I flew to Spain right after the 2013 Spring Festival, having only been a Christian for half a year and attending a church in Shanghai. The only thing I knew back then was that I had the Lord and could finally stop relying on money.
In my life before Jesus, “money” was the only thing that could bring me a sense of safety and security. A few friends joked that I was so poor that all I had left was money. As my faith grew, I realized that it was not a joke, but thanks to the Lord, with Him, I was able to face everything. I decided to leave behind the scars and burden of the past, heading to Spain for a fresh start.
“In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” I wanted to start over by changing my living country, which was a visible external change. However, what God wanted was an invisible inner change.
When I landed in Spain, I contacted a local church and moved in with an older sister about two weeks later. On the first day, I met her one-year-old granddaughter and had some fun with her. The next night, I developed a fever and rash and attempted to detoxify with a hot bath, but the old sister grumbled about the excessive use of water. I apologized and offered to pay for the extra water, but she became even angrier: "You think you Chinese are rich; don't show off here." I tried to explain, but it was useless.
That night, noises came from outside the window, and the old sister complained from outside the door. After a hot bath, the rash spread from my head to my toe, becoming red, swollen, painful, and extremely itchy, which made me unable to lie down to sleep.
I looked in the mirror and saw that my face was covered in rashes. I couldn't help but feel sad, so I began to pray. Half a year ago, I left Guangzhou, where my family was suffocating, for the unfamiliar Shanghai, and then fled to this foreign country. Now I may be scarred, with no idea how the future will unfold. I cried, and then a voice spoke to me: "No matter what pain you have suffered in the past or how you look, I will always be with you."
The voice was weak but clear and firm, suddenly bringing my heart to peace. I was very sure that it was from the Lord. I realized that the gospel I had listened to for half a year was only knowledge in my brain. At that moment, Jesus Christ appeared in my heart rather than my brain.
This relieved my anxiety and grief at the time, and I leaned my head against the wall, falling asleep peacefully. When I woke up, I called the church and learned that I got chickenpox from the older sister's granddaughter, which can be fatal for adults.
But thanks to the Lord, I was able to get through it safely. When I showed up at the church fifteen days later, safe and sound, the brothers and sisters thanked God for protecting me. My faith was never the same, marking the beginning of God's healing and rebuilding of me.
- Translated by Poppy Chan
