• Bro. Zhanxiang Liu •
Immigrating to Hualien to Propagate
the Testimony of the Lord’s Recovery
Through faith they knelt down in one accord before the Lord’s presence, just as described in Acts, and brought gold, silver, and treasure to the church. Sisters took off their rings and gold necklace…. One brother gave several boxes of postage stamps which he had collected for more than twenty years to the church and consecrated them to the Lord. The church sold them at over 20,000 yuan which was used to purchase the land for the meeting hall…. Some brothers even pawned their woolen winter coats, and consecrated the money to the Lord.
Beginning the Meeting in a Sister’s Home in Guofuli
The church in Hualien started home meeting in one sister’s home in Guofuli in the spring of the 39th year of the Republic of China. At that time there were only three to four brothers and sisters attending the meeting. Then as the number increased, they borrowed the small auditorium of the primary school attached to Hualien Normal School to meet in.
The Wooden Meeting Hall on Mingli Road
In the September of the 42th year of the Republic of China, the church in Hualien built a wooden meeting hall at Mingli road No. 3. At that time the ownership of the land belonged to the county government of Hualien. The land was rented by the church from the county government. However, before long, the county government informed that the land must be purchased within the limited time. If it was overdue, the price would increase by twice the original. The price of the land was 368,000 Yuan (at that time an ordinary house cost about 30,000 TWD). There were less than 20 brothers and sisters normally attending the meeting. However, through faith they knelt down in one accord before the Lord’s presence, just as described in Acts, and brought gold, silver, and treasure to the church. Sisters took off their rings and gold necklace, and also consecrated the silver dollars and jewelry which they had deposited at home. One brother gave several boxes of postage stamps which he had collected for more than twenty years to the church and consecrated them to the Lord. The church sold them at over 20,000 yuan which was used to purchase the land for the meeting hall. At that time some sisters spent about three Yuan to buy pork every day, but then they no longer bought pork in order to save the money. Some brothers even pawned their woolen coats which protected them from the cold in winter, and consecrated the money to the Lord. Thank the Lord! The Lord kept their bodies strong and safe through the winter. These faithful and lovely brothers and sisters experienced God’s faithfulness. God really accomplished everything for them. As soon as these brothers and sisters began to believe into the Lord and enter into the church, they exercised living a life of consecration and prayer.
Leading the Whole Church to Live a Life of Prayer and
Laying the Foundation Stone of the Proper Church Life
In 40th year of the republic of China the Lord’s Co-worker, brother Zhanxiang Liu, moved to Hualien with his whole family for the first time. On arriving at Hualien, He led the whole church to live a life of prayer. Brother Liu taught brothers and sisters to pray in everything and to fellowship with the Lord first in everything before fellowshipping with brothers and sisters. When the elder sister Daixuan Zhou-Liu and sister Hengyuan Dong-Zhang recalled the weekly prayer meeting, they said, “The whole church knelt down to pray for two hours. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, we prayed for the whole night until the morning. Brothers and sisters confessed their sins as soon as they began to pray. This kind life of prayer laid the foundation stone of the proper church life. All saints were in one accord, cherishing and supporting each other.” Besides, sister Liu’s silent and diligent service also set a good example for them. In rainy days when brothers and sisters just came into the door of the meeting hall, sister Liu would wipe their hair and feet with a towel. After the typhoon passed, she would go to saints’ houses to help them do the cleaning. These scenes seemed still vivid in their mind. Every time after the meeting concluded, she would shake hands and say goodbye with the serving brothers and sisters at the door of the meeting hall, and her sweet concerns was also unforgettable for them all their life.
The Early Co-workers Being Full of Faith and
Richly Experiencing the Presence of the Lord
The early co-workers completely depended on the Lord in their livelihood. Because most of the brothers and sisters were new believers, they still lacked the realization on supplying the co-workers. The brothers who served full time truly led an austere life. However, they were full of faith to the Lord and richly experienced the presence of the Lord.
Selected from: http://www.chhu.idv.tw/church/page1.htm
History Report of the Church in Hualien (Series No.1)