True love can change everything

【Children Chapter 1】

Oral narration and photos/Zhao Lan
Interview compilation/Zhou Weiwei

▲In the summer of 2014, Zhao Lan’s mother and mother-in-law decided to be baptized together while visiting relatives in the United States. On the left are Zhao Lan’s daughter Tina, Zhao Lan’s mother, mother-in-law, and Zhao Lan.

Sister prays for her father, deeply rooted in Zhao Lan's heart

Zhao Lan, who comes from Chengdu, has the special temperament of Sichuan people who are hearty, enthusiastic, humorous and optimistic. With a voice as soft as a silver bell, she was an energetic and beloved provincial kindergarten teacher in China, living a comfortable life with her husband and daughter. In May 2009, when Zhao Lan's father was hospitalized for lung cancer, the scene of her sister, the only Christian in the family, praying earnestly for her dying father in front of the hospital bed was deeply engraved in Zhao Lan's heart. But at that time, she was living a carefree life and still had half-doubts about the power of faith.

In August 2009, Zhao Lan and her family came to the United States in order to provide their daughter with a better education. The completely different culture and pace of life, as well as the twists and turns and challenges in settling down and finding a job, suddenly disrupted the originally stable and orderly life. In order to make a living, Zhao Lan put down her body and worked as a nanny. She persisted in working twelve hours a day and never complained. However, the sense of loss of being dependent on others in a foreign land often crept into her heart late at night. At this time, the image of her sister praying for her father in front of the hospital bed came to mind, so Zhao Lan began to pray and pour out her heart to God. "O God! Without You, how could I bear these burdens? God of peace, help me and have mercy on me!" Because of experiencing God's miraculous grace, Zhao Lan officially entered the church. After believing in the Lord, Zhao Lan had two biggest wishes: to preach the gospel to her mother and mother-in-law.

The change of son-in-law allowed Zhao’s mother to see the power of God

In fact, under the long-term influence of her youngest daughter, Mother Zhao is no stranger to Jesus. However, she is independent and can always find different reasons to say "no" to the gospel.

Mother Zhao was deeply impressed by her youngest daughter's enthusiasm for preaching the gospel, but she had always criticized her youngest son-in-law's arrogant and arrogant behavior. However, God’s way is higher than man’s way. Later, his son-in-law encountered a setback in his business and entered the church. After a real encounter with God, his life was completely renewed. In 2013, when Zhao's mother had a hysterectomy, her son-in-law took the initiative to accompany her mother-in-law for medical treatment, follow-up consultations and surgery. During the post-operative recuperation period, he used sea cucumbers to recuperate his mother-in-law every day and took good care of her. The transformation of her little son-in-law allowed Zhao’s mother to see the power of God.

Overseas phone calls and faxes of love, true love spread over thousands of miles

For a long time, Zhao Lan, the eldest daughter-in-law, often felt helpless and unforgiving because of her mother-in-law's preference for her youngest son and daughter-in-law. The mother-in-law is a new woman of the era with strong self-awareness, which is very different from Zhao's mother's traditional role as a woman. Zhao Lan plays the role of a mother-in-law and a mother, and often has many entanglements in her heart.

In early 2012, my husband's sister was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Zhao Lan, who had a close relationship with her aunt, heard the news and wished she could fly to China immediately to visit her. However, because she had to stay in the United States to take care of her family and work, Zhao Lan, who was anxious, finally decided to make overseas phone calls every day to care for her sick aunt and to express condolences to her mother-in-law who was taking care of her. In addition to going to work and taking care of the family every day, she also had to take care of her relatives on the other side of the Pacific. Zhao Lan was so exhausted that she fainted twice. But Zhao Lan still had no hesitation and tried her best to spread the gospel to her already angry aunt.

▲Mom, Zhao Lan, and mother-in-law celebrated Mother’s Day together at church.

Let go of yourself and start with God

Every time she talks to her mother-in-law on the phone, the past inevitably comes to mind. However, as she has the life of Christ, she is determined to put aside all the misunderstandings she had about her mother-in-law in the past and take God's thoughts as her starting point. One day, Zhao Lan couldn't hide her excitement and thanked her mother-in-law for her hard work and sacrifice in taking care of her aunt. She said with gratitude: "Mom, thank you for your hard work during the days when we are not around! Don't forget to supplement your nutrition and take care of your health." After saying this, Zhao Lan realized that this was an unprecedented close and "peaceful" contact between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. A few minutes, but so natural! Zhao Lan was surprised and asked herself: "Is this really me?"

In order to ensure that her dying aunt would receive salvation, Zhao Lan made various arrangements and asked a pastor to go to the hospital to baptize her. When the pastor didn't show up and her mother-in-law persuaded her to give up her thoughts, Zhao Lan still insisted on watching for the pastor's arrival with prayers and told her mother-in-law firmly: "Mom, don't worry, the pastor will definitely come." Seeing Zhao Lan's true feelings It was revealed that the indifference in the mother-in-law's heart was finally broken down, and her attitude towards her changed 180 degrees from then on.

▲Zhao Lan’s mother (left) and mother-in-law (right) participate in church activities together.

Jesus’ great love puts aside grudges, and mother-in-law walks hand in hand on the road to heaven

In the early spring of 2014, Zhao Lan invited her mother-in-law and mother to live together in the United States for a few months, allowing the two elderly people to experience foreign culture and life, and taking them to participate in various church activities. With her mother-in-law and mother accompanying her every day, Zhao Lan attracted the envious looks of many friends and church brothers and sisters around her. But she knew clearly: without the love of Jesus Christ fermenting in her heart, none of this would have happened. All the previous problems with her mother-in-law were now wiped out in the love of Christ, and Zhao Lan felt indescribable lightness and joy in her heart. The grudges that were buried deep in my heart have now turned into clouds and disappeared just because of a pure love. Under the witness of everyone, Zhao Lan’s mother-in-law and mother chose to be baptized together before returning to China and became children of God. Holding her mother-in-law on one side and her mother on the other, Zhao Lan's crystal clear eyes had already been moistened by tears of joy. This dreamlike real experience made her so mesmerized that she couldn't help herself for a long time. Traveling across thousands of mountains and rivers, looking for the lost corner of my heart, I don’t know that the missing piece is hidden not far away in my heart. True love turns out to take a lifetime to pursue.

Interviewee profile
Zhao Lan, a native of Chengdu, Sichuan, has been a provincial kindergarten educator for many years. He settled in the United States in 2009 and became a Christian. He loves to preach the gospel and loves to help others. He and his husband Dou Cheng have a daughter.