In Memory of Our Dear Elder Sister Zhang En-Chong (Rested in Our Lord, 23 June 2009)
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”(Rev. 14:13)
With sadness and gratitude, we say goodbye to our dear elder sister Zhang En-Chong. We grieve because we have lost a dear co-worker in the Lord, a faithful watchman, a prayer warrior that stayed watchful day and night. From her youth to old age, being filled with the spiritual burden, she unfailingly and unchangingly paid the price of prayers for the global revival of churches and their co-workers. We witnessed all of these with our own eyes. She left us with beautiful life examples and testimonies. We are very grateful because she has returned to the bosom of our Lord. She left behind the physical sufferings and pain to embrace the everlasting peace and rest!
Sister Zhang En-Chong, originally named Zhang Ming-Ying, was born in Yizheng, Jiangsu, on 9 March 1917. She lived to be 92. She came from a family of few means – a big family without much land. To help her mother raise her younger brothers and sisters, she deprived herself of the opportunities for schooling. As she turned into adulthood, she went to Shanghai and became a textile and dye factory worker. She was still financially stripped and life was very difficult because she again had to share her mother’s burden to raise the young ones. Around 1949, she endured some emotional setback that left her to believe that there was no genuine love in the world. There was a lot of pain and life was empty. She even considered to commit suicide. Right at that time, her friend took her to the church. By chance, the testimony that the pastor gave that night aimed directly at her heart’s need. The entire sermon focused on “God’s love never changes!
God’s love never changes!” She was immensely comforted. Immediately, she confessed her sins, repented and decided to accept Jesus to be her savior. Joy filled her heart. After becoming a believer, she craved for God’s messages. Her life took on great transformation and she was filled with joy. She was fired up spiritually to give testimonies and spread gospel to her factory co-workers. Everyone called her “live Jesus”.
Not long after 1950 during a revival meeting, she heard the preaching from one of the God’s servants. She was deeply touched and clearly saw God’s calling on her to give up all worldly things to serve Him in ministries and save lost souls. After being introduced by someone in the body of Christ, she was led by God to Home of Grace in West Lake, Hangzhou for further edification. On the mountain, God Himself worked on each of His chosen worker. There she understood God’s heart and learned to pray as a watchman for all the lost souls in the world. She learned to read, write and read the entire Bible, eventually she could write simple letters to home by herself. All of these came from the leading of the Holy Spirit and the loving help of those in the body of Christ. She was hungry for God’s word and incessantly sought God’s will for her. She received the burden and the spiritual gift from God to pray in supplication for all people. She knew with certainty that she should be the faithful prayer watchman for the rest of her life.
In 1951, she and a couple of other brothers and sisters were led by the Holy Spirit to move from Home of Grace in Hangzhou to Beijing to continue to grow in the spirit and be watchmen in the prayer ministry. In 1953, as she was praying in the watchman’s tower, she was filled with the Holy Spirit and had a clear vision that her mission would be at overseas. God led her to London, England as a watchman. She later realized that God’s will for her was to go to the United States first and then to England. But the environment at that time made it impossible. Even she herself had a hard time believing the mission she was tasked to do.
For many years, God used various sorts of sufferings to edify her and mold her. She endured all sorts of persecutions, trials for her faith and tribulations of the cross. During those years she was in Beijing (since 1953), she stood by many God’s servants and maids through their sufferings. No one else except her delivered food and other items to God’s servants and maids who were imprisoned. Then in 1964, she was also put to prison due to her “faith”. After her prison term was completed, she was again forced to go back to her home town to the labor camp. For many years, she was closely watched by a multitude of her townsmen and sustained physical and mental abuses and agonies. For many years, because of her faith she was persecuted, discriminated and mistreated. As a result of prolonged hard labor in the rice field for many years, her legs developed severe arthritis. Her legs swelled severely that they looked like two huge trunks. Imagine how unbearable each step that she took on those legs!
Thanks be to God our Lord, like most of our co-workers in the Lord, she also had a part in Christ’s suffering, kingdom, and patience. Just as she often said “Follow the suffering of Jesus today, take part in Christ’s glory tomorrow”. In the 70’s when God’s time finally came, she was found and brought out to Shanghai through tireless search by many brothers and sisters. Only then, she was able to meet with other co-workers in Shanghai, Beijing and Kunming. She was also able to serve many brothers and sisters and waited for the further leading of the Holy Spirit.
