Reluctance, longing, hope

[In memory of Professor Wen Yingqian]

▲Professor Wen Yingqian loves his parents and has a deep brotherhood with his brothers and sisters. After believing in the Lord, he devoted himself to leading his family to accept the salvation of Jesus.

bear great fruits

"He will be like a tree planted by streams, which bears fruit in its season and its leaves will not wither. Everything he does will prosper." (Psalm 1:3)

Over the past year, I think what I am most uncomfortable with in my family's LINE group is that there are no more messages from Brother Yinggan, and this connecting line has suddenly become silent. We still want to say to our second brother: It’s too late to say goodbye to you, but you have returned to your heavenly home; I still miss you here, and your voice, face, and smile are still clear!

It has been a year since the second brother left. During this period, the person who feels most distressed is the second sister-in-law who lives alone in Washington. She suddenly lost her dependent wife and suffered a serious epidemic. We, who are far away in Taiwan, are unable to help nearby. We can only pray to God to give her confidence and strength! I believe that her second brother's love will continue to encourage her, and their beautiful memories will also comfort her.

The past three years have been a nightmare in my life! In September 2018, my classmate and entrepreneurial partner Deng Ziliang passed away suddenly without leaving a last word. In January 2019, my wife Xi Lian passed away, which caused me infinite pain. My mood has not yet calmed down. In June 2020, my most beloved second brother Yinggan passed away in the United States! This is undoubtedly the heaviest blow!

Back in 1994, my second daughter had just graduated from high school and became seriously ill and couldn't sleep. I went around telling fortunes and asking Buddhas, but I couldn't see any improvement. After the second brother learned about it, he called from the United States and asked the pastor of Hukou Baptist Church to come and visit. At that time, the wife prayed for the little girl, and miraculously she fell asleep that night. Afterwards, our little girl asked us to accompany her to church, and she was baptized with us before Christmas. When our little girl was laid to rest in the Lord's arms, the farewell service was held with a Christian ceremony.

Brother Yinggan sincerely and faithfully preached the gospel to his family and bore many fruits. I have been a believer in the Lord for 26 years now. I serve as a deacon in the church and am used by the Lord. Not only that, as of today, 37 of the 66 family members on my father’s side have been named to the Lord. This can be said to be due to the influence of the second brother.

The second brother himself practices the inheritance of faith: his son Yongxu received a doctorate in systematic theology from the University of Edinburgh in 2019 and is currently teaching at the China Evangelical Theological Seminary; his daughter Wen Xun is currently engaged in the gospel ministry of the "Pilgrims' Home" in Spain with her husband, ( (See reports in issues 39 and 47 of this magazine), it is very hard, but it is very enjoyable.

Show humility

The second brother is the best at reading, has the highest academic qualifications, and is the most accomplished among the eight brothers and sisters in our family. He is the pride of his parents. He is open-minded, humorous, enthusiastic and professional, and has won everyone's recognition and praise for him. When he was serving in the World Bank, he was invited by the Minister of Economic Affairs to return to Taiwan several times as a scholar studying in the United States to participate in the National Construction Committee. The conference was held at the Grand Hotel, and my parents were invited to visit, which was a great honor! At the same time, he also serves as the president of the National Taiwan University Alumni Association in Washington, serving NTU alumni. He has been invited to mainland China several times as an economist to teach relevant courses.

In 1995, the second brother retired from the World Bank and was invited by President Mou Zongcan of Donghua University to return to Taiwan to teach. According to the Tung Wah School Journal, Professor Wen Yingqian's courses are very popular; the "Introduction to Christianity" course offered is almost full, with many students enrolling in the course and the response is quite enthusiastic. It can be seen that the hard work put in by the second brother has reaped abundant fruits. "The United States is very close, but Hualien is far away." Inspired by Huang Shengxiong, the president of Hualien Christian Mennonite Hospital, he returned to China to devote what he had learned and served at Donghua University for 11 years. After his retirement, he was appointed as an honorary professor of the school. During this period, he was appointed as a director of the Central Bank and contributed to the development of the country's economy.

Leave deep thoughts

In January 2019, my wife passed away due to illness. In order to comfort me, my second brother took the trouble to fly from the United States to Hsinchu to be with me in early February. His love for his brother warms me! During those ten days, he read the Bible with me and shared his experience of reading the Bible once a year. I admired him very much and began to follow his example and read one chapter every day. He prays for me every day and brings me comfort. The sermon he preached at Hukou Baptist Church on February 17: "Christian Suffering and Comfort" is exactly the message I need most at the moment.

In October 2019, the second brother and the second sister-in-law returned to China and traveled to Alishan, which they had never been to before. On the 19th, the second brother was invited by the "Jubilee Economic Ethics Cultural and Educational Foundation" to give a speech on "The Impact and Future of the New Economy" challenge". Later, when I attended the elementary school reunion, I felt pain in my waist. On the 27th, when he preached on "The Best Navigation System in Life" at Hukou Baptist Church, he already had to walk on stage with a cane. Little did he know that this would be his last sermon! After the dinner, he hurried north. This day was also the last time our brothers met.

After the second brother returned to the United States, he actively sought medical treatment and received examination and treatment at the hospital affiliated with his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University. During this period, you could hear that his physical strength was no longer what it used to be, but his usual humor was still evident in his conversation, and his energy was felt. On the morning of June 12, 2020, Taiwan time, when I was at work, I received the news that my second brother had returned home. I didn’t care that there were guests, and I mourned for my second brother for half an hour! Keep asking yourself: Is this true? how so?

This news shocked my family, classmates, friends, and brothers and sisters in the church. I learned that the message he left for his children before his death said that God had told him: "Your ministry on earth has been completed, and you will be with me." It was God speaking to him! What an honor! What a grace!

Although I am reluctant to leave and still miss you, I am sure that we will be reunited in heaven in the future.

▲Professor Wen Yingqian preached at Hukou Baptist Church in October 2019. The Wen family members and their husband-in-law presented the poem "Amazing Grace", accompanied by the eldest brother Yingshu, and his son Yongxu (second row, first from left) sang solo.

(The author of this article is Professor Wen Yingqian’s eldest brother.)