1. Manna issue 65 - The Heart of Africa 非洲之心
Daniel Young—Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA 美國紐澤西伊莉沙白 Daniel Young
“Welcome to Zambia—the heart of Africa!” exclaimed a brother
as he energetically shook my hand.
Little did I know how much that phrase would mean to me over the next four weeks.
I had come to Zambia for missionary work.
I came to preach and teach,
but I feel that I learned more from the Zambians than they did from me.
Time and again, I was touched by their heart of worship
and humbled by the lessons God had in store for me.
“歡迎來到贊比亞——非洲之心！” 一位兄弟大聲叫著，
他很用力握著搖動我的手。
我所不知道的是，在接下來的四個星期，那句話將對我有什麼意義。
我過去有來過贊比亞進行傳教的工作。
我來傳道和教書，
但我覺得，自已從贊比亞人身上學到的，比他們從我身上學到的更多。
一次又一次，我被他們敬拜神的內心所感動，
並因為神為我準備的課程而感到謙卑。
In June 2010, Preacher Jung, Preacher Choong and I
spent a month in Zambia training workers and preaching to other churches.
Zambia is a pioneer mission field as True Jesus Church (TJC) has only been there since 2008.
The country itself is landlocked within Africa,
hence the moniker “heart of Africa.”
During our time there, we visited four towns,
traveling from Kitwe to Solwezi and back.
2010 年 6 月，鄭傳道、鐘傳道和我，
在贊比亞花了一個月的時間，培養工人，並向其他教派傳道。
贊比亞是一個宣教開拓地區，因為真耶穌教會 (TJC) 才自 2008 年開始在那裡設立。
該國本身位於非洲內陸，
因此有別名為“非洲之心”。
當我們待在那裡期間，參觀了四個城鎮，
從基特韋（Kitwe）去到索爾韋齊（Solwezi），然後再回程。
CHIMWEMWE—HEART OF LEARNING 奇姆維維 CHIMWEMWE -學習之心
The first town we visited was Chimwemwe, which means “joy.”
It was there during a two-week Bible seminar
that many of us experienced the true joy of learning the word of God.
我們訪問的第一個城鎮是 Chimwemwe 奇姆維維，它的意思是“喜樂”。
在那裡，進行為期兩週的聖經講習會，
我們許多人都體驗了學習神道理的真正喜樂。
There was not a moment wasted during the seminar.
The day began at 6:00 am with an hour of prayer.
Classes began soon after and lasted until 5:00 pm.
After another prayer and a light dinner,
the brothers would ask for more biblical teachings,
jotting notes at every opportunity.
When I was physically exhausted,
they would still be working on their assignments,
comparing notes and scribbling down questions for the next day.
I was impressed at their diligence,
but that was just the beginning.
講習會期間，沒有浪費任何時間。
一天從早上 6:00 開始，禱告一個小時。
不久課程很快就開始了，一直持續到下午 5:00。
再一次禱告和一頓清淡的晚餐之後，
兄弟姐妹會請求學習更多聖經的教導，
一有機會就寫下筆記。
當我身體疲憊時，
他們仍將繼續完成自已的作業，
比對筆記，並且記下問題第二天詢問。
我對他們的努力印象深刻的，
但這僅僅是一開始而已。
In the days to come, I witnessed what Jeremiah experienced:
“Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart”
(Jer 15:16).
There were times I could feel the joy as soon as I entered into the room,
seeing their faces light up with excitement
as the preacher explained a passage to them.
On several occasions,
I saw one or two of them leap out of their chairs in astonishment!
在接下來的日子裡，我體驗了耶利米先知的經歷：
“你的言語是我心中的歡喜快樂”
（耶 15：16）。
有好幾次，當我進入房間時，就能立刻感到快樂，
當傳道向他們解釋一段經文，
看到他們的臉上洋溢著興奮。
有好幾次不同的情況中，
我看到他們有一兩個人，驚訝的從椅子上跳起來！
Their hearts had been set ablaze by the word of God.
There was one sister who did not have a Bible,
so as we taught,
she simply memorized all the verses used to prove our doctrines.
It was as the Bible describes in Proverbs 7:1–3,
“My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you…
Write them on the tablet of your heart.”
他們的心被神的道理如火點燃。
有一個姊妹，她沒有聖經，
所以正如我們所教的，
她只是記住所有的經文，可以用來證明我們的教義。
正如聖經在箴言七章 1-3 節中所描述的那樣，
“1我兒，你要遵守我的言語，將我的命令存記在心...
3刻在你心版上。”
Their passion was contagious and extended beyond the classes.
I never thought it was possible to talk about the Bible for two entire weeks.
Even at National Youth Theological Seminars,
we chat about school, work, and summer plans.
Yet for those two weeks,
every break and mealtime conversation revolved around the Bible.
