On September 16, 1993 I came to the United States for further education. The very first day I landed in the USA, I could not believe how "lucky" I was. It just happened that an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Turner, were looking for somebody to live with them. They offered me free room and board but did not require any service in return! Having limited funds in my pocket, that was just what I needed. Looking back now I have to praise God for His sovereign arrangement. His provision for me was far beyond what I could see at that time. I soon learned that the Turners were devoted Christians, they loved the Lord and treated me like their own child. Through their living testimony I was attracted to Jesus Christ. After about three months of Bible study with the Turners, I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior and Lord.

The initial excitement of being born again gradually faded away. Though I managed to go to church every Sunday and tried very hard to behave like a Christian, I was struck with failure after failure. The division of the church into so many denominations also confused me. I searched and visited different denominations; I studied with Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons, but my heart could not find rest. The Lord is faithful. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened." (Matthew 7:8) One Sunday in October of 1998, I was invited to visit the local church in Brandon. Though I intended to go for a one-time visit only, I was impressed by the light of the Lord that shone through the believers’ sharing. I felt like my eyes were suddenly opened to see so many wonderful aspects of Christ that I never knew before. No more struggling to be Christ-like. Instead, I simply fed on the Lord every day by calling upon His name (Isaiah 12:3), by prayerfully reading the Bible (Ephesians 6:17-18), by fellowshipping with other believers. The new life that was given to me when I was saved keeps on growing and expressing itself as I keep on eating the Lord (John 6:35, 57). Wonderful! The Lord Jesus became so real, so enjoyable and dear to me. The Lord also opened my eyes to see that God, the creator of all things, actually has a plan, an economy, a heart's desire, and an eternal goal, which is to have an expression of Himself – the body of Christ, composed of all the believers in Christ which ultimately consummates in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2, 9-10). With such a revelation, the Bible became easy to understand and enjoyable to read.

As time goes on veil after veil is being taken away from my heart (2 Corinthians 3:16). This new life which I received when I was saved continues to grow as I go on in my daily life eating the Lord in His Word (John 6:35, 37). Wonderful! Every church meeting is a feast to me. Praise the Lord!

Zhen Qin

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