1. Manna issue 57 - The Golden Boat 金船
God’s mercy and guidance led
me through all of my doubts and
questions.
因著神的憐憫和指引，帶領我通過全部的疑惑。
Sarah Pai—Cerritos, California, USA 美國加州喜瑞都教會 白慧萍
I never planned on moving half way
around the world, away from my family
and friends. But through the guidance
of God, I left Taiwan and came to the
US, where I grew closer to Him and
strengthened my faith.
我曾未計劃遷移大半個地球，遠離家人和朋友。
但因著神的帶領，我離開了台灣到美國，
而且更加親近神，信心更堅強。
TURNING AWAY FROM GOD 遠離神
After I graduated from university, I worked
for a few years as a kindergarten teacher. I
enjoyed that job, but, by the exceptional
arrangement of God, I was led to the path
of studying abroad to obtain a Master’s
degree in Teaching English as a Second
Language (TESL).
大學畢業之後，在幼稚園作老師工作了幾年。
我很愛這個工作，但是神特別的安排，
帶領我走上國外留覺的路，完成第二外語英文教學的碩士學位。
I started to look for schools in the US
that offered such programs, and I was
determined to attend a school that was
close to a True Jesus Church. I found only
one university that fit my criteria. But
despite my diligent studying, I was not
able to achieve the necessary test scores
to be accepted into the program at that
school. My only choice was to go to
Arkansas Tech University.
我開始找美國有提供這個課程的學，
也決定要找一間靠近真耶穌教會的學校。
並且發現只有一間學校符合我的標準。
但是雖然我很努力用功，卻無法達到學校課程所必要的考試成績。
唯一的選擇就只有去阿肯色州科技大學。
In August 2005, I arrived in Arkansas
where I decided to trust God and enjoy my
time in the US. I thought it was possible
that God brought me here to spread the
gospel since there were no True Jesus
Church members living there. However, I
didn’t have the courage to share my faith
with my friends.
2005年八月，我到了阿肯色州，決定靠神好好享受美國的日子。
因為沒有真耶穌會的信徒在這裡，所以我認為有可能，
神帶我到這裡來拓展福音。
然而，我卻沒有勇氣和朋友分享我的信仰。
I made many friends who were also
Chinese and furthering their education in
Arkansas, and they seemed to love and
respect me. Whenever I was asked to be
the mediator during their disagreements,
I prayed for God’s help and He amazingly
let those matters resolve smoothly.
我交了很多中國人的朋友，
他們也來阿肯色州深造，似乎都喜愛我，尊敬我。
當他們有爭端時，就叫我去調停，
我祈求神的幫助，很奇妙地神就讓事情很順利的解決了。
I was always invited wherever my
friends went: star-gazing, shopping, and
later on even going to bars. The only thing
I insisted on was keeping the Sabbath;
however, my eyes and heart gradually
could not genuinely turn to God.
無論朋友們要去那裡，都找我一起去：
看星星，購物，後來甚至去酒吧。
唯一堅持的一件事，就是守安息日；
然而，漸漸地眼目和內心就無法真正的歸向神。
Things went on like this until the end
of the first semester. One day I found
myself walking to and from school alone.
All of a sudden, those who I had thought
were my friends stopped talking to me.
In loneliness, I tried to seek God, and it
was at that moment that I realized how
far away from Him I had gone.
生活日常就像這樣直到第一覺期結束。
有天，我發現獨自往來校園。
突然間，那些我以為是自已的朋友，停止和我交流。
因為很孤單，我試著尋撾神，
就在那個時候，我才了解到，自已已經離神很遠了。
This isolation from my friends was a
wake-up call to me, and I was determined
to draw closer to God. But because
there were no other True Jesus Church
members near me, I started to look for
other Christians and churches to fulfill my
spiritual needs.
朋友的孤立，對我而言就像警訊一樣，
我就決定要更加親近神。
但是因為附近沒有其他的真耶穌教會信徒，
我就開始找其他的基督徒和基督教派，來滿足自已靈性上的需求。
TRYING TO DRAW CLOSE TO GOD 試著靠近神
In December 2005, I was introduced to
a family that also believed in keeping the
Sabbath. After I spent some time talking
to them, I found out their beliefs were
similar to the doctrines of the True Jesus
Church, so I joined the Bible studies and
Sabbath worship services at their church.
