Born a "Son of My Sorrow,"
Becoming at Last a "Son of My Right Hand"
The Perfecting of Two Generations of Sisters
A young man in the midst of his career, striving and with a bright future opening before him, yet he laid aside the way of the world with uncommon courage and far-reaching vision; like an ox bowing its shoulders to bear the burden, he took up his Lord's yoke. The forming of such a character is by no means the work of one generation; it can be reached only through the accumulation of two generations or more. So it was with the mother of Moses in the Old Testament, who raised up Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. So also with John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Lord in the New Testament, whose forming rested upon a father serving in the ranks of the priesthood and a mother born of the line of Aaron, who together nurtured him. So too with Timothy, Paul's beloved disciple, whose foundation came from a mother and a grandmother who loved the Lord. The Lord's recovery came through Brother Nee, who had a godly mother; and the one who took up the commission after him, Brother Lee, also had a mother who loved the Lord. One who serves can stand all his life before the Lord only when there is a pattern before him to follow and a strong support behind him to uphold him.
When Brother Wu gave his own testimony, the first person he mentioned was "my mother loved the Lord," and the second was his wife; it was Brother Wu's mother who perfected the first half of his life, and Brother Wu's wife who perfected the latter half. That is to say, when the saints saw Brother Wu and heard his voice at the meeting hall, to his mother and to his wife he was, in the home, absent; his family did not enjoy his presence but had instead to bear his absence. Two generations of sisters silently offered up to the Lord the one they most dearly loved, and thereby the churches over all the earth were benefited, and the great wheel of the Lord's economy turned the more smoothly! To the Lord, He enjoyed a sweet-smelling drink offering. As for Brother Wu, he finished the course he had to run, kept the path he had to keep, fought the fight he had to fight; his life was burned up, spent, and accepted by the Lord!
Serving with the Whole Heart, with No Time to Sleep His Fill
After 1970, before the large conferences and trainings of the church in Taipei, one could often see Brother Wu Yucheng appear, always listed as the "general steward." If one were to classify him by "spiritual image," he belonged to another sort. He wore no suit and no necktie; on his broad forehead there were often a few stray hairs, and besides dressing casually, he seldom stood on the platform, and seldom had spiritual terms in his mouth—that aside, he would now and then keep a straight face and crack jokes. A solemn meeting would be set at ease the moment he arrived. Over the years the faces of those who served changed often, and the turnover among the serving saints who held jobs was rapid too; somehow he was still there, a great relief from the dullness!
The first time Brother Wu came to the book room, his title was manager. He was in his prime, about thirty-five, at the peak of his life, when he answered the Lord's call! He truly was robust—large in build, bright in voice, walking with a brisk wind. When everyone spoke, the threads tangled endlessly, but he handled matters swiftly, settling them with one stroke!
No one ever saw bitterness on his face, nor heard the sound of his complaint. Toward people and toward matters he always "directed the troops amid talk and laughter," settling everything in the midst of jest and conversation! His ability was so strong that no second person could be found like him! When he served the Lord, it was as though he were doing something joyful and full of flavor. People would come rushing anxiously to find him; he would say two or three words, pat them on the shoulder, shake their hand, and everything was "no problem"!
A Self-Denying Man, Insensible to Himself
During that time when Brother Wu was struggling over whether to lay down his teaching post, what exactly happened? The service of the church needed him to decide; the affairs of the book room needed him to handle; the students were at school waiting for this fine teacher to teach the physics class. He rushed to the classroom, with no time to park his motorcycle in the lot, simply "whoosh"—parking it right at the classroom door. Getting off the bike, he stepped up to the platform, turned, and wrote a line on the blackboard; but the final stroke never came back, and so the whole class fell into a hush of waiting. Until someone gave a soft cry: "Teacher has fallen asleep!" He startled awake, turned his head to recover his face, and glared at the students: "Who's asleep?" He was so deprived of sleep that he could drop into sleep at any moment! Brother, now you may rest at ease….
After Brother Wu resigned from teaching, the people of the book room could often see him. He did not much care for eating; while everyone was at the meal, he would walk from table to table, looking at the dishes and the portions, telling jokes. Wherever he was, there was much laughter; he did not begrudge making fun of himself to entertain everyone!
The Lord Gave Him Courage—A Born Leader
Brother Wu never hid the fact that he could not preach, presumably for lack of time to read the messages. When Brother Zhang Xiangze (張湘澤) attended the book room's weekly meeting, Brother Wu could not be exempted from the exercise either. One would see him with a pained face and a grimacing mouth: "Mm…mm…in a word…anyway, it's just like…" forcing out a few true words—and true words are often what touch the heart most. We loved him for his genuine nature! In the book room he was like the eldest brother at home; we felt fully secure, for there was one who could make the decisions! Out of his upbringing, he was respectful and courteous to elders, opened his heart to his peers, and showed warm care to the younger ones. Yet we could still see his partiality: he took special care of brothers heavily burdened with household expenses, telling people to take all the surplus supplies home!
