Plate of delicacies and gospel love

The calligrapher's bold strokes and the dazzling colors of neon lights intertwined the two characters "Weizhen", which seemed to trace an invisible and endearing ribbon, leading many people to enter this Chinese restaurant.

It is located on Route 30 in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The restaurant looks ordinary, but the atmosphere is extraordinary. Outside the restaurant, there are often not enough parking spaces, so customers have to park elsewhere and cross the street; inside the restaurant, it is bustling with customers and the restaurant is definitely packed with people and long queues on weekends. This is not only because the dishes brought out by the waiter from the kitchen are full of color, aroma and taste, but what is particularly eye-catching is the restaurant's order book - the bright red and shiny cover has eye-catching words In one sentence:

Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never be hungry; whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35)

These words with special power have become a blessing to the restaurant and to everyone around him.

Starting in the 1970s, Zhao Dejun and Sun Shuzhen, the former founders of the Chinese Salvation Church, started by formulating restaurant menus and turned the restaurants they ran into channels for spreading the gospel.    

on the counter

On the counter of the restaurant, the most eye-catching thing is obviously the order book, but on the counter of Brother Zhao and his wife's restaurant, there are also gospel tracts that needy hands are constantly picking up.

These gospel tracts are specially obtained from gospel organizations. In addition, various volumes of short stories published by "Cosmic Light" publishing house and many touching testimonies of Christian scientists published by "OK" magazine are available in Chinese and English versions and are very popular among everyone. Whether it is a gospel tract or a booklet, all of them are filled with God's love and joyfully greet the restaurant guests from the counter, jump into the hands of the guests in line, and jump into the take-out boxes carried by the guests. Sometimes, even the laughter and chatter between Sister Zhao and her sister Tang on the counter were completely ignored by the customers. An American customer said: "Before I met you, I thought people in Chinese restaurants didn't know how to smile."

Seating room

Chinese people who have lived in the United States for a long time always want to eat some authentic Chinese food sometimes. Entering Brother Zhao and his wife's restaurant, you can get what you want. Therefore, the Zhaos had many opportunities to preach the gospel to the Chinese.

At the dining table and among the seats where Chinese guests gathered, Sister Zhao and her younger sister were often seen chatting cordially with the guests.

There are no casual greetings between restaurant owners and guests, but only sincere greetings to fellow compatriots and sincere care for overseas residents. Especially some international students, one by one, one by one, one by one, they were influenced by the family-like care of Uncle Zhao and Mother Zhao. They entered the Chinese church and became close friends with their brothers and sisters. Gradually, they not only found another home in a foreign land, but also found the true God who controls all things in the world.

Sister Wen Mei, who once served as a deacon and translator at the church, said: "I never thought that one day I would believe in God. I was able to come into contact with faith because the unique calmness of Sister Zhao and his wife's behavior deeply attracted me; Their sincere love for the people they meet by chance makes me bow at the feet of Jesus Christ." There are also Li, Hua, Jing, Jie, Xi, Li, An, Zhen, Shen, etc. Not only themselves and their spouses believe. The Lord Jesus became the leader or deacon of the church fellowship, and some even their parents and relatives became Christians one after another. If you want to know about the faith journey of some of the key ministers in the church today, they will tell visitors stories about visiting "Jinwei" restaurants "back in the day"!

They are still sincere towards foreigners. There was a young Jewish couple who became regular customers because they liked the restaurant's food, and gradually became good friends with Brother Zhao and his wife. After a while, the couple changed from "double out and double in" to eating separately. Sister Zhao shuttled between the seats to greet each other. She knew that there was a problem in their relationship and that it was serious enough to break up. He enthusiastically persuaded them with God's love many times, and finally made them accept each other and get back together. Nowadays, their two daughters have become successful in their studies, and the restaurant "Zhenwei" has changed owners long ago, but the good habit of the two families getting together every year still continues. Whenever they get together, the couple will express time and time again: If it had not been for Sister Zhao’s loving persuasion, they would not have the beautiful family they have today, so they express their deepest gratitude to Sister Zhao again and again.

Sunday

If some customers fail to see the restaurant's business hours clearly and run to the door of the restaurant on Sunday, they will inevitably be rejected. Because there is a sign on the door: "We are in church worshiping God." This is to encourage restaurant employees to go to church to worship God, so we decided not to open on Sundays. In addition, in order to facilitate employees to deal with household chores, another day off is arranged, and employees only need to work five days a week. This is really rare among the tens of thousands of Chinese restaurants in North America. Over the years, many employees have converted to the Lord, and some have become effective co-workers in the church. Several brothers and sisters who had worked as waitresses in restaurants and later believed in Jesus would never forget Sister Zhao and Sister Tang's help. Even if they went to other states, they would send greeting cards to express their greetings every year.

In those years, the restaurant was closed to the public on Sundays, but it was brightly lit during dinner time. It turns out that everyone who walks into a restaurant is invited to dine. Among them are friends who are new to the church, brothers and sisters who have been recently baptized, deacons who have completed a deacon meeting, or pastors, evangelists, and theological students who are invited to the church to preach or serve.

The restaurant was closed on Sunday, and the business did not suffer any loss. The restaurant is not only full on weekends, but also very busy during the week. Counting the sales, God has blessed them doubly.

send out

The number of delicacies sent out for free from the restaurant to serve the many friends and brothers and sisters who seek the Taoism is innumerable. The deep affection conveyed through them is also the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There was a cook who was cooking in the kitchen and started a new business after he had the capital. After seeing this friend who was originally a painter and had changed his career, he began to seek faith. Sisters Zhao and Tang, together with the pastor, went to their home for gospel Bible study for about an hour every week. About a year later, the couple both believed in the Lord and were baptized. .

There are also two ladies who often come to the restaurant to meet and chat. Soon one of the two fell ill and could not come, so Sister Zhao took her brothers and sisters to visit her home and preach the gospel to her. The lady was so moved that she quickly fell into the arms of her Heavenly Father.

There are so many of these.

The charming and overflowing fragrance of "Weizhen" restaurant has silently beautified the souls of enlightened people for many years. Have you not seen that in the crowded restaurant, next to the colorful, fragrant and delicious food, how many pairs of eyes longing for the truth are flashing? How many figures are shaking in search of faith?

If you have the heart, you can taste God’s love in every cup of hot tea, and you can convey the love of the gospel in every plate of delicious food.

Author profile

Yingguang, from China, currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; he is committed to the literary ministry and serves as the church secretary.