2005年12月，有人介紹我一個家庭，他們也相信要守安息日。
在和他們交談一些時間之後，就發現他們的信仰和真耶穌教會的教義很接近，
所以我加入他們教會的查經和安息日聚會。
They observed Sabbath from sunset
on Friday until sunset on Saturday, but
they appeared to be even more devoted
than the True Jesus Church. They kept
all of the festivals described in the Old
Testament, such as Passover, the Feast
of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and the
Feast of Tabernacles.
他們守安息日是從星期五日落開始，真到星期六的日落結束，
但他們甚至明顯比真耶穌教會更專注。
他們遵守所有舊約記載的所有節日，
但如逾越節，五旬節，住棚節。
They believed in speaking in tongues
through the presence of the Holy Spirit,
but they practiced that only at home and
not in the church because they believed
that it wouldn’t benefit others if nobody
could understand what they were saying.
他們相信聖靈同在說靈言，
但是只有在家才說靈言，不在教會說，
因為他們認為，若沒有人可以了解他們的靈言，不能造就別人。
Whenever I had questions, they turned
very quickly to Bible passages to support
their beliefs. At the time, I didn’t have
much time to study the Bible on my
own so I gradually believed some of the
things they taught. I even tried not to eat
“unclean” food (such as pork, shrimp,
and ham) in order to please God.
當我發現問題的時候，他們很快就翻到聖經經節支持他們的信仰。
那時候，我自已沒有很多時間讀經，所以漸漸就相信一些他們教的事。
甚至我試著不吃"不潔淨的"食物，(例如豬肉，蝦子，火腿)
為了可取悅神。
Although I had grown up in the True
Jesus Church religious education system
and had been involved in teaching
religious education since I was in high
school, I started to question my faith
when I was in Arkansas. I wondered why
the True Jesus Church considers itself to
be the only true church that will be saved
and didn’t understand why those who
were very devoted to loving God and
man couldn’t be saved.
自高中開始，雖然我長大於真耶穌教會的宗教教育系統，也參與了宗教教育，
當我在阿肯色州的時候，就開始質疑這個信仰。
相了解為何真耶穌教會，自認為是唯一可以得救的真教會，
不了解為何那些非常虔誠愛神的人，卻不能得救。
However, no matter how many
questions I had and no matter how much I
doubted the doctrines of our church, there
was one thing I deeply believed—that God
is the most wonderful Counselor who will
eventually give me all the answers.
然而不論我有多少問題，不論我對教會的教義有多少的質疑，
我深信一件事 - 神是最奇妙的安慰者，最後會給我一切的答案。
RECEIVING ANSWERS FROM GOD 來自神的回答
I had already booked my flight back to
Taiwan before I completed my degree,
thinking that I would start working once
I got back. However, one month before
school ended, one of my friends suggested
that I apply for Optional Practical Training.
If I was accepted, I would be able to
work in the US for one year while still
on a student visa. After considering her
suggestion for two weeks, I decided to
apply. My application was approved, so
instead of going back to Taiwan I stayed
to look for a job.
在我完成學業之前，就已經預訂了回台灣的機票，
心中的想法是一回去就開始工作。
然而結束學業前一個月，有一個朋友建議我申請專業實習。
若是申請成功，就能用學生簽証在美國工作一年。
在考慮了她的建議二周後，就決定去申請。
申請也通過了，所以我不是回台灣，而是留下來找工作。
Some people told me that it would be
very difficult to find a job in Arkansas.
But I found a job at a private school after
looking only for one afternoon, and I was
hired to begin working once I came back
from my vacation. All of my friends there
were very amazed.
有些人說，在阿肯色州很難找到工作。
但我只找了一個下午，就在一間私立學校找到工作，
我就受雇要在放假回來後，要開始工作。
我所有的朋友都感到很吃驚。
During my vacation, I traveled across
the country, finally flying from New York to
Southern California to attend the National
Youth Theological Seminar (NYTS).
