If God Allows Shanghai to Continue

Three Stories Under Lockdown in Shanghai

A picture shows the sun reflected on the lake.

ByBarnabas Li July 25, 2022

Editor's note: The COVID-19 pandemic lasted for nearly three years, during which we have been through much and have been affected to varying degrees. Some people whose lives were in trouble became desperate because they worked outside their hometown, trapped in other places due to the epidemic. But there were also people who found a way out of hardship and had a new direction in life...

One day, my wife was on the phone with my father-in-law. Suddenly, I heard my wife give a cry of surprise, but I didn't know what happened. It turned out later that it was the miserable experience of two girls in her hometown. The two girls decided to work in Shanghai together after the Chinese New Year. They believed that they would be well paid and well treated there. Unexpectedly, when they arrived in Shanghai, there came a sudden outbreak. At that time, they had not found a job and didn't bring much money. When they were in trouble, Shanghai was also under lockdown. They had no place to live and were not allowed to go home, trapped on the streets of Shanghai. The supply of goods was tight and the price of goods soared, how could they, two girls who came from the poor mountain area to big Shanghai, afford to buy those things?

Day after day, they were hungry and still had no place to live. The epidemic seemed endless, and no one knew how long Shanghai would be lifting its lockdown. Having lost hope, they conferred and decided to commit suicide.

One of the girls bought deadly poison and decided to take it; the other, fearing the pain of dying, simply climbed up a tall building quietly and jumped down. later, the girl who took the poison was found, sent to the hospital for emergency treatment, and came alive. Soon after, the lockdown was ended and she was sent back to her hometown.

The other who chose to jump off a building died instantly! However, this is not the end of the tragedy. The news spread to their hometown. The father of the dead girl decided to drive a tricycle to send his wife to a relative's house temporarily in order to handle the funeral without telling her the death of their daughter. Unexpectedly, he was so sad that when he was driving on the mountain road, he fell over the cliff. He was seriously injured and his wife died on the spot.

Our former choir sister Yao is a single mother, and both sons have been admitted to the university. She also has a monthly mortgage payment. A few years ago, she opened a dry cleaning shop and barely made a living. However, because of the epidemic for three years, she closed the shop before the Chinese New Year in 2022 and refunded the customers' money on their membership cards. After the Chinese New Year, she also went to Shanghai to earn money.

After Shanghai was under lockdown, we asked her how she was doing. She replied, "Thank God! All is well. I found a job of housekeeping in Shanghai, taking care of a mother and daughter. I am paid 7,000 a month and can have free food and accommodation there. But my waist is a little sore these days. Pray for me!"

Although the epidemic had greatly affected Shanghai, Sister Yao in her family not only had food and shelter but also had much higher wages than those in our inland areas!

III

A Christian sister tells us about the testimony of her brother and sister-in-law in Shanghai. The sister's brother and sister-in-law had always been half-believers though the sister had tried a great deal for many years. They had no sincere repentance and faith.

However, the epidemic in 2022 brought a long and suffocating period when people had to get up in the middle of the night to grab food but still many cannot successfully buy what they want. What was worse, her brother's daughter had a fever first, and then the whole family was diagnosed with COVID-19. They were hurriedly taken into the alternate care site. At that point, her brother's family were really despaired, with the last pride in life shattered. Their daughter cried and her sister-in-law was quite worried about whether the disease would cause sequelae. It was said the lung injury caused by COVID-19 would not heal for life, leading to loss of smell, auditory hallucinations... What should they do?

At that time, the sister continued to pray for her brother and sister-in-law, constantly comforting them and her little niece on WeChat with the word of God, so that they could overcome their inner fear, despair and anxiety through their faith in God.

Her brother changed. He told the sister that because he had nothing to do when in the alternate care site, he desperately read the Bible. In the word of God, he knew the Savior and determined to be baptized immediately after the outbreak. Her sister-in-law also took her niece to kneel in front of the Lord every day to pray. They were recovering physically and, more importantly, mentally. Because of the suffering in the period, all three members of the family have become the children of Heavenly Father!

The epidemic indeed is a disaster, and none of us knows when it will end. However, if a soul can be saved by this affliction, our Father which is in heaven shall have silent joy over him, and there is no greater joy than this.