Praise God, He is forever faithful and righteous! Whatever He promises, he will fulfill. God did open the doors for her when His time finally came. In 1991, God’s mighty hands miraculously led her to the United States and fulfilled part of His promise of her. She still needed to wait for God’s will to lead her to England as commissioned by God. Her long wait in the United States was God’s perfect plan. Seeing the need of our brothers and sisters in London, all of us prayed in unison for God’s will to be done. In the beginning of April 2004, we finally saw the arrival of God’s time. Under circumstances totally impossible, God cleared the way in the vast sea. Sister Zhang, accompanied by two other co-workers finally stepped onto the soil of England. God finally fulfilled His promise after she loved and prayed for England for nearly fifty years. During her time in London, she paid the price of praying on her knee day and night. Each day, she not only prayed several hours during the day, but also several hours during the night. All those in the body of Christ who had the opportunity to know her were deeply touched by her love and supplication. At the same time, God also raised “products from local soil”- many sisters who offered themselves to God also came together to meet, serve and seek the Lord’s way. She served in London for almost a year until the following March. She then came back to US to stay because her application for extended stay was not approved. Till this day, sister and brothers of Christ in London miss old Aunt Zhang. They remember the days she spent with them.
In August 2005, a severe hurricane nearly took the life of our elder sister. At the most critical moment, God saved her. With God’s mercy, she escaped death and survived. During the period when we had to flee and stay in Philadelphia, the house we stayed was very small. All of us were confined into a very limited space. There was virtually no place for prayers by oneself. At that time she was 89 years old. One of her eyes had had a surgery for cataract. But she still insisted on reading more Bible during the day and stayed up during the night to pray. In fact, she often had to go to the small bath room where she would pray continuously for several hours. She also took her roster to watch and pray.
During the latter part of 2007, sister En-Chong was led to visit her co-workers in Christ back in China. She then suffered a stroke in September and was brought to the hospital for treatment. It was only through God’s mercy and the urgent prayers of all of us that she was able to come out of life-threatening danger. After two months of all-out aggressive treatment, her condition was stabilized and she was able to be released and treated as an out-patient. Because the healthcare condition was less desirable and not conducive for her speedy recovery, we again prayed for God to open doors to take her back to US. This was almost an impossible request. How could a stroke patient of such advanced age be brought back by such a lengthy flight? Furthermore, she had to be back by the end of the year. If she were to wait another half year, she would lose permanent residence status (green card)….. Praise God, He moved our coworker elderly brother Zhang who volunteered to go to Beijing and personally brought her back. This could not possibly be an easy task! It was absolutely through the urgent prayers of all of us that we witnessed God’s leading, step by step. Finally, we brought our ninety years old big sister back to US from Beijing! She miraculously arrived on US soil safely on 31 December, the last possible day. We could not help but praise our faithful God. He never misses or makes mistakes.
During the last one and a half year that she was back in US, Sister Zhang had being lovingly cared for by all of us in the Home of Grace. Under the superb medical care in US, her health gradually recovered. During the first half year, she requested to sit in her wheel chair to attend meetings both in the morning and in the afternoon. She could also use simple words to pray for the Great Revival and the saving of lost souls on the earth. But by last winter, she seldom attended any meetings. The sisters who cared for her often accompanied her in singing hymns, Bible reading, and praying. She also would sing along with them and memorized the Bible verses loudly that were familiar to her. “Praise the Lord!”, “Thank you Lord!” are “Hallelujah!” are words of her expression every day. Her heart was full of praises and gratitude to our Lord.
In her final months, her health deteriorated. She had no appetite. She could only drink a small amount of water. She stayed on for some more days. When some of our coworkers finally came back from our mission field, we were able to stay by her side for some of her most difficult days. We said good bye to our dearest elder sister in peace. She has rested in peace -rested from all the earthly suffering and pain. She is forever in the everlasting arms of our Lord! All her labor in the Lord was not in vain! They will be forever remembered by God. They will forever remain in our hearts! We earnestly ask God to raise up more faithful watchmen, who would give all they have for God’s kingdom and the great commission. Let us continue to pray in supplication! Continue to fight on! Till the day we meet our Lord again. Amen.
Lastly, on behalf of the family members of Sister En-Chong, we wish to send our greetings and express our deep gratitude to each and every one of you. In particular, to Doctor Lee and sisters of Home of Grace, who had laboriously and patiently cared for Sister En-Chong during her lengthy illness, we wish to express our heart-felt gratitude.