親愛的弟兄姊妹平安，
「我觀看你指頭所造的天，並你所陳設的月亮星宿，便說：人算甚麼，你竟顧念他！世人算甚麼，你竟眷顧他！」詩篇八3-4
上次寫信説及的是端午節的事，轉眼中秋節也過了，好像疫情並沒有攔住時間的飛逝。七月中旬接到來電，告訴我上次提到過那位尿道發炎的老弟兄，因為大量流血被送院住進深切治療部。隔了幾天去醫院探病，才知道在疫情期間探病麻煩很多，不單縮短探病時間，進去還要填表。我剛到醫院，已經看到一條隊伍在等候，便跟著排隊。結果到門口才知道要填表，由於我把手機號存了入檔，但因醫院網絡訊號弱，未能下載資料，只好打電話問人才完成填表手續，遞交後要探熱，沒有發燒才能進去。由於告訴我消息的弟兄也沒有清楚向我說明老弟兄住院的房間號，問了詢問處，我聽完之後還是似懂非懂的跟著指示走。到了深切治療部門口，才明白原來還要用對話機請護士來開門讓我進去。原來老弟兄休假回去舊老闆那裡，當晚睡在員工宿舍，由於流血過多暈倒，被員工看到地上很多血，才叫救護車送醫院。他臉上都是瘀血，估計是暈倒時撞到什麼東西。他住了幾天加護病房，再轉到普通病房多住幾天就出院了。感謝主，他的身體已經恢復很多。
由於疫情待在家裡的時間太久，吉森團契的弟兄姐妹就在七月底組織了一次郊遊，大家能見面，在風和日麗下遊湖呼吸新鮮空氣，一家一家坐在草坪上吃自帶的午餐，一起唱詩，玩得很開心。在我們旁也有很多德國人在休息，有位德國女士看到我們謝飯禱告，在離開前好奇地過來問我們是不是基督徒。沒想到一個小動作也能見證神。
有一位博士後去年來吉森大學工作，丈夫也陪她過來一起生活。她在國內也有去過教會，所以他們就來參加我們的查經班，並且很喜歡與我們一起查經。由於疫情，團契裡的一對年輕夫妻與他們開始在網上學習一個有關婚姻的課程。後來姊妹便帶了那位博士後做了決志禱告。可惜她老闆去別城工作，他們也就要跟著搬家。八月中有幾位弟兄姊妹和這對夫妻來我家附近一個小城遊玩，我便邀請他們兩對夫妻來我家聚會，參加網上一個佈道會。佈道會之後，我們進入團契的網上聚會，以便大家向他們道別，再一次確認他們的信仰和為他們祝福禱告。
八月中法蘭克福華人教會終於開始了實體聚會，但是由於限制很多，而且因為有同步的直播，所以來教會的弟兄姊妹才十多位。因為要去教會，所以住教會附近那位弟兄也開放家庭，讓願意去的弟兄姊妹參加主日的查經班，同步也有弟兄姊妹參加網上聚會。其他團契仍然是在網上聚會。
三星期前與弟兄去了一天的探訪，結果又認識了一位老華僑。她的朋友是教會的姊妹，因為在她得癌症期間常常去醫院探望她，為她禱告，所以她很喜歡禱告。可是當姊妹邀請她參加查經班的時候，她就推卻。原來她以為查經班是茶經班，她不喜歡與中國人打交道。當我們解釋過後，她就願意來看看，於是弟兄為她安裝好上網的應用程式，並教她如何使用。當她進去查經班之後，就被那位79歲老姊妹認出來，她們很久沒有見面了！
自從疫情開始，吉森學生查經班的多位學生都不願意網上聚會。由於上面提到的夫妻也搬離吉森，網上聚會的人就更少了。我們決定不管人數多少，開始實體聚會。第一次有一位學生參加。第二次沒有人報名，我們只好在網上聚會。中秋節那週，便邀請他們一起到外面吃飯，有兩位報名。
一位姊妹和家人年初搬來法蘭克福，後來有姊妹介紹她來和我們線上查經，已經有好幾個月了。最近一位弟兄知道她家原來在疫情期間開了一家餐館（合約是去年簽的），生意非常冷淡，便建議弟兄姊妹去她家餐館吃飯。剛好有一位來交流一年的學生要回國，我們便在那裡給學生踐行。我們才第一次與姊妹見面，她父母也很客氣。姊妹的母親因為看到女兒信主之後的身體健康了，所以也願意女兒來參加查經班。我們也為她母親禱告，兩週前她母親的手被貨物壓傷，有一根手指骨折了。
感恩與代禱事項：
- 為老弟兄得到醫治獻上感恩！求主繼續保守他的身體，帶領他準備過退休生活。
- 感謝主保守，那位博士後夫妻已經平安搬家！求主帶領他們適應新的環境，找到一個合適他們的教會；目前他們還在參加吉森學生組的網上查經，求主堅固他們的信心。
- 感謝主的恩典，讓我們慢慢接觸一些來德國幾十年的餐館業人士，邀請他們加入我們的廣東話查經班。他們分佈在不同地方，而且大部份都是年長人士，因著疫情，聚會在網上進行。感謝我們的弟兄，他幫他們安裝上網的應用程式及教他們使用，使得他們都可以參加，雖然剛開始他們都有點困難，但是能參加查經班，他們都很開心。求主幫助，讓新加入的老姊妹能明白主的話語。
- 求主憐憫家人開餐館的姊妹，使她媽媽的手指能早日康復！求主也憐憫開餐館的弟兄姊妹，使他們有能力應付疫情期間的經濟壓力。
- 求主保守教會與吉森查經班的實體聚會，使弟兄姊妹有平安的心來參加聚會。
願主保守你們出入平安！
主的使女
鄧秀珍
二零二零年十月四日
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Dear brothers and sisters,
“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?” Psalms 8:3-4