He Knew Everything, Yet Did Not Restrict People's Development
When he heard that I was attending night classes at Taiwan Normal University and missed the service meetings, he said nothing. When he heard that I was renting a place on my own, finding sisters who were students to live with me, he said nothing. When he heard that I had invited the sisters serving the Recovery Version to my rented place to wrap wontons and blend, he said nothing. When he heard that I accompanied the Taiwan University students for morning watch and was often late to work, he said nothing. And when colleagues complained that I had too many outside affairs and too many people coming to seek me out, he said nothing. When older sisters said I was aloof and did not fit in with the group, he said nothing. When outsiders praised the splendid gospel-testimony interviews I had done, he merely said lightly, "Well, let people know the book room has talent too." In his view, doing one's proper work well was simply what one ought to do!
An older widowed sister passed away, one who had served silently in the meeting hall for over forty years. I volunteered to give a testimony in the Jingxing Hall; for that meeting Brother Lee sent a representative back from America to Taiwan—you can see how important it was. He heard of it, yet said nothing. Whatever he did not voice opposition to, one could do according to the burden. Until Sister Zhang said to him, "You call Xiaoda out to serve full-time; the sisters need her!" Then he spoke: "If she has the Lord's leading, who can stop her?" He understood spiritual principle! In the latter period of working on the Recovery Version, working into the deep night every day with the lamps blazing, the pressure was too great, and I went to him to resign: "Next month, I'm not coming anymore!" He glanced at me lightly and said only one sentence: "Better keep coming!" At once I felt my heart comforted, and even slightly regretful—I had tied myself in knots for a whole month for nothing!
He knew everything, he understood human feelings, and he did not in the least restrict people's development. To work under his hand, to gain his full trust—so long as one had no selfish heart—to "give full play to oneself" was respected! In five years of working together, he never scolded me; of course, neither did he ever praise me. All the accounts were recorded there with the Lord; in coming to bear the yoke, was it not, after all, for the spending of oneself?
He must have been the last one in the book room to learn of the news of my marriage; it was while we were printing the hymns for the wedding meeting that he heard it from someone! A sister of forty had finally awaited the day of her marriage, and his response was simple and clear: "Let the whole world rejoice together!" The words carried deep feeling: first, an affirmation that this was a matter for joy and congratulation; second, that this was the hope in the hearts of many! I heard that after I left my post he instead often mentioned me: "Even Zheng Xiaoda managed to get married—what are the sisters afraid of?" I laughed out loud when I heard it; the rapport was indeed enough. It was plainly a remark that teased at a person's expense, but he knew I could take the joking. If it is of benefit to the saints, what harm in saying it? Is not everything done in coordination?
Rather Worn Smooth than Rusted Away
When I left the book room, Brother Wu was about forty. Afterward, all I heard, one after another, was: Brother Wu had had a stroke, was on dialysis, had a kidney transplant, had another stroke—it left one downcast! Taiwan, America, the mainland—such vast territory, and week after week he was running between them. Crossing time zones day and night, constantly changing where he slept, never master of his own meals between Chinese and Western fare—such an unsettled life, going on for over thirty years, wore a tough man down alive into an invalid. The same flesh and blood—his health drained away rapidly. When he was ill, did it not hurt? When it hurt, did he not weep? Facing death, was he not afraid? In the depths of his heart, did he not pity his wife and children? Several strokes, several faintings, several times entering the operating room, several times dying and reviving—he was indeed after the pattern of the brothers before him; our family tradition is: rather worn smooth than rusted away!
Once, when a full-Taiwan conference was held in Hualien, in the service center I saw Brother Wu from behind, his hand thrust into the small of his back, standing as he talked on the phone. Yes! He seldom "sat down." Quietly I walked over and took hold of the hand behind his back. He was greatly startled, turned his head, and glanced at me. That one glance is frozen in my memory: he was still in his prime, standing, resounding, spirited, and bold—and this man has now flung himself into the Lord's bosom! This one born a "son of my sorrow"—fatherless in youth, striving with all his might in middle age, sick and in pain in old age—has now become at last the Lord's "son of my right hand." The generation of Brother Lee has passed; we testify together that he was among the firstfruits of the new generation, that in this present age he gave the Lord His crown. He makes us long after him, who finished his whole life in faithfulness and became the Lord's joy and crown!