The road to Tianfu

Mrs. Lu Caixiu talks about spiritual reconstruction of Sichuan earthquake victims

Interview/Lin Minwen

Child, please hold on to your mother's hand. The road to heaven is too dark. Let your mother accompany you.
Mom, don't cry, let us go slowly
Mom, I will remember our promise to go together in the next life

- Excerpted from a memorial to the young lives lost in the earthquake in Sichuan, author unknown

cry of the living

When Mrs. Lu Caixiu learned about the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake, she was not only shocked, but also felt personal pain. The training in Sichuan was completed at the end of April 2008 and I returned to the United States. The scene of the brothers and sisters reluctant to leave was still before my eyes. How could the huge force tear the heaven and earth apart in an instant, twist the mountains and rivers, and swallow up lives?

Cai Xiu and Pastor Shi Jinglu, director of the Asia Mission Department of Hope International Ministries in Florida, USA, have been working together on missionary missions to the mainland every spring for more than ten years since 1993. Initially, it was to reach the audience of the gospel broadcasts I produced. Later, through the guidance of Chinese brothers and sisters in the United States, I had the opportunity to visit churches in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, etc., leading local preachers and co-workers to pursue spiritual advancement, and teaching Children’s Sunday school, Christian consultation, and leadership character training. In the past five years, a group of Christian leaders have been trained in Sichuan and have a deep affection for the local customs and culture.

For several days, the media broadcast images of the disaster area. None of the earth, rocks, trees, and roads were intact; limbs, lives, and homes were all in dire straits. Sichuan has always been known as the "Land of Abundance", but now it seems like a living hell. China is a vast country with abundant resources. Does it mean that even disasters have to be so profound and extensive?

At this time, Cai Xiu read a poem that conveyed the feelings of many mothers mourning their children. Indeed, mothers may find some comfort in the fact that the children whose lives were taken away by the earthquake will be welcomed into heaven. However, how do they know that they will be reunited with their children in heaven? Losing your only close relative is a wound that is difficult to heal in this life. If there is no proof of meeting each other, how can you have the motivation to live?

Cai Xiu seemed to hear the silent cries of mothers. She asked herself and God: "What should I do?"

▲The 512 Wenchuan Earthquake is about to expire one year ago, and the spiritual reconstruction of the victims will be a long-term battle of resistance.

The cry of the injured

Soon, brothers and sisters from all over the mainland who had received training from Pastor Cai Xiu and Pastor Jing Lu began to call out:

"No money, no supplies, we need counseling."

It turns out that as soon as the earthquake occurred, Christians from all over the country responded to the huge flood of volunteers and entered the disaster area with the intention of spreading the gospel, either to help distribute supplies or to care for the injured.

Even though they were ostracized in some tribes, good news still spread from time to time. They spread the good news of Jesus' salvation to one person, and then the whole family believed in the Lord, and soon the whole village also converted to Christ.

However, facing compatriots whose bodies and souls were shattered, the foundation of the brothers and sisters' faith was also shaken. They asked:

"Mother, since God can create heaven, earth, mountains and rivers, why can't he prevent earthquakes from happening?"

"Teacher, they asked me, if God is loving, why did he take so many lives?"

A very important part of the ministry of Pastors Cai Xiu and Jing Lu is personal consultation and training of Christians to engage in negotiation work. The frustrated and weak voices of the brothers and sisters penetrated the mountains, oceans and continents, and penetrated Caixiu's heart. Yes, after destruction there must be reconstruction. Psychological counseling based on Christian faith will be a channel to convey God’s grace.

Due to the urgent need, in addition to encouraging and comforting these brothers and sisters on the phone, Cai Xiu quickly found someone to translate the psychological counseling handouts and send them to them through the Internet. She also knows that counseling work cannot just rely on the steps listed in handouts, but also requires on-site case discussions and coping exercises.

Cai Xiu and Pastor Jing Lu have worked together for fifteen years, and their friendship with each other is far more than that of friends or partners. Pastor Jinglu’s mother passed away in early 2008. After the funeral, she immediately went to the Far East to preach. After less than two months of rest after returning to the United States, she will go to Taiwan to hold a children’s English camp in the summer. Coupled with the intensive post-disaster counseling training in Sichuan, which is tiring and tiring, can Pastor Jinglu, who is over 70 years old, afford it?