Last letter I mentioned about things happened during the Dragon Boat Festival. But we just passed Mid-Autumn Festival. It seems that the pandemic did not hinder the time from passing by fast. In mid-July, I received a call telling me that the brother whom I mentioned in my last letter that he had bladder infection was admitted into intensive care unit due to the loss of much blood. A few days later, I went to visit him and found out that it was very troublesome to visit a patient during this pandemic. Not only that the visiting hours were cut short, one had to fill out an information card. When I arrived to the hospital, there was a line already. So I lined up without knowing that the guard had just passed out a form to be filled. I got the form only after I arrived at the entrance of the building. I forgot my handy number because I stored it in my phone and I wasn’t able to open my file since the internet signal was very weak. I had to call a brother in order to find out my phone number to be able to fill out that form. Then the guard let me in after checking my temperature. Since the brother who called me didn’t tell me the room number, I asked the information desk. After hearing the instruction, I wasn’t sure I understood what was told to me. When I arrived at the entrance of the intensive care unit, I understood what was instructed to me. A nurse brought me to the old brother’s room. The brother told me that he went to visit his old boss because his new boss closed the restaurant for a short holiday. He slept at his old boss’ workers dormitory that night. Because of much blood loss, he fainted. A worker there saw the blood on the floor and called the ambulance. He had many bruises on his face probably caused by knocking on something while falling. He was moved out of the intensive care unit for some days before moving to the normal ward. He was discharged a few days later. Thank God that he has recovered much better.
After staying at home for a long time due to the shutdown, our brothers and sisters in the Giessen bible study group organized an outing. Everyone was happy to see each other and breathed some fresh air while walking around a lake on a sunny warm day. We sat down on a grassy place family by family to eat our lunch. We also sang some Christian songs. Next to us were also some Germans resting. Out of curiosity, a German lady came to ask us if we were Christians just before she left that place. She saw that we said grace before eating. Without our knowledge we could testify God with a little action.