Although the deadline for registration had
passed, I decided to attend as a full-time
auditor. I arrived two weeks before NYTS
started.
放假的時候，我橫越整個國家，從紐約最後飛到南加州最後參加全國青年神訓班(NYTS)。
雖然報名最後期限過了，我決定全程來旁聽。
在神訓班開始前二周就到了。
Because I had so many questions about
my faith and beliefs, I knelt down to pray
every morning and afternoon. Since there
were assignments for the participants
before the seminar began, I started to
really study the Bible. I had so many
questions about Christianity that I began
keeping a list, and I recorded the verses
I found in the Bible that answered my
questions. After I told the resident pastor
that I had been joining services at another
church, he helped me answer some of my
questions.
因為我有很多信仰和信條的問題，
每天早晚都跪下來禱告。
因為神訓班開始之前，參加者都有作業，
我就開始認真查經。
我有許多有關基督教的問題，就列了一張清單，
一旦找到問題答案的經節，就記錄起來。
在告知了駐牧傳道，我曾經在其他教會聚會之後，
他就幫我找一些問題的答案。
One week later, a sister invited me to
stay at her house before NYTS began. I
tried to spend more time in prayer to ask
for God’s help in answering my questions.
After praying longer and reading the Bible
more, the answers were revealed little by
little each day, and I realized that some of
the teachings from the church I had been
attending in Arkansas were wrong.
一周後，一位姐妹邀我在神訓班前住她家。
我就試著花更多時間來禱告，求神幫助我找到問題的答案。
隨著更多的禱告讀經之後，每一天漸漸的找到答案，
我才明白，有些我去阿肯色州教會聚會的教導是錯的。
One Wednesday night after service I
truly acknowledged the existence of God.
I felt at peace and without any doubt as I
prayed and went to bed. That night I had
a very vivid dream.
有一天星期三晚上聚完會，我就真的承認神的存在。
我禱告時，覺得很平安，沒有疑慮，就是睡了。
那個晚上，我有一個很清楚的夢。
THE GOLDEN BOAT 金船
My roommates in Arkansas, Rose and
Emily, were standing with me on the roof
of a building that was taller than the other
buildings around it. I heard them exclaim
in surprise when they looked up at the
sky. When I looked up, I saw a golden
dot. It was quite small but got bigger
as it descended. Suddenly it became a
golden boat. I couldn’t look directly at it
for a long time because it was shining so
brightly, but I could see that there was a
cross carved on its side.
我和阿肯色州的同學，玫瑰和艾蜜莉，
一起站在一棟比四周都更高的大樓屋頂。
我聽到他們驚叫，看著天空。
我往上一看，看見一個金色的點。
它真的很小，但隨著它往下降漸漸變大。
突然間就變成一條金色的船。
我不能直視很久，因為它的光很亮，
但我能見到，在船旁有刻著十字架。
When the golden boat came close, it
suddenly became a gray cement building
with a cross on the roof. There were twelve
windows, and a person stood at each one.
In one of the windows on the left, there
was a silver basin and a white towel, so it
seemed like it was a dormitory.
當金船靠近的時候，突然間就變成一間灰色水泥大樓，屋頂有十字架。
有12個窗戶，每個窗戶都站一個人。
左邊其中一個窗戶，放著銀色的水盆和白毛巾
看起來就像宿舍。
All of the people who stood at the
windows smiled and waved affectionately
at me, and I also smiled and waved back
at them. Slowly, the boat ascended and
moved further to the left, where it stopped
moving. Even though it was far from us,
we could still see it suspended in midair.
所有站在窗戶的人，都很熱情地向我微笑揮手，
我就向他們微笑揮手回禮。
慢慢地，船上升，移到左方，並且停止移動。
即使船離我們有點遠，我們仍可看見它在半空中暫停。
Rose came over and handed me a stack
of paper and asked me to have all the
people in the golden boat take a survey.
