Full joy, everlasting bliss!

In memory of my classmates from the Kingdom Literature Camp─Brother Wang Zhengxing

On January 6, 2020, I learned from Zhengxing’s brother and sister, Zhengyuan, that he was rushed to the hospital’s intensive care unit due to a stroke at 4:30 in the morning. At that time, he was unable to move the right side of his body and could not speak, but his wife and daughter were able to take care of him nearby and sent a text message asking our prayer group for urgent prayers.

After more than two weeks, my swallowing ability has not yet recovered, and a gastric tube still needs to be inserted. However, I have found a rehabilitation center not far from home, and I can go there directly to start rehabilitation after being discharged. However, due to the quarantine measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, family members can only visit via videoconference.

▲Brother Zhengxing teaches the children in the church to study the Bible, Chinese painting, and give speeches in a humorous and interesting style.

After active rehabilitation, his condition improved every day. Brothers and sisters from the church also visited him and encouraged him to have some simple conversations. By mid-March, he was able to walk 45 feet/90 steps with a walker and began to eat solid food with his previously limited right hand. Until October, the recovery situation was very optimistic.

Just when he felt a little relieved about this, he was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. In just a few weeks, he passed away and returned to heaven!

▲Brother Zhengxing is an "ice man" who is passionate about writing. The picture shows the family taking a group photo at the 31 Ice Cream Shop he ran in the early years.

Interesting encounters in the text camp

Brother Zhengxing was a classmate of the early literature camp of the “Kingdom Resources for Christ” association. The first time I met Brother Zhengxing, he read a poem to share with everyone:

<Wuchun>
The dark plum blossoms are smelling of flowers, lying on the branches with sadness,
It smells like lying on water from a distance, and it is easy to see the spring green.
The shore seems green, the shore seems green, and the shore seems green.

After the Chinese teacher read aloud in the local accent, a student dictated as follows:

〈I am stupid〉
I have no education and my IQ is very low.
Ask me who I am, a big stupid ass.
I am a donkey, I am a donkey,
I'm a stupid donkey.

After reading it, everyone burst out laughing...! His humor impressed all the students who participated in the writing camp that year.

His footsteps

Brother Zhengxing, originally from Hunan, was born in Guangxi in February 1940. When he was nine years old, he traveled to Taiwan with his parents. Due to the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, he was unable to return to his hometown, so he had to stay in Taiwan to study until he graduated from college.

In 1967, he went to the United States to continue his studies at graduate school. In the same year, he was baptized as a Christian in Minneapolis. From then on, he actively participated in church worship and various activities wherever he went. With his humorous style, he enthusiastically teaches children to study the Bible, Chinese painting, and give speeches. He obtained a master's degree in South Dakota in 1970 and married his wife Rongfen in Minneapolis. After marriage, he continued his studies in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In 1971, he transferred to Columbia University in New York and received his degree in 1973. Due to changes in the general environment, I couldn't find a suitable job for the time being, so I learned to do business with friends in New York. Later, I met a brother who studied art. He designed many Chinese-style cards but didn’t know how to sell them. He stocked them in his home warehouse. Brother Zhengxing promoted them to him in all the stores selling cards in Manhattan. Since then, he has become an excellent salesman. After having this experience, he entered the insurance industry and became a broker.

One day in 1974, while walking on Broadway in New York, he happened to meet a friend named Zhang whom he had met in Utah. This encounter changed the course of the rest of their lives. Brother Zhang runs a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop (31 Ice Cream) in Staten Island, New York, and invited them to visit.

Years later, they moved from New York to New Jersey. While wandering in a shopping mall near their home, they discovered a 31 Ice Cream store for sale, and started their 31 Ice Cream Store career. The children were raised and grew up on it, and now they have achieved academic success and hold good positions. Thank God for His grace!

The "Ice Man" who is passionate about words

Although Brother Zhengxing is majoring in engineering, he has always had a unique interest in writing. He was led by God to the KRC Literary Camp, where he got to know our group of literary people, and he has since become a member of the elite literary army. He used the pen name "Iceman" and his articles were scattered in various newspapers and magazines. He published many articles in memory of his parents, which were deeply touching!

