Twenty-three years ago, as spring warmed a small rural courtyard in Northwest China and flowers began to bloom, the Ren family experienced the coldest spring. The second brother's child had been diagnosed with kidney failure, and the attending physician stated bluntly, "Either a kidney transplant, or you wait for death." The family had exhausted their savings and borrowed everywhere they could.
In their despair, someone shared the gospel with them, recounting Jesus' miracles of healing and resurrection: "If you believe, you will be healed." After the discussion, the seven Ren siblings decided the whole family would turn to the Lord in hopes of a miracle. But no miracle came, and the child passed away. Even years later, the youngest sister, Ren, still chokes up when recalling that time.
After the child's death, the second brother's family lost their faith completely, and many other members of the family wavered. The eldest sister admitted that during that period, she only said, "I still believe," to reassure church members, even though she had already renounced faith in her heart.
Yet this reluctant declaration prompted months of church visits. Whether under scorching sun or in fierce snowstorms, local believers traveled across mountains to reach the Ren home. "They would sing and dance when they prayed, making a lot of noise. We had just lost a child and wanted quiet," she recalled. At first, she disliked these visits, and some villagers gossiped, "This family lost a child, yet they still allow such commotion."
Because the Ren family was not very receptive, only two sisters from the church continued visiting. One day, the eldest Ren sister learned that one of them had slipped and fallen on the snowy road home and was still bedridden from the injury.
She was deeply moved. "With such persistence, what reason did I have not to believe? These people came to visit us with such sincerity. They paid a price, even getting hurt, so that we could be saved and enter heaven."
Her eldest brother often encouraged the family: "Through them, we see the goodness of Jesus. Though the body dies, the soul remains."
In August 2003, her eldest brother's family was baptized, and the Ren sisters also gradually regained some faith. The younger Ren sister continued to hesitate. Her older sister laughed, saying, "I'm rather 'sharper' (clever and always calculating), so I thought, 'You all go first; I want to see what benefit there really is.'"
But as she watched more family members come to faith, an unexpected sense of urgency arose within her. One day, she heard that the village church was offering a session on "One Hundred Questions About Faith," and she hurried there without even stopping to eat. After the talk, she sang all the way home. "In that moment, my heart was on fire," she recalled.
When the day of her own baptism arrived, she was entirely unprepared and could only receive sprinkling. She had not even heard the pastor's questions of confession clearly, "so I simply answered, 'I believe it works.'" She admitted the baptism was "both rushed and confusing."
At that time, her younger sister had still not been baptized.
Years later, the eldest brother's family became a well-known host family in the area, while Ren's younger sister worked away from home for most of the year. Although her sister-in-law invited her to church gatherings several times, she only attended occasionally.
One night, she was startled awake by a dream: her nephew lay on a hospital bed, covered with a white sheet, being pushed away by four nurses up a staircase that stretched into the distance. She ran after them, shouting, "Wait—!" But she could neither catch up nor find the entrance to the staircase.
She shared the dream with her older brother, who replied, "If you don't get baptized, you'll always be standing outside the door, unable even to find the way."
That sentence became a turning point for her. In 2007, she was baptized. At the time, she thought, "My whole family believes now. I can't be separated from them. I'm afraid they'll go to heaven while I go to hell."
Later, she received theological training and became a village preacher.
Today, the two sisters continue to oversee the small meeting place, a ministry they have sustained for more than a decade. Though the village was demolished during urban redevelopment and the older generation has passed away, their gatherings have never ceased.
The elder sister welcomes visitors, and the younger sister preaches sermons. Together, they hope to continue passing on the message of "salvation of souls."
Originally published by the Christian Times
- Edited and translated by Poppy Chan