▲Cai Xiu and Pastor Jing Lu actively conduct personal consultations and train Christians to engage in negotiation work. Psychological counseling based on Christian faith will be a channel to convey God’s grace.

In addition, when Cai Xiu asked mainland brothers and sisters about the possibility of training, she was dissuaded. Not only because the government has imposed heavy restrictions on entering the disaster area, but also because of the constant aftershocks, safety is at risk.

They prayed together and sought God's will. Pastor Jinglu reminded Cai Xiu that God had actually prepared it.

It turns out that for their missionary missions to the mainland every spring, they apply for visas for a single trip per year. Due to the tourism boom caused by the 2008 Beijing Olympics, it was difficult to obtain a visa. Unexpectedly, the embassy actually granted multiple visas this time. Caixiu understood that this was indeed a seal given by God.

We arranged our itinerary hastily and planned to go to Sichuan in mid-June. The Sunday before departure, the cat Cai Xiu adopted disappeared. For more than three years, this cat has been like a kind and kind friend, accompanying her on walks and listening to her prayers. Its departure left Cai Xiu, who had always been rational, with an unwavering sense of loss. She kept telling herself that this stray cat was originally a gift from God, but now it was just taken back by God. Caixiu thought about it, since she cherished a cat so much, wouldn’t Heavenly Father value lost souls even more? Her fluctuating emotions aroused her empathy. This trip was not only to teach counseling theories and techniques, but also to convey the spirit of caring for souls.

workers' equipment

A local brother led hundreds of volunteers to help care for earthquake victims in Chongqing hospitals. He privately invited Christian volunteers to participate in counseling training, and about thirty people signed up. After Caixiu and Pastor Jinglu arrived, they immediately started intensive courses for nearly two weeks. Pastor Jing Lu lectured in the morning and evening classes, with Cai Xiu translating. In the afternoon, there was individual tutoring. They cannot enter the hospital to visit the victims in person, but volunteers have been in contact with the people for some time, and their experiences can reflect the tragedy caused by the disaster:

*A man once injured his foot in a car accident and had difficulty moving. As soon as the earthquake struck, his wife left him and fled with the children. The husband survived the robbery, but he didn't know where his wife and children were. However, even if they could get together again, how should they face his wife? He asked the volunteers that the house could be rebuilt, but could the home be restored?

*School classrooms collapsed, destroying many young lives. However, one teacher was not overjoyed to be rescued. Instead, she was blamed by her parents for not protecting her students properly. Feeling deeply indebted, she questioned why she had survived.

﹡Volunteers comforted children who were recovering in the hospital, but parents showed up and spoke harshly. Volunteers had to mediate the relationship between father and son.

At one end of the rented temporary classroom, Pastor Cai Xiu and Pastor Jing Lu were preaching on the principles of counseling; volunteers were sitting around several long tables, each writing quickly. They are like shriveled sponges soaked in spring water, eager to open their hearts and minds to absorb knowledge and experience.

▲At one end of the temporary classroom, volunteers sat around several long tables. They were like shriveled sponges soaked in water, eager to open their hearts and minds to absorb knowledge and experience.

Cai Xiu constantly prays to God to give the volunteers empathy. Preaching the gospel and leading people to believe in the Lord is indeed the ultimate goal of Christians caring for people. However, this is not a condescending helping hand, trying to persuade the suffering people with theological principles. Instead, we should use a companionship mentality, cry with the mourners, and win friendship and trust with our own personal testimony and life behavior.

Cai Xiu observed that volunteers prefer to interact with people who are younger and have more open personalities, while they try to avoid those who are difficult to deal with, such as being withdrawn and irritable. Especially the elderly, who seem to be paralyzed by other senses due to excessive fright, and stay in a daze all day long. Sit and turn a deaf ear to the people around you.

Pastor Jing Lu emphasized seizing the opportunity to serve the elderly because they are in the last stage of life and have the most urgent feelings about life and death. Moreover, their backgrounds are simple and they can quickly accept faith as long as they are willing to listen. She suggested that volunteers use physical contact such as holding hands and stroking shoulders to break up the indifferent appearance of the elderly.

At the same time, Pastor Caixiu and Pastor Jinglu also pointed out that psychological counseling is not a savior, and the negotiation methods they teach are not a panacea. What volunteers have to deal with is not just a dozen or twenty people, but thousands of people. Dealing with broken lives day after day, they cannot carry these heavy emotions and sink themselves into depression; nor can they diagnose or promise good results to their counselees.

