The little donkey who loves the Lord

[Family with special children] 2

▲ Endy has been studying piano seriously since he was a child. He once represented Delaware at the celebration of the International Special Association for Disabled Persons and went to Belgium to perform (1994) (Next to Endy is his mother, the author of this article, Ms. Zhang Shaoboli)

Chris, do you accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior? "Chris propped himself up and stood in the baptismal pool, holding his hands on his chest and looking at the sky. The whole chapel was silent, everyone waited with bated breath, hoping that Chris would not forget to nod.

Unexpectedly, Chris loudly said word by word: "I believe in the Lord Jesus! Thank you for being crucified and resurrected for me; He has forgiven my sins. I love my Lord Jesus with all my heart." Rising from the water, Chris shouted, "Hallelujah!" Then he turned to the audience and said, "Thank you, everyone."

Tears blurred the eyes of everyone present.

Chris is a friend of my third son, Endy, who he met while competing in the Special Olympics swimming competition. In an accident ten years ago, he lost his memory, speech and some functions of his hands and feet. Endi invited him to come to church, and my husband, Desheng, and I took him to attend worship services every Sunday for two years. The Lord’s salvation came to him. Today is a special day for Chris and Endy.

I sat next to Endy and looked at his happy smile. In addition to being grateful, I couldn't help but bring back many thoughts and memories.

A hard beginning, a lifetime of blessings

Twenty-four years ago, congenital Down syndrome not only gave Endy the title of "mentally retarded", but also caused dislocation of his internal organs. After undergoing six major surgeries and staying in the intensive care unit for 72 days, Endy returned home with wounds and no strength to even breastfeed. The doctor's prognosis for this little baby's life was very pessimistic. Extremely tired and disappointed, one day I dropped the milk bottle in my hand, lifted Endy up from the crib, and cried loudly to the ceiling. Tears flowed all over his pale face like a flood from a dam.

"Don't cry, the days will pass, day by day, year by year. Just raise him with peace of mind and leave everything about your child to me." This is the comforting voice of the Lord.

For twenty-four years, I have often asked, "Lord, how should I raise myself?" The Lord's answer is always the same: "Give him the blessing of a mother, the protection of angels, the teachings of a good teacher, and the care of a helpful friend." This simple principle It has become my daily motto and brings blessings throughout my life.

At the age of thirteen, Endy asked to be baptized. In order to confirm that he understood salvation, the pastor talked to him alone. I prayed outside the office for half an hour, hoping that this slurred, stubborn child would know how to answer. Finally, the door opened, and the pastor said that Endy's answer was very clear. He was sure of the child's understanding and determination for salvation, and decided to baptize Endy to bear witness to his faith in God in front of everyone.

One day after my baptism, I asked Endy: "Jesus loves you. Do you love Jesus?"

Endy replied: "I love it, I am His little donkey!"

"Why do you say it's a donkey colt?" I was puzzled.

"Because I love Him, I want Him to ride on me!"

What seemed like an innocent and childish answer turned out to be the child's wish.

From that day on, I often called him: "Little Donkey", and he really liked this nickname.

Bible-centered education

In middle school, Endi studied in a missionary school that adopted a self-study system (Self Pace Program). In addition to the Bible being a required course, all subjects were centered on the Bible - reading natural science and seeing the order and mystery of God's creation; History has discovered that the past of mankind is biblical history; we have explored humanities to see the character and principles that God wants us to build; we have studied language, art, and music to see the nature of praise; and we have seen God’s great love from diligent reading of the Bible.

In tenth grade, Endy worked hard and read the entire English Bible aloud. Others seemed foolish, but he gradually understood God's perfect plan. He was born with a high upper jaw bone, resulting in muffled speech. I tried my best to teach him but could not correct it. God miraculously healed his pronunciation through Endi's recitation of the Bible.

He studied the Old and New Testaments steadily every day, and I taught him each of the sixty-six books. Doing this every day for more than ten years has laid the foundation of the Bible and academic disciplines, as well as a life-long God-centered learning style. After graduating from high school, Endy overcame the obstacle of amblyopia by taking correspondence courses and continued to attend Chesapeake College, Ridgly, Maryland, to complete the Bachelor of Mission program.