他們的熱情具有感染力，並延伸到課堂之外。
我從沒想過，可以整整兩個星期都在談論聖經。
甚至在全國青年神學研討會上，
我們談到學校、工作和暑期計劃。
然而在那兩週里，
每一次休息和用餐時間的談話，都圍繞著聖經。
CHAMBOLI—HEART OF PREACHING 查波利 CHAMBOLI - 傳教之心
During the second week,
I had the opportunity to preach and go on pastoral visits in Chamboli.
The members led me around the town and throughout the neighboring regions,
sometimes walking more than an hour just to reach a member’s home.
I remember traversing shabby rope bridges
and crossing ravines to reach the next destination.
第二週的時候，
我有機會到查波利傳道，並且接著牧養訪問。
信徒大家帶著我到鎮上走走，繞行整個附近地區，
有時候，需要步行一個多小時，才能到達信徒的家。
我記得要橫越那破舊的吊橋，
並且穿過峽谷到達下一個目的地。
Although walking miles and miles to reach one individual seems inefficient,
the members compensated by preaching to every person along the way.
It was in Chamboli that I learned to be unashamed and unbiased when preaching.
儘管步行數英里才能見到一個人，似乎效率低下，
許多信徒會一路上，向沿途的每個人傳道來補償。
正是在查波利的時候，我學會了傳道時，不要羞恥和不要有偏見。
One of the sisters would stop every person we met on the way
and ask if they would like to hear about the truth.
She would ask the children playing in the dirt, adults on their way to work,
and even a group of youths smoking on the side of the road.
Amazingly, it was those youths who showed the most interest.
I learned not to judge others based on their appearances
and to preach the truth freely to all.
其中有一個姐妹，會擋住我們在路上遇到的每一個人，
並詢問他們，是否願意聽到有關真理的事情。
她會問泥地裡玩耍的孩子，上班路上的成年人，
甚至還有一群年輕人在路邊抽煙。
令人驚訝的是，最感興趣的竟然是那些年輕人。
我學會了不要根據他們的外表來判斷別人，
並自由的向所有人傳講真理。
SOLWEZI—HEART OF PERSEVERANCE 索盧韋齊 SOLWEZI - 毅力之心
The third town we visited was in a very poor, rural region.
Solwezi was the only place where we stayed in a motel,
simply because none of the members could afford to host Preacher Jung and me.
While the other churches we visited had roughly seventy to one hundred members,
Solwezi had only seven adults and eight children.
我們參訪的第三個城鎮，位於一個非常貧窮的農村地區。
Solwezi 索盧韋齊是我們唯一住進汽車旅館的地方，
僅僅因為沒有一個信徒能負擔得起招待我和鄭傳道。
雖然我們訪問的其他教會，大約有七十到一百名信徒，
Solwezi 索盧韋齊只有七個成人和八個孩子。
Remarkably, there was a church building at this place for a congregation of three families.
When I asked how they could afford the building,
I discovered that it was actually donated by a brother.
He originally planned to use the building as a general store for his business,
but after converting to the True Jesus Church,
he decided to dedicate it to the church.
值得注意的是，這個地方有一座教堂，可供三個家庭來聚會。
當我問他們怎麼買得起這棟屋子的時候，
我發現，它實際上是一個兄弟捐贈的。
他原本打算把這棟樓，作為他生意的雜貨店，
但是皈依真耶穌教會之後，
他決定把房子獻給教會。
The members met every single Sabbath for worship
in spite of their few numbers and distance from our other churches.
When they sang hymns, their voices would fill the entire room.
It was a stark contrast to some situations in the United States
where praise sessions sound like whispers in the wind despite the large congregation.
許多信徒每個安息日都會來聚會敬拜，
儘管他們的人數很少，而且與我們的其教會堂有些距離。
當他們唱讚美詩的時候，他們的聲音會充滿整個房間。
這與美國的某些情況，形成鮮明對比，
儘管有很多信徒，但讚美詩的時候聽起來就像是風中的耳語。
The members there had service every week even without having a preacher.
The same two brothers led Sabbath services
—including praise sessions, Bible studies and sermons
—throughout the year.
After witnessing their dedication to serving,
I realized how silly I was to complain to God
about being assigned “so much holy work” back at home.
即使沒有傳道，那裡信徒每週也都有聚會。
同樣是兩位弟兄帶領安息日禮拜，
—包括讚美詩頌時段、查經和講道，
—全年都這樣。
見證了他們事奉的付出之後，
我才明白，自已向神抱怨是多麼愚蠢，
抱怨關於家鄉被分配了“這麼多的聖工”。
When I later came across Psalms 57:7,
the verse brought back memories of the commitment I saw in the members in Solwezi.
當我後來讀到詩篇 57 篇 7 節時，
這首詩讓我想起了，看到索盧韋齊 Solwezi 信徒事奉投入的記憶。
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise.”
