• Bro. Zhanxiang Liu •
The Life and Times of Brother Zhanxiang Liu
Brother Zhanxiang Liu was born in 1916, in present day Wujiang District, Suzhou city, Jiangsu Province. Born to father Chung-Yao Liu, mother Mrs. Liu-Yu (given name long lost), with younger sisters Chun-Bao Liu and Feng-Jin Liu, younger brothers Zhan-Lin Liu and Zhan-En Liu. Since early days, he had excellent grades and outstanding character, was a dutiful and obedient son, and a loving older brother.
Graduated from Wujiang Normal school, he taught elementary in the countryside, and handled school administration affairs. After being saved, he pursued the Lord earnestly, studied the bible and all spiritual literature he could get his hands on. Right after that, he answered the Lord’s calling, to spread the gospel prevailingly. As an evangelist, he traveled thru the waters and lands of dozens of towns and villages in the surrounding two hundred kilometers with nothing but a Bible with him.
When he studied in Theology School in Shanghai, he met Brother Watchman Nee, which lead him to the Lord’s Recovery. In the summer of 1947 he went to Taiwan, got work in Taichung at Dadu paper mill’s add-on elementary school. After work, every Saturday, he would go to Tapiei to meet and serve, until late night on Lord’s day to get back to Taichung. Later, he resigned and started to serve full time, as the first full timer in Taiwan. After Brother Witness Lee came to Taiwan, Zhanxiang Liu humbly accepted the brothers’ leading. Before that, he has entertained and served brother Watchmen Nee when he came to visit Taiwan, and then personally sent him to Keelung harbor back to Mainland.
In 1948 he married Sister Yu Ho Wen. Sister Yu He was born in 1918 in Minhou County, Fuzhou City, of Fujian Province. Before marriage, she was the school nurse of Provincial Tainan teacher’s college (now part of National University of Tainan), and was roommates with Pao-Yi Li who was lecturer there, in the singles’ dorm. At that time, sister Pao-Yi was still meeting in a denomination, but was led by sister Yu Ho to the Lord’s Recovery. Unexpectedly sister Pao-Yi later married brother Witness Lee, how wondrous!
Sister Yu-Ho’s eldest sister, Sister Yu-Bing Wen had been Sister M. E. Barber’s typist in when Yu-Bing studied in high school, and has been co-workers with Watchmen Nee later on. When brother Witness Lee went to Fuzhou to beg brother Nee to resume his ministry, the first one to stand up and accept brother Nee’s leading “handling oneself over”, is sister Yu-Bing. After she did, twenty some other coworkers who were sitting outside the standing screen also one by one proclaimed that they are willing to “handle oneself over”, Brother Nee finally resumed his ministry, leading the Lord’s Recovery to continue forward. Sister Yu-Bing wrote around ten service letters collected in “The Collected Works of Watchmen Nee”.
Brother Zhanxiang Liu’s full time service on the island of Taiwan, was one where he’s willing to take any hard work that others wouldn’t, and doesn’t complain where others would have, humble and pleasant. From cities like Taipei, Hualien, Yilan, Luodong, Su’ao, Taitung, Jiaoxi, to places like Yuanlin, Yunlin, Gangshan, and cities like Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, to raise up local churches, to build up the Body of Christ, and left many wonderful testimonies.
Brother Zhanxiang has one daughter and three sons, Chinese names be Ming-Shi, Chen-Shi, Li-Shi, and Ling-Shi. Who all acquired higher education, grew up and perfected in the church life, they love the Lord and serve the Body. These children has started their own families and propagated to various places to serve.
Daughter Min-Shi (Maritha) now lives in Riverside, California in the USA, married to brother Keh-shin Lii, has eldest daughter Shao-Dan Lii (Joanne), married to Michael Lee. Second daughter Shao-Zhen Lii married David Blosser, has two sons: Jia-Xing Bai (Nathan), Jia-Xu Bai (Matthew). Third daughter Shao-Liang Lii, married to Seng-Oon Toh, has one son Zhen-Yao Toh (Ethan). Only son Shao-Yueh Lii married Yi-fan Lee, has a son Jia-Hsin Lii (Jaxon) and a daughter named Jia-Ling Lii (Evangeline). Fourth daughter Shao-En (Nancy).
Eldest Son Chen-Shi (Samuel) now lives in Ontario, California in the USA, married sister Yen-Chin Ke (Peace). Has a daughter Hsin-Yueh Liu (Grace) and a son Hsin-Hsung Liu (Eric).
Second son Li-Shi (Benjamin)’s family is currently in Claremont, California in the USA, and also propagating in Jerusalem, Israel, married to sister Shou-Hui Zhuang (Sophia). Eldest daughter Hsin-Lu Liu (Jessica), married Peter Yoon, has a son named En-Shen Liu (Benji Yoon), a daughter named Hui-Shen Liu (Eleanor Yoon). Second daughter Hsin-En Liu (Rebecca), married to Hao-En Zheng (Daniel Cheng).
Third son Ling-Shi is single and currently in Taipei.
In 1985, brother Zhanxiang left aside painful ailments, and slept in the Lord’s bosom. In 1999, sister Yu-Ho went to the Lord in Riverside, CA, USA. In the Fall of 2013, brother Zhanxiang’s remains got moved to Grace Terrance in California. The year of 2016 happens to be brother’s 100th year birthday if he hasn’t gone, perfect time to reverently record his biography to remember him. And respectfully record the saint’s good words and testimony, and for encouragement: Those before us have gone! Future generations should follow in their footsteps, carry on forward, establish God’s Kingdom in one accord.