The lesson of life does not end with school graduation. Desheng and I continue to follow Endy’s interests in all aspects and share the joy of learning.

Start small and learn to serve

In his twelfth grade year, Endi expressed his ambition for missionary work in the future, so I looked for opportunities for him to learn about service and to cooperate with others. We started with small things and discussed with the school management to let him clean the dining table after lunch every day, and Endy readily agreed. One day, I went to the school to observe secretly and saw him alone, carrying a bucket, wearing leather gloves and an apron, wiping along the tables one after another. After wiping, he put more than a hundred chairs on the table and returned to the classroom after they were all done. That night I told him that I saw him taking things seriously and asked him, "Why do you put the chairs on the table?" Endy replied, "Oh! I just want to learn to walk the second mile. That guy who mopped the floor Sister is working very hard. If I do more, she can rest early!"

In addition to the cleaning ministry, Endy has studied piano seriously since he was a child. His piano sound has brought many blessings to churches, nursing homes, and social charities. Endy is a happy person. He is not without difficulties, but he often holds "celebration parties" for himself. For example, he celebrates the new year, January, and even the new day. Especially every Saturday and Sunday night, he spends nearly an hour preparing his heart to be grateful for the past week and to be grateful for the next day. Sunday worship celebration. He not only sang and played the piano by himself, knelt down alone to pray and praise, prayed for the podium, but also faithfully wrote his thoughts in his diary. Sometimes I can’t help but laugh when I listen to him directing and acting and imitating pastors’ sermons. I can’t help but think of the Lord’s words: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Prayer of Jabez

Endy’s favorite prayer is the prayer of the Old Testament character Jabez: “I wish that You would bless me, expand my realm, be with me always, and protect me from trouble and hardship.” (1 Chronicles 4) Verse 10) The name Jabez means “pain.” Maybe Endi had a lot of pain when he was a child, and he felt "feeling sad". He often expressed his gratitude that his parents had not named him Jabez. In the past few years, he has earnestly prayed to God to bless him and expand his realm. God answered Jabez’s prayer and also answered the plea of Endi and our family.

The team that Desheng, Endi and I formed seemed to have more and more opportunities to serve the Lord. In addition to the two monthly nursing home ministries, opportunities for visiting, personal work, writing, pulpit, and missionary work are gradually increasing. God’s wonderful guidance often makes us amazed and cheering.

The scope of our ministry has also expanded from Americans, Chinese, to Mexicans. Endy grew up in the American church, and English is his native language, so he is most comfortable with it. However, he has been accustomed to speaking Chinese at home since he was a child, so he can communicate with Chinese people. Recently, at the invitation of a Mexican missionary, we participated in supporting his missionary plan and went to Mexico to bear witness. Seeing this child calmly giving his testimony in English on the podium and having his words translated into Spanish word by word, I really thank the Lord for giving us the experience and opportunity of super-cultural service.

"The Rhythm of Life"

Three years ago, Endy suddenly realized what "rhythm" is and discovered that the original English words of many traditional poems contain beautiful poetic rhyme. "I also want to write poetry!" Endy said.

So, I bought him an English Rhythm Dictionary and taught him how to use it. This little poet writes a poem every day and puts it secretly on my desk, waiting for me to laugh after reading it. Some of the poems he wrote are very good, while others are mediocre. Sometimes the rhyme is wrong, or the text is not on topic, but I cherish every poem because it is an expression of his inner thoughts. More importantly, it was his interest at the moment. People's preferences will change, and Endy is no exception. It is the responsibility and blessing of a parent to seize those precious teachable and learnable moments.

After two years of collecting, editing, and fundraising, a new book "The Rhythms of Life" has been published. This cute little book is a collection of testimonials compiled from Endy’s poems, sketches, and self-photographs.

We are members of First Baptist Church, Dover, Delaware. Pastor Bud Russell of this church volunteered to write the preface to this book and wrote his feelings: "Psalm 1 Article 137 states that "Children are the inheritance given by the Lord." This does not only mean that healthy, smart, and non-disabled children are the inheritance given by the Lord; do not use the term "Down syndrome" or some kind of disability. Become everything to someone else; and remember, I am not a perfect person either.”