“7神啊，我心堅定，我心堅定；我要唱詩，我要歌頌！”
(詩 57：7)
SAINT DOROTHY—HEART OF WORSHIP 聖女多羅德 SAINT DOROTHY - 敬拜之心
At the next town, we were greeted by the sound of hymn
singing long before arriving at the church.
Saint Dorothy was a few hours from Solwezi by bus,
and the sun had already set by the time we arrived.
Expecting most of the members to have returned home already,
I was surprised to hear the sound of hymns from half a mile away
while walking to church.
I would later find out
that they had been waiting seven hours for us to arrive
and had been singing hymns to pass the time.
到了下一個城鎮，我們受到讚美詩歌聲的迎接，
在到達教會之前，早早就有人歌唱。
聖多羅德從索爾韋齊要搭乘幾個小時的公車，
我們到達的時候，太陽已經下山了。
猜想大部分的信徒都已經回家了，
走去教堂的時候，半英里外就聽到傳來讚美詩的聲音，讓我感到很驚訝。
後來我發現，
他們已經等了七個小時我們才到，
並一直唱讚美詩來打發時間。
The church at Saint Dorothy was built by a brother
who used to be a pastor of another denomination.
When he heard that TJC missionaries were coming,
he informed the surrounding areas.
The news spread like wildfire,
and the people came en masse.
聖多羅德的教會是由一位兄弟所建造的，
他曾是另一個教派的牧師。
當他聽說 TJC 真耶穌會的傳教士要來的時候，
他通知了附近的地區。
這則消息就像野火四處擴散，
而人群則蜂湧而至。
Over the next two days,
I was continually amazed at the members’ determination to worship God.
I learned of two young brothers who shared a bike
and spent thirteen hours traveling to church.
To join us for those three days,
many youths had traveled long distances by themselves
because their parents needed to work.
It struck me how much they were willing to sacrifice
in order to attend services,
when in the U.S.,
the parents often need to push their children to attend church events.
接下來的兩天裡，
我一直對很多信徒敬拜神的決心感到驚訝。
得知有兩個小兄弟共享一台單車，
騎車花了十三個小時來到教會。
這三天的時間，他們加入我們，
許多年輕人獨自長途跋涉，
因為他們的父母需要工作。
這個情況讓我很震驚，因為他們願意犧牲很大，
只為了參加聚會，
而在美國的時候，
父母經常需要強迫他們的孩子去參加教會活動。
It was clear that God saw their heart of worship and blessed them.
As it says in Psalm 84:5,
“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.”
One of the two brothers mentioned above received the Holy Spirit on the first night of the event;
the other brother had already received it
and had been encouraging his younger brother.
Both of them went home exceedingly joyful!
很明顯的，神看到了他們敬拜神的心，並且祝福他們。
正如詩篇 84 篇 5 節所說，
“5靠你有力量、心中想往錫安大道的，這人便為有福！。”
兩兄弟其中的一個提到上面的經節，在第一個晚上的活動就得到了聖靈；
而另一個兄弟早已得到聖靈，
並且一直都在鼓勵他的弟弟求聖靈。
兩個人都很開心的回家了！
HEART TO HEART 心連心
Over the course of a month in Zambia,
the heart of Africa, I had witnessed the members’ heart of worship.
I realized my many shortcomings and determined to learn from their heart of worship.
在贊比亞的一個月裡，
非洲之心，我見證了許多信徒敬拜神的心。
我明白了自己有許多不足之處，並決心學習他們的敬拜之心。
I resolved to take advantage of the fact that I have a Bible
and cultivate my love for the word of God.
I needed to overcome my own fears and prejudices
and imitate their zeal in preaching.
I told myself to stop complaining
about holy work and rise up to the challenge,
knowing now that tough times call for more action rather than a defeatist mentality.
Lastly, I made sure
that I would treasure every opportunity to worship God.
我決定利用自已有聖經的情況，
培養自已對神話語的熱情。
我需要克服自己的恐懼和偏見，
並且效法他們傳道的熱心。
我告訴自己要停止抱怨，
有關聖工的事，並且挺身迎接挑戰，
知道現在是艱難時期需要更多的行動，而不是失敗主義的心態。
最後，我確定，
我會珍惜每一次敬拜神的機會。
Living in industrialized countries such as the United States,
we may grow complacent and take our blessings for granted.
We have no lack
when it comes to church services, Bibles, Manna articles, or online devotionals.
God has given us everything we need to seek and to worship Him.
生活在美國此等工業化國家裡，
我們可能會變得自滿，並認為自已的祝福是理所當然的。
我們並沒有缺乏，
當我們需要靈修的相關資料，如教會聚會、聖經、嗎哪期刊的文章或網路靈修心得分享。
神已經給了我們一切需要，可以來尋求和敬拜祂。
Perhaps the only thing we lack is the heart.
也許我們唯一缺少的就是這種心態。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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