We were no longer on the roof but in a
room that had no ceiling. I agreed right
away, but looking at the boat floating so
far away, I wondered how I could send
the paper there. I couldn’t fly, and there
was no way to make it across the sky.
玫瑰就走了過來，交給我一疊調查紙表，
要我向金船上所有人作個調查。
我們不在屋頂上，而在房間內，但房內沒有天花板。
我馬上就同意，但看著船遠遠的漂著，
我就在想要怎麼把調查表送過去。
我不會飛，並沒有辨法可以飛過天空。
I put the paper on a window ledge next
to me and knelt down to pray, facing that
window. After five minutes of prayer, the
pages were lifted into the air and flew in
a continuous curve from the ledge to the
golden boat.
我把調查表放在附近的窗台上，跪下禱告，面向窗。
禱告5分鐘之後，這些紙表就飛起來騰空，
就以一連續的弧線型，從窗台飛進船上。
A little while later, the papers flew back
one at a time, forming a stack on my bed.
After all the papers were back, I decided
to take a look at the responses. On
each sheet, there were several questions
with lines provided below each one for
answers.
一會兒之後，調查表全部一起飛了回來，
在我床上疊成一堆。
全部調查表回來之後，我就決定看一下表上的回覆。
每張紙上，都有很多問題，
每個問題下面有一條線可以填答案。
The first survey I looked at answered
each question fully, using up all the
provided space. I thought this must have
been completed by one of our devoted
church members. However, the second
one I saw appeared to be completed by
a person who either didn’t care about the
questions or didn’t know the answers, since
most of the answers were either “Yes” or
“No,” and the questions requiring further
explanation were not answered.
我看著第一份表，全部答案都有回答，並且答題空間填滿了。
我想，這一定是一位我們教會虔誠的弟兄的完成的。
然而，第二份看起來，就好像是一個完全不在乎問題的人所回覆的，
或一個不知答案的人，因為大部份他填的答案，不是"是"就是"否"，
若有需要更進一步來回答，他就沒有寫下去。
As I was still looking at the surveys, the
dream suddenly ended.
正在我仍看著調查表的時候，夢突然就沒了。
PEACE THROUGH PRAYER 禱告中的平安
When I woke up the next morning, I sat
up, my heart racing, because the dream
seemed so real. I still remembered it very
vividly, and I was shocked at what had
taken place, but I didn’t understand what
it meant. Although it didn’t make much
sense, I didn’t spend time analyzing it or
thinking about it.
隔天醒來，坐起來，我的心一直跳，因為夢很真實。
我仍然很清楚的記得夢境。
對於夢中發生的事，我感到很震驚，
我並不明白其中所代表的意思。
雖然看起來有點不合邏輯，但我並沒有去分析或思考。
Later that day, I was in the car with
some church members on the way to
Bible study when one of the sisters tapped
my shoulder and said, “Look at the sky.”
We saw a boat-shaped cloud with a cross
and a person sitting in that boat. We were
all amazed by the scene, but I didn’t tell
them about my dream.
當天稍後，我和一些同靈一起坐車去教會查經，
而其中一位姐妹輕拍我的肩膀說，"看看天空"。
我看見一朵船形的雲，有十字架，
並且有一個人坐在船上。
這一幕讓我們全部的人都感到很驚奇，
但我並沒有向他們提到我的夢。
Over the next few days, I forgot about
the golden boat. That Sunday, NYTS
began and I enjoyed my time there,
learning about the Bible and being a part
of the wonderful fellowship with brothers
and sisters. We encouraged each other
to pray for one another. I tasted the
sweetness of drawing close to God, and
my heart gradually grew joyful.
經過幾天之後，我就忘了金船的事。
星期天神訓班就開始了，我很愉快的享受在那裡的時光，
學習聖經，可以和弟兄姐妹一起體驗這奇妙的團契。
我們相互鼓勵為別人禱告。
我嚐到了親近神甜美的滋味，
心裡漸漸越來越喜樂。
One of the things that I spent much
time in prayer over was my faith—if I
moved to California, it would be much
easier to attend services and maintain my
faith. However, if I went back to Arkansas,
I would be able to spread the gospel to my
friends and they could possibly be saved.
In my prayers, I felt that going back to
Arkansas was the right choice, but I knew
that my faith would be tested.
我花最多時間在禱告上的一件事，就是自已的信仰 -
若我移到加州，就會更易於參加聚會，維持信仰。
然而，若回到阿肯色州，就能傳福音給朋友，他們也能得救。
禱告中，我覺得回到了阿肯色州才是正確的決定，
但是知道自已的信仰會受到考驗。
During one prayer, I shed tears as I
asked God to help me stay strong and
faithful to Him. Suddenly, my sorrow and
worries disappeared, and I felt calm and
peaceful when I heard a voice say, “You
are my child.” I knew at that moment that
God would take care of me in Arkansas.
在一次禱告中，我流淚求神幫助我剛強，對神更有信心。
突然憂傷和煩惱就消失了，我感到很冷靜且平安，
就聽到一個聲音說，"你是我的兒女"。
當時我就知道，神會在阿肯色州看顧我。
UNDERSTANDING MY DREAM 解夢
Although some of my questions were
answered during the time I was in
Southern California, I still did not have
answers to the others. However, by the
grace of God, the answers came to me
whenever I turned to the Bible during
NYTS.
雖然有些問題在南加州的時候，得到了答案，
我並沒有得到全部的答案。
然而因著神的恩典，在神訓班的時候，
無論何時打開聖經，答案就會自已跑過來。
Finally, I had only one question left:
Why is True Jesus Church the only church
that will be saved? I prayed very hard over
this question and told God that I wouldn’t
know how to continue in my faith if I
didn’t receive an answer from Him.
最後只留下一個問題：為何真耶穌教會是唯一得救的教會？
為了這個問題，我很認真禱告，告訴神，
若是我沒有從神得到這題的答案，我不知如何持續自已的信仰。
The end of NYTS drew near, but my
question was still unanswered. During
one of the last prayer sessions, I was again
asking for an answer. While I was praying
this way, the golden boat from my dream
flashed into my mind.
快要結束神訓班的時候，這個問題仍沒有解決。
在最後其中一次禱告會，再一次求問解答。
正以這樣的方式禱告時，夢中的金船閃過我的心中。
All of a sudden, I understood what that
dream meant. The boat represents the
True Jesus Church, and the gold represents
the pure and true gospel that we preach.
Like Noah’s ark, only the people on the
boat were saved. The survey responses
show that salvation does not depend on
knowledge, ability, or devotion to God
and man but on faith. Those who believe
and receive baptism in the True Jesus
Church are saved, whether they answered
the survey fully or not.
突然間，就明白了夢裡的意思。
金船代表真耶穌教會，黃金代表我們所傳純潔純正的福音。
就像諾亞方舟，只有船上的人才能得救。
調查表的答案代表得救無關知識，能力，對神或人的奉獻，只在於信心。
只有那些在真耶穌教會信主接受洗禮的人才會得救，
不管表上的答案有沒有填滿。
God gave me the answer to the question
for which I had been praying: The True
Jesus Church is the only church that will
be saved because she is the only church
with the complete truth.
神回答了這個一直以來，我不斷禱告的問題：
真耶穌教會是唯一得救的教會，因為她是唯一有全備真理的教會。
GOD’S PLAN 神的計劃
After NYTS ended, I went back to
Arkansas. I first worked at a nursery
school, taking care of children around
eighteen to twenty-four months old.
Although I enjoyed that job, I quit after
one month because the school couldn’t
help me obtain a work visa.
神訓班結束之後，我就回到阿肯色州。
一開始在幼兒園工作，照顧大約18-24個月大的小孩子。
雖然很愛這個工作，一個月之後我就辭職了，
因為學校不能幫我取得工作簽証。
One day I received a phone call asking
me to be a substitute teacher. This was
unexpected because it had been two
months since I had applied for the job,
and I had never been asked to substitute.
After that first substitute teaching job, I
was often called to substitute for classes
from kindergarten to the twelfth grade.
有一天我接到一通電話，要我去當代課老師。
這件事讓我很意外，因為從我開始找工作，因為過了二個月，
我曾未被要求去代課。
第一次代課老師工作結束後，
從幼稚園到高中，常常有人打電話找我去代課。
My uncle called me in October to
see if I would attend a student spiritual
convocation (SSC) in Dallas at the end
of December. He also mentioned that
he thought it would be good for me if I
moved so that I could live closer to other
members of the True Jesus Church.
十月時，舅舅打電話來問，要不要去達拉斯參加12月底的學生靈恩會。
他也提到，他認為若我搬家可能比較好，
這樣可以住離真耶穌教會的弟兄姐妹近一點。
I did not like the idea of moving
to another place because I felt that
everything in my life was going well.
During one prayer, I understood that I
needed to submit and move, but at the
same time my heart was crying, “What
about the possibility of spreading the
gospel in Arkansas?” It was still difficult
to let go of that opportunity.
我不愛移到另一個地方的想法，
因為我覺得生活中的每一件事都很順利。
在一次禱告中，我就明白了，
要順服，並且搬家，但同一時間，我的內心也在哭喊，
"那在阿肯色州傳福音的事情，要怎麼辨呢？"
要放棄那樣的機會是很困難的。
Since I had not yet finalized my plans
for moving, I used the time I had left in
Arkansas to repay the love of God and
all of the people who had been kind to
me. One of the things I did over the next
few months was to give rides to some
students who did not have a car. Some of
them asked me how I was so blessed as to
have a job, and I shared how God was the
one who had given me everything.
因為還沒有完成搬家的計劃，
我就利用阿肯色州剩下的時間來回報神的愛，
全部的人都對我很照顧。
在接下來幾個月，我作了一件給我學生搭便車，因為他們沒車。
他們中有些人問我，為何我這麼受到祝福找到了工作，
我就分享了，神就是給我一切的人。
Through God’s grace, four of these
students joined SSC in Dallas with me,
and one of them received the Holy Spirit.
She eventually received baptism after
she completed her studies in the US. I
realized then that God had plans that
were beyond my understanding and that
I shouldn’t worry so much about leaving
Arkansas and the chance to spread the
gospel there.
有了神的恩典，當中四個學生，和我一起參加達拉斯的學生靈恩會，
其中一位得到了聖靈。
在她完成美國的學業之後，就接受洗禮。
我那時才明白，神有祂的計劃，超乎我們的想像，
我不該對離開阿肯色州，及在那裡傳福音，那麼的煩惱。
Looking back, my heart is filled
with thankfulness to God for how He
led me through the past few years in
America. When I remember how I was
constantly around worldly friends and
later worshipped with the church that I
thought was identical to the True Jesus
Church, I realize that, without God’s
help, I would have been too far from the
precious golden boat of His only saved
church.
回頭一看，心中充滿了對神的感謝，
感謝祂怎麼帶領我走過近幾年美國的日子。
當我想起常常和世上的朋有在一起，
後來和他們在一間很像真耶穌教會的地方聚會，
這才明白，沒有神的幫助，
我早就遠離了這艘寶貴的金船，她唯一得救的教會。
As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:5,
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to
think of anything as being from ourselves,
but our sufficiency is from God.
就像保羅在哥林多後書三章5節想著，
5並不是我們憑自己能承擔甚麼事；我們所能承擔的，乃是出於神。
I understand now that God’s power
and guidance are more than what we
can imagine. And His work is being
accomplished step by step around the
world, even without our awareness.
現在我了解到，神的能力和帶領，超過我們的想像。
祂整個世界的工作，都一步一步的加以實現，
甚至我們都沒有查覺到。
Some day our stories may be forgotten,
but the story of God is never-ending. I
hope that we can continue to pray for the
holy work in remote areas and spread the
gospel wherever we go. May all the glory
be to our Lord.
有一天，我們的故事或許被遺忘了，
但神的故事永不停歇。
我盼望，大家可以持續為偏遠地區的聖工代禱，
無論走到那裡都分享福音。
願一切榮耀歸於我們的主耶穌。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
歡迎主內同靈來信加入翻譯
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