The Lord Took Them Away as Treasures
When I had just been saved in Shanghai, a brother said to us in a meeting, "One day, when you see that some brothers and sisters have suddenly disappeared, do not be alarmed; it is that the Lord has taken them away as treasures."
The first time I saw Brother Wu was at the Lord's Day bread-breaking meeting in my hometown of Qingdao. He wore the biggest big-toed leather shoes I had ever seen, his voice was like a great bell, and his whole person stood there like a giant, making me feel that this person was truly very special; but at that time I could not quite understand what he was saying, nor did I know who this person before me really was.
My first close conversation with Brother Wu was at the on-site winter training in Anaheim in 2015; the brother's approachableness was unforgettable to me and made me lay down many of the worries and burdens in my heart.
Half a year later, by the Lord's marvelous hand, I was brought to the First Meeting Hall of the church in Taipei, and I could actually often see Brother Wu; but because we were in different districts and because of his busyness, I rarely had a chance to converse with him—each time it was watching him from afar walking ahead of us. Now, looking back, to me he was a person with the expression of the divine, mysterious life.
By the Lord's grace and the support of the Body, three sisters from our district had the privilege of attending this spring's middle-aged class training—this was the Lord's great grace and mercy to us. Yet in the classroom during the pre-training week, we heard the news that Brother Wu had been taken by the Lord; my tears immediately could not stop flowing, as if I were a child not yet grown up, suddenly facing the shock and loss of losing a parent and elder brother. I felt much indebtedness and reluctance to part.
Some days before, at the memorial meeting of a sister who had once been very successful in her career, I saw Brother Wu, who had driven there alone to support it. That memorial meeting was especially blessed, mentioning again and again the words, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it will not bear many grains." The many testimonies of the sister at the scene moved us to tears, and I believe Brother Wu, sitting in the first row, must also have been deeply touched.
Thank the Lord that, through Brother Wu, who went ahead, He gave us a testimony and a pattern!