【I love listening to you most】
Responses from readers of Kingdom of God Magazine
Caring for and Listening to Missionaries
The KRC Magazine has published numerous articles on missionary care. As a former editor for the missions section of a Christian media outlet and a missions magazine, I’ve worked on countless missionary features and interviewed many missionaries. However, despite hearing about various concepts, experiences, and testimonies related to missions, it always felt objective to me—until…
In the past, I often heard the term "culture shock", but I didn’t truly understand what it felt like until God led my wife and me to live in Canada. It was only then that I began to fully grasp what culture shock really means.
Take language as an example: when I attended English church gatherings, I became "tongue-tied." My English listening skills were sufficient to understand the content of the meetings, but when it came to praying or praising God in English, I had to first write down my prayers and praises in a notebook. Only then could I share them during the gathering at an appropriate time. In the beginning, it was truly a struggle!
Attending English church gatherings was just one aspect of cross-cultural living; there were many other facets that could lead to frustration and even a loss of confidence. Take ordering a cup of coffee, for instance—I had to think in advance about how to communicate with the barista in English and be prepared to put my pride on the cross if I made mistakes.
Missions are truly more than the speeches given at conferences or the stories written in publications. It was only when I stepped out of my comfort zone and lived in a foreign culture that I truly understood the hard work and the high price every missionary pays!
Senior missionary and missionary care advocate Pastor Peng Huaibing once mentioned that sometimes, simply listening is the best way to care for missionaries! After personally experiencing cross-cultural living, I am more committed to caring for missionaries. Beyond prayer, I hope to offer warm inquiries, genuine concern, and attentive listening. I even aspire to visit mission fields in person to let missionaries feel the support and care from their sending community. What we ought to do is provide missionaries with the best possible support and care, enabling them to fulfill their Kingdom mission without worry.
(Canada • Vancouver • Timothy)
Respect for Life
The content of the KRC Magazine is both broad and profound, staying relevant to current events.
Issue 69The Absolute and Relative of Life...not only addresses the highly controversial issue of women's abortion rights in American society but also delves deeper into how the conflict between the "right to life" and the "right to choose" stems from the broader debate between "absolute truth" and "relative reasoning."
The feature story, "Compassion for the Sojourner," shifts our perspective to see refugees not just as anxious faces in the news but as real, flesh-and-blood individuals who are displaced and vulnerable. They come from distant lands and arrive in our communities. By starting with care for their physical and emotional needs, each of us can show love to these neighbors.
Thank you, KRC, for inspiring readers to interpret various aspects of current events through the lens of truth. By trusting in truth, we are empowered to show compassion, respect life, and extend mercy to others.
(USA • Florida • Pang Min)
This Sentiment Awaits to Become a Memory
After reading Issue 69 of the KRC Magazine,Half a century of loving memories, I was deeply moved!
Mrs. Wen and her husband, Professor Wen Yinkann, shared nearly fifty years of deep companionship and unity in the Lord, walking hand in hand through life with an extraordinary bond. However, life is unpredictable, and tragedy struck when Professor Wen fell gravely ill during the severe COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, he passed away, resting in the Lord’s embrace. His departure left his family and friends in deep mourning, filled with endless memories and an abiding sense of loss.
Although I never had the chance to meet Professor Wen, through Mrs. Wen’s article, I can see a humble, God-loving, and people-loving elder. His humor, enthusiasm, willingness to serve, and love for his family are vividly evident in the joyful family photos filled with the blessing of children and grandchildren. These images and stories radiate the grace of God bestowed upon his life.
"The one I love has gone, and this sentiment awaits to become a memory," "so much guilt, regret, and pain. Countless times, I have asked God, 'Why?'" Reading this, I couldn't help but think of my own situation. Tears streamed down my face, and I was overwhelmed with sobs!
My beloved husband went home to be with the Lord in March 2021. We were married for nearly 44 years and were blessed with two wonderful children. He was the most precious gift God had given me. Together, we served faithfully in the church, walking many journeys of loving God and loving others hand in hand. The heart-wrenching pain of losing him still feels like an unreal nightmare. Yet, I find comfort in knowing that he is free from the suffering of illness and is now in heaven, in the presence of our Lord Jesus.
As Mrs. Wen once said: "God is my greatest comfort; He will wipe away all our tears." "Though parting is sorrowful and lonely days are difficult to endure, we are comforted by the Lord's presence as we wait for the day we will reunite." We thank God for His abundant grace and look forward with hope to the moment when we will meet our beloved ones again in our heavenly home!
(USA, New York State • Wenqing Li)