Volunteers are limited in what they can do, but by listening and guiding them, they help victims sort out their emotions. For example, fear, after the great changes, everyone said they were afraid, but what they are afraid of may vary from person to person. Some people are afraid of losing their loved ones, some are afraid of losing their property; some are afraid of being unable to save the past, and some are afraid of being unable to rebuild the future. While listening, volunteers can comfort and encourage them with the words of the Bible in a timely manner, adjust their values based on biblical principles, and hope to change the perspective of people who have gone through suffering from this world to eternal life.

▲Disaster relief is not based on temporary enthusiasm, but on saving souls. The ministry to orphans affected by the earthquake is in urgent need of prayer, manpower, and financial support from China, the United States, and Taiwan.

rear support

Xiao Zhao (pseudonym) is from Beijing and joined the rescue team organized by the church after the earthquake. He is an interior decoration contractor and can enter the disaster area in this capacity. While clearing the rubble, he led one person to believe in the Lord and ignited a spark of faith. Then the whole family was saved, and the gospel flame spread to relatives and neighbors.

Seeing that he had become the shepherd of these new-born spiritual sheep, Xiao Zhao felt that he should teach the concept of worship. After the earthquake, the nearby park was completely deserted. It has been abandoned because it was not a focus of construction, and the general public no longer enters it. On the morning of the Lord's Day, he called everyone to gather in the pavilion and took care of singing, praying, and delivering messages. In this way, the abandoned garden became a temple to worship God.

Xiao Zhao is currently back in Beijing and contacted Cai Xiu through his mother association, explaining that he needs to be equipped and furthered in Bible knowledge, preaching skills, and spiritual advancement, so as to prepare enough "spiritual food" to return to Sichuan to continue feeding hungry sheep. group.

Xiao Zhao is a typical example of someone involved in post-disaster gospel work. Most of the first batch of rescue and assistance personnel have evacuated. At this time, in addition to organizing short-term mission teams, the church continues to bring gospel messages to comfort and encourage people. Cai Xiu is also eager for Christians to study how to engage in long-term ministry.

At present, co-workers have organized volunteer teams from churches across the country to establish more than a dozen gathering points in Sichuan. Brothers and sisters responded that they hope to strengthen marriage counseling and rebuild family relationships.

Caixiu and Pastor Jinglu returned to Sichuan again in June 2009. In the past, we relied on verbal reports from volunteers and did not have a complete understanding of the disaster. This time I hope to be able to visit the people at the earthquake site in person so that I can plan the next step with first-hand information. They will also provide follow-up training for brothers and sisters who are interested in serving residents in disaster areas for a long time. Cai Xiu encouraged them to pray fervently and confirm that service comes from God’s call rather than relying on temporary enthusiasm. Because what we are doing is not disaster relief, but saving souls.

Cai Xiu herself hopes to organize a psychological counseling training center and systematically lead a group of brothers and sisters to engage in counseling work. There are also mainland preachers who have expressed their willingness to start the ministry of taking in orphans from the Sichuan earthquake, but this has not been implemented yet. No matter which direction God will lead her to next, Cai Xiu needs prayer, human and financial support from China, the United States and Taiwan.

After clearing away the ruins, it was time to start rebuilding. As the aftershocks gradually subside and the media no longer report news about the disaster area, are the spiritual needs of the people also forgotten?

▲As the aftershocks gradually subside and the media no longer report news about the disaster area, are the spiritual needs of the people also forgotten?

Caixiu hopes that readers will often recall the shock they felt when the earthquake first occurred, fan their enthusiasm at that time, and continue to care about the souls of the victims. Turn compassion into action and find suitable institutions to invest spiritual and material resources.

The work of recovery is arduous, and the results may not be immediate. One person's meager efforts may not have much impact. Cai Xiu challenges Christians not to miss the opportunity to work with God, because God will be so pleased when everyone’s dedication wins priceless souls for the kingdom of God!

To enter Sichuan, you have to cross high mountains. The earthquake cracked the peaks and opened the door to the gospel. Cai Xiu will bring God's love and salvation to touch people's hearts through counseling. Let our compatriots in heaven know that only through Jesus is the way to heaven.

Journalist profile

Lin Minwen loves reading and listening to classical music, and most admires Miura Ayako and Beethoven. She is committed to writing and serving God.