(This article is written by a freelance writer, a Christian from Henan Province.)

- Translated by Stephen Huang

编者按：疫情持续近三年的时间，在这个期间我们经历了太多，受到不同程度的影响。有的人因为奔波在外，被疫情困在他乡，生活陷入困境而走向绝望，也有人在困苦中找到了出路，重新有了生活的方向……

一

妻子有天与岳父通电话，听到妻子惊叫一声，不晓得发生了什么，过后才知道，是她家乡两姐妹的悲惨遭遇：年后，老家两姐妹商量到上海打工，工资高，待遇好。不料，仓促赶赴的，却是一场突如其来的疫情大爆发。而其时，她们还没找到工作，又没带多少钱，正在艰难徬徨时，上海封城了，无栖身之所，还不让回家，就这么困耗在上海街头，物资供应紧张，物价涨到了天上，她们从穷山沟跑到大上海，怎么吃得起？

一天天，饥饿加上无家可归，疫情漫漫无期，谁也不知道得多久才能得自由，希望破灭了，她们商议后，决定自杀算了。

其中一个女孩子买来了致命的毒药，决定服毒；而另一位，则怕临死前的痛苦，索性来个痛快，悄悄爬上一幢高楼，纵身而下。结局，服毒女孩被人发现，送往医院抢救，活了过来，并在不久之后，疫情就结束了，被送回了家乡。

另一位，跳楼当场死亡！然而这并非悲剧的终结，消息传到家乡，死者父亲为了瞒着"孩子妈"办理丧事，决定开三轮车将妻子暂送到亲戚家，不料心情悲痛，途经山沟，翻下悬崖，父亲重伤，母亲当场丧生。

二

我们原诗班姚姊妹，是个单亲妈妈，两个儿子都考上大学了。她还有房贷月供。前些年开了家干洗店，勉强维生。但是，因为疫情三年，2022年春节前，她把店关门，客户的会员卡上余额，退赔清楚。过了年，也是赶赴上海赚钱。

上海封控之后，不知她怎样了，她说道："感谢主！平安无事。我在上海找了份家政的工作，照顾一对母女，包吃住，一个月七千，就是近日腰有点疼，为我祷告！"

疫情虽使大上海停摆，但是姚姐妹在这一个家庭中，不仅有吃有住，还有安全庇护，工资也比我们内地高得多！

三

一位基督徒姊妹讲她上海哥嫂一家的见证。之前多年，哥嫂在她的劝说下，始终是半信的慕道友，没有真心决志悔改信主。

然而，2022年的一场疫情，漫长而令人窒息的封控，半夜起床抢菜，买米，关键是还抢不着。而且，家中小孩子先发烧，之后一家人确诊新冠被匆匆带进方舱。至此，哥嫂一家彻底崩溃，生命中最后的骄傲被击得粉碎。女儿哭，嫂子也忧虑是否会留下后遗症，听说肺伤害终生不愈，嗅觉丧失、幻听……怎么办？怎么办？

这时，妹妹持续地为哥嫂一家祷告，并不断地以神的话语在微信里安慰哥嫂及小侄女，让他们借着对上帝的信心战胜内心的恐惧和绝望、焦虑……

哥哥变了。告诉她每天因为强制闲下来，就拼命读经，在上帝的话语中认识救主，决志疫情结束立即去受洗，嫂子也带着侄女天天跪在主前祈祷。一家人的身体日渐康复，更重要的，是内心的创伤也得了痊愈。因着这场疫情苦难，一家三口都成了天父的儿女！

是的，疫情是一场苦难，我们谁也不知道它什么时候结束。但是，倘若有一个灵魂因为这苦难得救，我们在天上的父必为他默然欢喜，且没有比这欢喜更大的。

注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系河南一名基督徒。

上海封控期间的三个故事

Although the epidemic had greatly affected Shanghai, Sister Yao in her family not only had food and shelter but also had much higher wages than those in our inland areas!

III

(This article is written by a freelance writer, a Christian from Henan Province.)

- Translated by Stephen Huang

Three Stories Under Lockdown in Shanghai

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