blessed road

On February 2, 2004, I was driving a brand new Honda Civic Hybrid on Route 123 on my way to work. The familiar houses and trees on the roadside reminded me of April 1995, about two weeks after I arrived in the United States. My husband drove me to be a nanny to an American family with four children on the same road. Fast forward eight years. Looking back on the countless ups and downs I have experienced in the past eight years, it is God’s grace that has brought me from death to life and has led me onto this blessed and bright road.

Flying across the Pacific

The happy family, stable job, and comfortable life I originally had in China were all gone forever after I took a plane across the Pacific Ocean. In the eyes of some, entering the United States is like entering heaven. For me, it was like falling into a dark bottomless abyss. I lost all support and foundation. My husband didn’t love me as much as before. The Russian master’s degree and work qualifications I had in the past became worthless in the United States. My heart is full of despair, sadness and bitterness. I am unwilling to accept this tragic reality. I want to fight against fate with my blood and rebuild everything I have lost. I want to win back my husband's heart and apply for my daughter to come to the United States to reunite. I want a happy life. Home, a stable job, and a dignified life.

In order to realize these dreams, I started a hard working life, working as a housekeeper, a salesperson, a waiter in a Chinese restaurant, making takeaways, answering the phone, and serving dishes. I not only witnessed the pity and ugliness of human nature, but also experienced the humbleness and humiliation of the lower class. humiliation. I struggled on my own for more than two years, but not only did I not change my destiny, but I exhausted my physical strength and energy. The relationship between my husband and me became more and more distant, which made me exhausted both mentally and physically. However, the end of man is the beginning of God. Just when I was completely despairing of myself, God’s words brought light into my darkness.

Guiding the bright road

“Woe to the man who trusts in the arms of human flesh, and whose heart forsakes the Lord! For he will be like a juniper in the desert; he will not see happiness come, but will dwell in the dry places of the wilderness, in the uninhabited bases. Trust in the Lord , Blessed is the man whose trust is the Lord! He will be like a tree planted by the water, which takes root by the river. It will not be afraid when heat comes, but its leaves will remain green. It will not be anxious in the year of drought, but will continue to bear fruit. ” (Jeremiah 17:5-8) God’s words awakened me, a Christian who has believed in the Lord for many years! Why am I living so hard? So tired? So there is no hope? Because, I either rely on others or rely on myself. I have never truly relied on Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6) God's words pointed it out to me. A light and bright road.

When I began to rely on Jehovah, a series of major changes took place in my life.

Renmu's chance

The first big thing God did for me: He gave me a job that was beyond my ability. He placed me, a person with no American education and difficulty communicating in English, in an adoption agency founded by American Christians.

When the pastor introduced me to a job opportunity as a mother, I was very reluctant, but I didn't want to bluntly reject the pastor's kindness, so I agreed to go and take a look first. When I came to this house, I was greeted by a young man who was digging soil and planting flowers in the yard. His name was Brian. His hands were full of mud. He was too embarrassed to shake my hand, so he asked us to go in and chat with his wife first.

It turns out that Brian is an architect and his wife Renee adopted two girls from China. The couple are both Christians. From the time he adopted his first daughter, Brian became very passionate about adoption and established an adoption agency. Renee is a stay-at-home mother, but she doesn't actually need a full-time mother. She only needs someone to help her take care of her second daughter when she goes shopping on Thursday mornings.

Brian said that his adoption agency needed help, and Steven, another real estate agent in the same office, also wanted to hire help. If Steven was willing to hire me, they could share my salary.

Employed, God works

I have never written a resume and have no interview experience. There was a Japanese student in the church, Norika, who had just graduated from Georgetown University. Like an angel sent by God, she took the initiative to help me. Based on my background, she used her printer, letter paper, and envelopes to type up a copy for me. Resume and tell me what to pay attention to during the interview.

