏感。只要發現有人在看他，他就覺得人家在嘲笑他，他就會打人；又喜歡酗酒，天天過著醉生夢死的生活，成為部落裡的頭痛人物。

 家人希望他能從基督的信仰裡得到幫助，他卻經常偷偷從聚會中溜走，有時奉獻袋傳到他面前，他就把手伸進去，偷奉獻袋裡的錢，拿去請朋友大吃大喝。在他十七歲那一年，有一次教會舉辦特會。他又想溜走，沒想到母親請了六個大男生看守著他，不給他出教會的門。

突然之間，他回頭往講台方向走，他說：““我感覺有一股力量推著我往佈道台前進，我想掉頭而走卻使不上力。”他以為是那六個男生推他，後來卻發現身後根本沒人。

當他到了講壇前面時，聽到一個聲音說：“達路！達路！我是耶穌！你是我心愛的孩子！你要悔改！”（達路是他的乳名）。在這之前，他什麼也聽不見，可是一聽到這聲音，他不由自主地跪下，大聲說出：“感謝上帝！”在場的人卻沒有聽到聲音，只見他滿頭汗水，叫了一聲之後，突然吐了一地髒東西。從此之後，他就能聽能說。但是他後來發現，神把“耳朵”放在他的額頭內，所以他聽電話，要把聽筒放到額頭上。

在無師自通的情況下，他學會了各種樂器，歌曲創作；只有小學畢業，卻在一夜之間畫好建新教會的藍圖。日本醫界曾經以科學儀器驗證他的如鼠小耳沒有聽覺反應，而被認為他能聽見是一項神蹟。

現在，這位徐正路已成為當地教會的長老，目前以種植有機蔬菜為生，有時間時就到處傳揚神在他身上的作為，為讓人認識這位偉大的神。

The Man Without Ears

 Jona | English Translation: Maggie Tsui

In 1952, in an aboriginal tribal village called Quri in Hsinchu, Taiwan, an Atayal woman gave birth to a baby without ears. Heartbroken, she wrapped the baby with linen and tossed him down into a valley. She wanted to end his young, unfortunate life early, for she did not want her son to endure the pain of being ridiculed as he grew up. Moreover, she worried that his disability would hinder his livelihood in the already poverty-stricken village. Two days later, she went to retrieve his body, but was shocked to discover that the baby was still alive. After learning about the story, the woman ’ s father, a Christian, encouraged her to do her best to raise the baby. 

The baby was named Cheng-Lu Hsu ( “ Cheng-Lu ” means the way of righteousness). He grew up bearing the mockery from his tribal people. Although he could not hear them, he could see their scoffing faces. Since he could not express his anger, he became quite irritable and sensitive. Whenever he saw somebody staring at him, he would beat him up because he thought they were laughing at him. He was also an alcoholic, squandering his life and becoming the headache of his village. 

His family hoped that Christian principles could help him, but he often snuck away from church meetings. Sometimes, when the offering bag was passed before him, he would steal the money and treat his friends to a big feast. 

One day when he was 17 years old, he once again tried to sneak away from a special meeting at church. This time, his mother had gotten six big guys to block his way out. Then suddenly, he turned back and walked straight toward the pulpit. He said, “ I felt that there was a power pushing me forward to the pulpit. I wanted to resist but was powerless to do so. ” He thought the power was from the six men, but later discovered that there was nobody behind him. 

As he approached the pulpit he heard a voice, “ Ta-Lu, Ta-Lu, I am Jesus! You are my beloved child! Repent! ” (Ta-Lu was his infant name.) Before this, he could not hear, but when he heard this voice, he involuntarily knelt down and proclaimed, “ Thank God! ” The congregation did not hear God ’ s voice, but saw him full of sweat, crying out loudly, and spit out loads of filth on the ground. After this, he could hear and speak. Later, he discovered that God put the ears in his forehead! So when he talked on the phone, he placed the phone on his forehead. 

Without being taught, he learned to play all sorts of musical instruments, and even wrote his own compositions. He had only finished the grade school, but he was able to draw the new church ’ s blueprints overnight. Doctors from Japan tested his severely-underdeveloped ears and found no auditory response; they concluded that it was a miracle that he could hear. 

Cheng-Lu Hsu is now an elder at a local church, and makes his living by growing organic produce. When he has time, he tells others the miraculous work God has done in him, so that people can come to know this Great God. 　

Changes

Linda Yang

2001. I was 13 years old and an aspiring writer. My father, who is conveniently the editor of this newspaper, asked if I wanted to contribute to Truth by writing and translating articles. I jumped at the opportunity. Later I found out that he had ulterior motives—it was a way to get me to practice my Chinese without him having to breathe down my neck to do it. I started amassing short stories and inspirational articles from various sources and translating one each month for the youth bilingual column. I asked my close Christian friends to submit their testimonies; some of my favourite articles are these personal stories of transformation and redemption. Time went on and coming up with the monthly article became a part of my life’s rhythm. My eye was always on the look out for interesting articles to share.

變化

楊光

2001年，我年僅13歲，想當作家。我的爸爸，正好也是本報總編輯，問我是否願意為《真理報》寫作、翻譯文章，我馬上抓住了這個機會。後來發現爸爸“別有用心”—這是一個讓我繼續練習中文的辦法，免得他每次像“趕鴨子上架”似的逼著我做中文練習。我開始從不同的來源積累短篇故事、鼓舞人心的文章，並每月為青年版的「雙語園地」翻譯一篇。我還邀請了我的基督徒朋友將他們的見證寫給我發表。我最喜歡的一些文章就是個人生命轉變和被拯救的故事。一天天過去了，每月提交文章成了我生活節奏的一部分。我總是在注意尋找出有趣的文章來分享給讀者。  

希望 Hope

小米 Naomi | 英譯 English Translation: Linda Yang

沒有希望，
就不會失望……
可是，生活在絕望裡面
有甚麼好？

實際，
有了希望，
就不怕失望……
因為真正的希望從神來
而從神那裡來的禮物
不因為環境的改變而改變

《聖經》上說：“如今長存的有信、有望、有愛這三樣”
可見，神給我們預備了的信心、愛與希望
將一直持續到永遠……

你想要生活在滿懷的愛與希望當中嗎？
承認自己是需要拯救的罪人
接受耶穌基督為你的救主吧……

Without hope,
You’ll never be disappointed…
But, living with hopelessness,
Is it any better?

Actually,
With hope,
You will never be disappointed…
Because real hope is from God,
And gifts from God
Will never change when circumstances do.

The Bible says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love…”
You see, God prepared us faith, love, and hope
To last unto eternity…

Do you want to live life filled with love and hope?
Admit that you are a sinner in need of saving;
Accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour…