3. Manna issue 65 - Growing through Servitude—My Dominican Republic Trip 服事而成長—多明尼加之旅
Grady Low—Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA 美國紐澤西伊莉沙日—Grady Low
I had the opportunity to accompany Pr. Raymond Chou
on a pastoral trip to the Dominican Republic from June 24th to July 4th, 2010.
I was there to provide Spanish translation for the members,
in particular at the San Pedro Church where the congregation is almost exclusively Spanish speaking.
Through this trip I learned a lot about my servitude, my God, and my self.
2010 年 6 月 24 日至 7 月 4 日，
我有機會陪伴周瑞霖傳道，前往多米尼加共和國進行信徒牧養之旅。
我在那里為信徒提供西班牙語的翻譯，
特別是在聖佩德羅教會，那裡的信徒幾乎只講西班牙語。
通過這次旅行，我學到很多關於自已的服事、我的神和我自己。
DECIDING TO SERVE IN SPANISH MINISTRY 決心事奉於西文事工
Just a few years ago, I never expected
that I would be doing anything in church except attending Sabbath services;
neither did I ever think of joining any overseas missionary trip.
剛好幾年前，我從沒想到，
除了參加安息日聚會之外，我會在教會做任何事情；
我也從未想過，去參加任何海外宣教之旅。
However, my attitude started to change during the 2008 National Youth Theological Seminar (NYTS)
when I realized what my faith meant to me.
As participants, we were asked to ponder
whether we understood the debt that we owe God,
and what we were going to do with our life.
I recalled how many times in my life I had experienced God’s love
and how I have the hope of salvation through the blood of Jesus.
I realized that as a Christian,
I needed to serve God to repay the debt.
然而，在 2008 年全國青年神訓班（NYTS）期間，我的態度就開始轉變，
因為我明白了自已的信仰對我有什麼意義。
作為學員，我們被要求思考，
我們是否了解自已欠神的債，
以及我們將會用自已的生命，來進行什麼工作。
回想一生，自已到底經歷過多少次神的愛，
以及我藉著耶穌的寶血，如何才能有得救的盼望。
我意識到作為一個基督徒，
我需要事奉神來償還債務。
For this reason, I invested much time in prayer during the seminar,
trying to understand how I could serve God.
Since I attended some classes on the Spanish ministry during NYTS
and have studied Spanish as a second language in high school,
I decided to sign up for the 2009 Ministry Volunteer Program (MVP)
and its Spanish ministry project.
Soon after MVP,
I was asked to serve in the Dominican Republic.
因此，我在講習會期間，用大量時間禱告，
想要了解自已要如何事奉神。
因此全國青年神訓班時期，我參加了一些西??語事工的課程，
並且高中的時候，學習西班牙語作為第二語言，
我決定報名參加 2009 年宣道志工活動 (MVP)，
以及參與西班牙宣道計畫。
宣道志工活動 MVP 後不久，
我被要求去多米尼加共和國事奉。
DEALING WITH DOUBTS AND FEARS 面對疑惑和恐懼
However, despite my enrolment in the MVP,
I underwent periods of fears and uncertainties.
For this reason, I didn’t immediately agree to serve in the Dominican Republic.
Instead, I attended the 2009 College Youth Convocation (CYC),
where I meditated on how I might prepare myself to be useful for the Master
(2 Tim 2: 20–21).
然而，儘管我報名了 MVP，
我經歷了恐懼和困難無法確定的時期。
出於這個原因，我沒有立即同意在多米尼加共和國服事。
相反的，我參加了 2009 年的大專青年靈恩會（CYC），
在那裡我沉思我可以如何準備自己，才對主人有用
（提後 2：20-21）。
During CYC I learned that I would be useful to God,
despite my limited Spanish skills,
as long as I kept myself clean and holy,
always striving to be close to God.
在大專青年靈恩會 CYC期間，我了解到自已對神有用，
儘管我的西班牙語能力有限，
只要我保持自己清潔和聖潔，
一直努力親近神。
From the Book of Joshua, I learned
that I needed to overcome my fears of serving God and should simply “be strong and courageous”.
God led Joshua and in the same way, I knew that God was leading me
—all I had to do was trust in His strength.
Through all the classes and prayers I truly felt God assuring me of His guidance.
從約書亞記，我學到了，
我需要克服自已事奉神的恐懼，並且應該單純的“剛強壯膽”。
神帶領約書亞，同樣地，我知道神在引領我，
—我所要做的一切，就是信靠祂的力量。
通過所有的課程和禱告，我真正感受到神向我保證祂會指導。
Immediately after CYC
I attended the Western Hemisphere Africa Voluntary Missionary Workers’ Training Seminar 2010 in London
to learn more in-depth about God and servitude.
It was inspiring to see brothers and sisters at the seminar full of zeal and fervor to serve.
This motivated me not only to serve God,
but also to emphasize more on daily cultivation.
By then, I knew without doubt
that I wanted to volunteer for the Dominican Republic trip in June 2010 with Pr. Raymond Chou.
在大專青年靈恩會 CYC 之後，
我馬上參加倫敦 2010 年西半球非洲志士宣道工人訓練講習會，
更多深入了解神和事奉。
講習會時，看到弟兄姊妹滿懷熱心和迫切想要事奉，真是令人感動。
這感動我不僅想要事奉神，
還更加強調日常的靈修。
那個時候，我毫無疑問的了解，
2010 年 6 月我想自願一起與周瑞霖傳道，參加多米尼加共和國之旅。
PREPARING FOR THE TRIP 準備旅行
For the next six months, I prepared myself spiritually and physically for the trip:
I prayed a lot and asked God for help,
and I also invested time and effort to improve my Spanish skills.
在接下來的六個月裡，我在屬靈上和身體上，為這次旅行做好了準備：
我常常禱告，向神尋求幫助，
我還花時間和精力，來提高自已的西班牙語技能。
With the help of brothers and sisters at Rutgers University Campus Fellowship
we organized a few interpretation fellowships,
where we practiced interpreting by using sermon recordings from our church in Argentina
that were in Chinese and translated to Spanish.
I was also a part of a Spanish Bible Study team
that conducted weekly Bible study sessions in Spanish through webcam.
We would practice speaking, listening, and learning new vocabulary in Spanish.
This was not only spiritually edifying but it also improved my Spanish skills.
在羅格斯大學校園團契，兄弟姐妹的幫助下，
我們舉辨了幾次的口譯團契，
我們使用阿根廷教會的講道錄音，來練習口譯，
錄音是中文講道，然後翻譯成西班牙語。
我也是西班牙查經小組的一員，
每週通過網絡攝影機，用西班牙語進行查經課程。
我們會用西班牙語，練習說話、聽力和學習新字彙。
這不僅在屬靈上有所造就，而且還提高我的西班牙語技能。
I also tried to read at least one chapter of the Bible in Spanish every day
and often looked up rules of Spanish grammar.
I was determined to prepare myself thoroughly to serve God dutifully.
每天我還嘗試至少用西班牙語閱讀一章聖經，
並且常常查閱西班牙文法的規則。
我決心徹底好好準備，盡職責事奉神。
Yet despite my determination to serve God,
I still struggled with many doubts and fears.
然而，儘管我決心事奉神，
我仍然有許多懷疑和恐懼的掙扎。
I thank God for the many brothers and sisters
who offered encouragement and support.
From testimonies about how they had been in similar situations
before to a simple “I’ll pray for you,”
everything helped me to prepare myself to serve God in the Dominican Republic.
我感謝神，有許多兄弟姐妹，
他們提供鼓勵和支持。
有關於他們如何在類似情況的見證，
在一句簡單的“我會為你禱告”之前，
一切都幫助我準備好在多米尼加共和國事奉神。
DURING THE TRIP 旅行期間
During my time in the Dominican Republic
I had to interpret for nightly classes, Sabbath services, and Bible studies during visits.
I also had to prepare three religious education (RE) lessons
that were each roughly an hour long.
Pr. Raymond wanted to emphasize
that I was not only going there to interpret,
but that I was there to serve.
在多米尼加共和國的期間，
訪問期間，我必須翻譯夜間課程、安息日聚會和查經活動。
我還必須準備三節宗教教育（RE）的課程
每節課大約都一個小時。
瑞霖傳道想要強調，
我不是去那裡僅僅作為翻譯，
而我是去那裡事奉。
Although life during the trip wasn’t strenuous for me,
I still had to overcome some difficulties:
not all of the food agreed with me,
there was no working audiovisual system
(which meant I needed to shout a lot whenever I interpreted),
there was no warm water, and there were occasional water and electricity outages,
which meant skipping showers and using flashlights for Bible study.
雖然旅途期間的生活，對我來說並不辛苦，
我還是要克服一些困難：
我不是能接受所有的食物，
那裡沒有運作正常的視聽系統，
（這代表了，每次我翻譯時，都需要大聲喊叫），
沒有溫水，偶爾會停水停電，
這代表了會省去淋浴，並使用手電筒燈光查經。
Moreover, my poor command of Spanish meant
that at times I could not communicate effectively with the local brethren.
However, I could see the love and care that the members had for each other,
and how earnestly they were trying to bring back lost sheep
or convince others of the necessity of salvation.
All this encouraged me to learn from them
and to better prepare myself for future visits.
此外，我西班牙語的糟糕表達代表了，
有時我無法與當地弟兄姐妹有效的溝通。
但是，我看到了信徒對彼此的疼愛和關懷，
以及他們有多麼認真地，想要把迷失的羊找回來，
或是說服別人救贖的必要性。
這一切都鼓勵我向他們學習，
並且自已好好準備，以後可以來訪問。
Aside from these duties,
I had a lot of quiet time free of distractions
that allowed me to really reflect on my faith, pray and read the Bible.
It was quite an experience to wake up
and know that for the next several hours I would be able to draw closer to God.
除了有這些責任之外，
我有很多安靜時間，不會受到打擾而分心，
讓我能夠真正反思自己的信仰、禱告和讀聖經。
可以醒過來，這是一種很好的體驗，
並且知道接下來的幾個小時裡，我將可以更親近神。
A HEART TO SERVE AND SUBMIT 服事順從的心
I realized early on that
my Spanish skills meant that I would not be able to do well on my own;
the question was whether or not God would supplement.
From my experiences on the trip,
one Bible verse in particular rang true for me:
“For if there is first a willing mind,
it is accepted according to what one has,
and not according to what he does not have”
(2 Cor 8:12).
我很早就意識到，
我的西班牙語技能代表了，我自己一個人將不能作好；
問題是神是否會來幫忙。
從我這次旅行的經歷來看，
對我來說，有一節聖經經文特別真實：
“12因為人若有願做的心，
必蒙悅納，乃是照他所有的，
並不是照他所無的。”
（林後 8：12）。
God will provide—it’s as simple as that.
Going into the trip I had constant doubts and fears
that God would not help me
because I fell short of God’s glory in so many ways.
Yet His grace is sufficient
(2 Cor 12:9).
神會預備—事情就是這麼簡單。
開始旅行的時候，我常常有懷疑和恐懼，
怕神不會幫助我，
因為我在很多方面，都虧欠了神的榮耀。
然而神的恩典卻是充充足足
（林後 12：9）。
I learned that, once we have done the necessary preparation to serve God,
we need to entrust the rest to God.
He manifests His strength by providing for us when we are lacking,
so we should not worry so much about our abilities.
As long as we have a willing heart to serve and to submit to God,
our service will be fruitful.
我了解到，一旦我們做好了事奉神的必要準備，
就必需要把剩下的事交給神。
當我們有缺乏的時候，神就會通過幫助我們，來彰顯祂的力量，
所以我們不應該太過擔心自已的能力。
只要我們有一顆願作的心來服事、順服神，
我們的事奉將會有成果。
THE LOVE OF GOD KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES 神的慈愛無邊無際
Without a doubt, out of everything that I experienced,
the brothers and sisters in the Dominican Republic left the deepest impression on me.
I dislike traveling, and sightseeing typically doesn’t appeal to me.
But every time I visit another True Jesus Church,
I absolutely love how we are all part of the same body of Christ.
The love of God knows no boundaries.
毫無疑問的，在我所經歷的一切事情之中，
多米尼加的兄弟姐妹給我留下了最深刻的印象。
我不喜歡旅行，旅遊觀光通常對我沒有吸引力。
但每次我訪問另一間真耶穌教會的時候，
我絕對喜愛，我們大家都是相同基督身體的一部分。
神的慈愛沒有界限。
The members I met have set wonderful examples for me.
Seeing their effort and sacrifice reminded me
of how much more I need to improve in showing love to others:
我遇到的信徒，為我樹立了很好的榜樣。
看到他們的努力和犧牲，提醒了我，
在表達關愛別人的方面，我還有多少需要改進的地方：
Brother Rafael always came to church an hour earlier to clean the church.
Although he’s advanced in age,
he always swept and mopped the floor, swept the backyard,
and made sure that everything was presentable for Sabbath service.
拉斐爾弟兄總是提前一個小時來教會，打掃教堂。
雖然他的年紀大了，
卻總會掃地、拖地、掃後院，
並確保一切都非常體面，適合安息日聚會。
Brother Borges had a problem with his eyes
and therefore couldn’t read very well.
Yet he still had a great desire to learn and read the Bible.
博爾赫斯弟兄的眼睛有問題，
因此不能好好的閱讀。
然而，他仍然非常渴望學習和閱讀聖經。
Brother Floro went around his neighborhood
and preached about how good it is to believe in Jesus
and how his life was so much better after believing in Jesus.
He even traveled one and a half hours to pick us up at the airport.
He had to wait two hours for our delayed flight,
yet he still took us back to church and set everything up for us.
弗洛羅弟兄在他家附近轉轉，
並宣傳信耶穌有多麼的美好，
以及如何相信耶穌後，他的生活變得如此的美好。
他甚至搭車一個半小時，到機場接我們。
因為我們的航班延誤，他不得不等待兩個小時，
但他仍然把我們帶回教會，並為我們安排好一切。
Brother Huang showed an immense amount of hospitality:
we stayed at his house in Santo Domingo where we spent the last four days of our trip.
He provided so much food for the two of us and made our stay very pleasant.
黃弟兄非常熱情好客：
我們住在他聖多明各的家中，在那裡度過了我們旅行的最後四天。
他為我們兩個人準備了很多食物，使我們的逗留非常愉快。
I was simply stunned by what all the members were willing to do,
just so that Pr. Raymond and I would be a little bit more comfortable.
所有信徒所願意做的事情，讓我感到很震驚，
只為了讓瑞霖傳道和我，能感覺更舒服一點。
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS 數算恩典
Many of the members there have so little, yet they thank God for it.
They sing of their blessings, pray hard,
and study the Bible diligently.
那裡許多信徒有經濟困難，但他們為此感謝神。
他們歌唱祝福，努力祈禱，
並努力學習聖經。
The favorite hymn of the members in the Dominican Republic is “Count Your Blessings.”
We sang this hymn multiple times each Sabbath,
and every time I would be touched by how passionately they sang the refrain
(translated literally from the Spanish version):
“Blessings, how many you have already!
Blessings, God will send you more!
Blessings, it will surprise when you see what God has done for you!”
多米尼加共和國信徒最喜歡的讚美詩是“Count Your Blessings 數算恩典”。
我們每個安息日都會唱多次這首讚美詩，
每次我都會被他們激情的唱著副歌而感動
（字面翻譯自西班牙語讚美詩的版本）：
“福氣，你已經有多少了！
福氣，上帝會給你更多！
福氣，當你看到神為你所做的一切時，你會感到驚訝！”
After service, a few members would go up to the front of the chapel
and share how they received God’s grace.
They would share about how God made the bus ride a little bit smoother,
how God made their finger hurt a little less,
and how happy and blessed they are to have found the true church.
聚會結束後，一些信徒會走到教堂的前面，
並且分享他們是怎麼獲得了神的恩典。
他們會分享，神是如何讓公車開的更順暢一些，
神是如何讓他們的手指少受一點傷害，
能找到真教會，他們是何等的快樂和幸福。
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
(1 Thess 5:16-18)
16要常常喜樂，
17不住的禱告，
18凡事謝恩；因為這是神在基督耶穌裡向你們所定的旨意。
（帖前 5：16-18）
I liked these verses in elementary school because they were really short and easy to remember.
But during my trip,
I really saw how the members in the Dominican Republic lived out these verses.
They were constantly joyful,
they enjoyed prayer, and in everything they gave thanks.
我在小學時，就喜歡這些經文，因為他們真的很短，而且很容易記住。
但在我的旅途中，
我真的看到了多米尼加共和國許多成員，是怎麼活出這些經文的樣式。
他們時常喜樂，
他們很喜歡禱告，凡事感謝。
I was unexpectedly blessed
by learning so much from the brothers and sisters in the Dominican Republic.
They taught me how to always be ready to thank God
and share God’s grace with others,
and to never take the love of God for granted.
我很意外得到了祝福，
從多米尼加共和國的兄弟姐妹那裡學到了很多東西。
他們教會了我如何隨時準備感謝神，
並與他人分享神的恩典，
並永遠不要將神的慈愛視為理所當然。
Although I had been so terrified of everything going wrong during the trip,
God granted me peace in my heart and converted my ineptitude into a testimony of His power.
旅途中，雖然我一直很害怕一切會出錯，
神賜予我內心的平安，並將我愚笨轉化為他大能的見證。
I thank God for the chance to go to the Dominican Republic.
From preparing myself to everything that touched me during the trip,
it was a truly blessed and memorable experience.
感謝神讓我有機會去多米尼加共和國。
從準備自己，直到旅行中感動我的一切經歷，
這是一次真正幸福和難忘的體驗。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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