A post-doctorate came to work in the university in Giessen last year. Her husband accompanied her to live with her. The husband had gone to church from time to time in China. So, they came to our student bible study group. They liked to study the bible with us. Since the pandemic came, a young couple from our co-worker team started learning a marriage course with them on-line. Later on, our sister led the postdoc to accept Jesus Christ as her Savior. Unfortunately, her boss went to work in another city. So they had to move accordingly. In mid-August, some brothers and sisters along with them went to visit a city near where I live. I invited them to come after their visit and join an on-line evangelistic meeting. After the evangelistic meeting, our bible study group went on-line again so that we could say farewell to the postdoc couple. Once again, we confirmed their faith and blessed them with our prayers.
In mid-August, Frankfurt Chinese Church resumed actual meeting. Due to the many restrictions, less than 15 people come to church Sunday service because there is also live broadcast at the same time. Since we go to church, the brother who lives near our church opens his place for our bible study again. There are still some meeting on-line. As to the rest of our other fellowships, every one is still meeting on-line.
Three weeks ago, I went with a brother to do some visitations and met another old overseas Chinese. She was a friend of a sister. When she had cancer and was hospitalized, the sister went to visit her and prayed for her. So she likes prayers. But when the sister asked her to join our on-line bible study, she refused. She thought that bible study which in Chinese sounded like drinking tea together with people chit- chatting. She didn’t really want to interact with Chinese people too much. After we explained to her what bible study meant, she was willing to have a look. Our brother helped her set up the app and taught her how to use it. When she joined us a second time, she was recognized by our 79 years old sister who hadn’t seen her for a long time.
Since the pandemic, some of the students in Giessen bible study group were not willing to meet on-line. Since the couple mentioned above left Giessen, there is only one student left to join our on-line bible study. So, we decided to meet in church regardless how many students showed up. The first week, there was one student showed up. The second time, no student came, so we did the bible study on-line. Last week, we took the opportunity to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival and invited the students to have dinner together. Two students came. While at the restaurant table, we were able to share some of our testimonies. One student expressed that he believed God. But we wanted to make sure that he knew what kind of God he believed. He told us that whenever he was in Giessen, he was willing to join our bible study.
A sister and her family moved to Frankfurt from another city at the beginning of this year. Another sister introduced her to us and she had been attending our on-line bible study for some months. Recently, a brother learned that her family opened a restaurant during the pandemic ( the contract was signed end of last year). The business was very bad. So the brother asked us to eat at that restaurant. It just happened that an exchanged student for one year was about to return home. So, we decided to give him a farewell at the restaurant. Only then did we see the sister’s face for the first time. Her parent treated us well. Her mother was happy to let her daughter joined the bible study after she saw that her daughter’s health got much better after believing in God. We prayed for her mother also. Two weeks ago, her mother’s fingers got pressed by some hard objects and one of the fingers got fractured. We went there again for a second time to give the sister a surprise birthday cake. We prayed for her mother again. The sister and family was very happy!
Thanksgiving and prayer items:
- Thank God for healing the old brother! Pray that God will continue to keep him healthy and guide him to prepare for his retirement life!
- Thank God for a safe move for the postdoc couple! Pray that God will help them adapt to the new environment and find a suitable church! For the time being, they are still joining Giessen’s student bible study on-line. Pray that God will strengthen their faith!
- Thank God for His grace that slowly we could find some old Chinese restaurant people and invite them to join our Cantonese bible study group. They are scattered in different places and many are retirees. Because of the pandemic, they were able to join us on-line. Thanks to our brother who helped install the App and taught them how to use it so they could join us. Although there were difficult times to join on-line in the beginning, they were happy to be able to join the bible study group. Pray that God will help the old lady so that she can understand God’s words!
- Pray that God will have mercy on the sister’s restaurant business! Pray for a speedy recovery of her mother’s finger! Pray that God will have mercy on those brothers and sisters who also own restaurant business so that they will have enough power to face this financial difficulties during this pandemic!
- Pray that God will keep both our church and Giessen’s actual meetings safe and that our brothers and sisters will have the peace in heart to join the meetings!
May God also keep you safe both in and out!
Serving Him,
Karen Tang