I took this resume, which I didn't get at all, to the Vienna subway station. Brian drove me to his office in McLean, an office building built by Brian's late father. Brian, his brother, Steven and another architect shared a large office on the fourth floor. I was sitting in the conference hall, looking at the beautiful autumn leaves outside the window, but my heart was agitated and I had no idea at all. I can't imagine myself working in such an environment. I don't have any skills to get this job. However, to my surprise, Steven hired me. This series of incredible experiences made me realize that it was God’s work.

I worked for Brian and Steven for less than a week, and I felt that I was not up to the task, especially when dealing with adoptive families. My broken English was not understood by many people, and I did not understand the adoption process. I felt very shortchanged. , I want to take the initiative to quit this job. When I called Renee to express my concerns and plans, she comforted me and told me that Brian admired my ability to work. I couldn't figure out what about myself satisfied Brian, but Renee's words made it hard for me to refuse. But I couldn’t help but ask God in my heart: “Why did you give me this job that is not worthy of my ability?” God answered me: “Lest you continue to rely on your own flesh and blood instead of relying on my grace.”

Sufficient by grace

God made it clear to me that this job was entirely by His grace. Because, at the time, I was living in Washington, D.C., and I didn’t have a car to go to work, and there was no direct subway to the company. Brian picked me up from his office at the subway station every morning and dropped me back at the subway station every evening until I got a car a few months later. Not only that, Brian also taught me how to use computers and other office equipment, and how to answer questions from adoptive families on the phone. Due to lack of experience, I often make mistakes at work, but Brian rarely criticizes or is impatient. Instead, he shows great trust in me and lets me take on many tasks that even I think I am not capable of.

This job is also where God trains me to rely on His grace. Whenever I encounter new challenges at work, I ask God for strength and help, because I know that God is my true reliance and help. God listened to my prayers and helped me get through one difficulty after another. Those problems became opportunities for God to practice my trust in the Lord. To this day, I still rely on God’s grace to work in this adoption agency for nearly seven years; We are filled with gratitude for God’s love and faithfulness, and we are convinced that only God can be relied upon.

Family reunion brings new hearts

The second grace God gave me was to bring my only daughter from China to the United States after being separated for more than three years, thus reuniting our family. God also gave my daughter a heart to seek Him. A year after she came to the United States, she began to go to church with me and study in a Christian private school. God also gave her a good opportunity to learn piano, and she has made amazing progress in the past two years.

Win the new car god's care

The third grace God gave me was that He cared about the traffic jams I suffered when commuting to and from get off work, and through a special way, He gave me a Japanese car that was a hybrid motor and electric car.

In October 2003, my younger sister’s family came to Virginia from California to visit us. At that time, my husband was on a business trip out of town. His 1995 Ford could accommodate more people, so he let them use it. Unexpectedly, the engine of this car was scrapped while they were using it. They took it to a repair shop and were told that it would cost more than 3,000 yuan to replace the engine. However, this car with nearly 200,000 miles was only worth a few hundred dollars and was no longer worth it. It's worth replacing the engine.

My sister and brother-in-law apologized for the inconvenience this caused to our family, but God turned the bad things into blessings. When my husband came back from a business trip, I gave my car to him, and I spent more than three hours a day riding and transferring to work. After doing this for nearly a month, I had to start to understand the situation of buying a car; I wanted to buy a car for my husband. , he refused to ask for a new car, but helped me buy a Japanese car that was a hybrid of motor and electric. This model was granted privileges by the state government because of its special fuel-saving performance. A single person can drive on the expressway, which saved me a lot of money. The time you spend driving to and from work is truly a great blessing from God. If my husband's old car hadn't been damaged by my sister, I wouldn't have thought of changing it. Doesn’t everything have God’s good will?

God’s grace is countless. I hope that everyone can rely on Jehovah wholeheartedly and walk on this road blessed by God like me.

Author profile

Zhao Hong was born in Heihe, a small ice town on the banks of Heilongjiang River, and now lives in Virginia. I like reading, outings, appreciating the natural beauty, savoring the charm of life, and enjoying the true love of the world. I would like to share the story of love that cannot be seen with the naked eye but is more real than the visible world with honesty and awe.

The author (first from left) poses with her parents and two younger sisters.