I remember he wrote an article about how his father took several trains and brought a pot of hot chicken soup from home to school to replenish his health. When we arrived at our destination, the full pot of chicken soup was less than half full. At that time, he looked at his father's leaving figure and felt so much in his heart! When I read that article, I was deeply touched by that father's love, just like I was reading Zhu Ziqing's "back". He wrote an article about his mother's hair, and his delicate writing style eloquently expressed the tender love between him and his mother. While reading, I was reminded of the famous writer Qi Jun's article "Bun" describing his mother's hair!

We are fortunate to walk hand in hand with him on a literary journey. His humor, diligence, integrity, and love for writing are all role models for us to learn from.

▲My wife Rongfen is good at painting, and brother Zhengxing loves calligraphy. The picture shows the painting of the lady, the work inscribed by Brother Zhengxing.

A sincere and considerate calligrapher who loves fitness

I still remember that when the editor of one issue of "Word Camp Special Issue" was soliciting contributions, he sent one article after another to the editor-in-chief of the current special issue via fax machine. It was simply overwhelming! In addition, his impromptu poems and authentic calligraphy set off a craze among classmates to praise his masterpieces and seek calligraphy treasures.

Because I moved from Pennsylvania to Victoria, I was lucky enough to get a calligraphy handwritten by him. After it was framed and sent to me as a housewarming gift, I will always remember his sincerity and sincerity! His wife is also good at traditional Chinese painting. In their free time, the couple paints pictures, writes poems, and sings. It is a match made in heaven! I believe that when the heavenly family gathers again in the future, the husband and wife can recite poems and paintings to each other and create more masterpieces.

Recalling the gathering and study time at the Kingdom of God Literary Camp, Brother Zhengxing not only competed with us in writing manuscripts, but also taught us fitness. He wrote down the steps of aerobics bit by bit, and then took the trouble to guide us in actually doing them. ⋯⋯.

I believe many old friends will remember the class reunion held at Teacher Li Li's house. Brother Zhengxing wore the wrong shoe when he went home. As a result, several boys wearing the same style but different sizes had to exchange shoes with each other, and they had to travel long distances to exchange shoes. Shoes, it’s been a fun thing that I’ve been tossing about for a while!

I remember one time in the camp dormitory, he was afraid that his snoring at night would disturb people's dreams, so he silently moved to the sofa downstairs to sleep. The next day, when the students learned about this, they were all deeply moved by his behavior. Thinking of fat brother Zhengxing, he is a sincere and practical old friend! Very considerate of others and would rather put up with inconveniences.

▲Brother Zhengxing’s favorite calligraphy works on the 23rd Psalm.

Knowing God is the most beautiful blessing in life

After he was baptized and became a Christian, Brother Zhengxing immediately made up his mind to spread the gospel to every family member in his family. Now every family member has been saved and believed in the Lord. This is indeed the greatest grace given to him by God! He, who lived to be 81 years old, often said that the best blessing in his life was to know the Lord Jesus. Because the Lord Jesus led their happy family, they were able to travel to many states in the United States, Israel, mainland China and other places, and he suffered many blessings throughout his life. Blessing from the Lord!

His favorite is Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd; I will never be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters. He revives my soul and provides for Himself Your name guides me in the paths of righteousness. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff comfort me in the presence of my enemies. Feast; you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

At the memorial service, the pastor said: "Life is like a day trip. Childhood, boyhood, youth, middle age, and old age all experience different life scenes. However, in this world we are strangers and sojourners. This world is not us. family, we ultimately want to enter the family of God.”

Brother Liu Zhi'an of the Ohio Church wrote a poem of condolences: "There are so many things in this world when we go through them. Gentlemen and friends are hard to find, and kings, grandsons, and nobles are not to be envied. I think of the rest in heaven." This is exactly what we, a group of writers, have to say about the deceased. A friend who will always be remembered in my heart, I will miss you most deeply!

Jian Hailan, loves writing work, and his works have been published in many newspapers and magazines. Now he is a special writer for this magazine. Every month, we share the life stories of believers in Taiwan's "CITIC Monthly" to testify to the love of Jesus Christ and inspire people.