12. Manna issue 59 - Fourteen Coins 14個硬幣
Having an unbelieving parent is difficult but God will provide.
有不信主父母是一件很困難的事，但是神會預備。
How God Opens a Way for Those with Unbelieving Parents
上帝如何為不信主的父母開闢道路
Paulina Tse—Garden Grove, California, USA 美國加州園林教會
Most of us do not realize how precious every opportunity we have to serve God is,
whether that opportunity comes in the form of scrubbing toilets
or sacrificing your vacation days at a church event.
Growing up with an unbelieving father, I grasped this idea quickly.
Since I was young, actions that other families in church viewed as typical
posed a challenge in my family.
我們大多數人都沒有意識到，自已每一次所有擁事奉神的機會是多麼寶貴，
不管那個機會是以刷洗廁所的形式出現，
或是犧牲自已的假期去參加教會活動。
從小長大有個不信教主的父親，我很快就領悟了這一點。
自我很小的時候起，教會其他家庭認為很正常的很多行為，
在我的家庭就是一種挑戰。
While many of my peers gave little thought to the pastors’ constant emphasis on marrying within the church
because different values lead to disagreements when raising children,
I knew what they warned us about was true.
Simply attending church events was a struggle,
not to mention my mother allotting a portion of her income for tithe every month.
雖然許多我的同伴很少思考傳道一直強調要主內聯婚，
因為養育子女時，不同的價值觀會導致不合，
我知道這種情況，就是他們給我們的警告都是真的。
單單要參加教會活動就會很掙札，
更不用說，每月我母親會安排她一部分的收入作為什一捐。
If we really have the heart to seek after God,
however, He will always make a way for us.
Ever since I was young, God has shown me His power to provide for His servants.
如果我們真的有心要尋求神，
無論如何，祂必會為我們開路。
自從我小的時候起，神就已經向我展示祂的力量給祂的僕人預備。
A WILD GUESS 大膽猜測
The summer before I started third grade,
my sister, mom, and I were ready for Student Spiritual Convocation (SSC)
—my sister was going as a participant,
my mom was going to serve as a counselor,
and the coordinators made an exception for me to attend
since there would be no one to take care of me at home while my mom was away.
在我上三年級之前的那個夏天，
我姊姊，媽媽與我都已經準備好去參加學生靈恩會(SSC)，
—我姊姊也以學員的身分參加，
我媽媽去參加成為輔導員，
而協辨人員破例也給我參加，
因為我媽媽已經離家了，那時將沒有人可以照顧我。
My dad did not object to this plan until he saw us packing our suitcases the night before SSC.
He began insisting that he had never said we could attend SSC in the first place
and obstinately refused to let us go.
直到學生靈恩會的前晚，我爸爸看到我們正在收拾自已的行李箱時，他才反對這個計畫。
他開始堅持說，他一開始從來沒有說過我們可以去參加學生靈恩會，
並且很固執不准我們走。
After trying to reason with my dad,
my sister tearfully stomped off to her room and slammed her door shut.
Frustrated, my mom also eventually gave up and told us we could try again next year.
在試著與我爸爸理論之後，
我姊姊哭著憤然跺腳衝進她的房間並且砰的一聲關上了她的門。
郵於很沮喪，我母親也最後放棄了，並且告訴我們明年我們可以再試看看。
We were all visibly upset, and to get us to talk to him again,
my dad jokingly declared that we would “let our God decide whether we could go.”
If my sister or I could guess the exact number of coins in his pocket,
we could go to SSC.
我們看起來都很沮喪，為了讓我們能再和他說話，
我爸爸開玩笑的說，我們要“讓神決定到底我們可不可以去”。
如果我或姊姊可以猜到在他口袋裡硬幣的確切數量，
我們就可以去學生靈恩會。
My sister, still enraged that my dad had so abruptly changed his mind,
was further incensed, pointing out how impossible this task was.
Although I was also angry, I didn’t see any harm in giving it a try.
我姊姊仍然很生氣，我爸爸竟突然改變他的想法，
她更加憤怒，就指出這個任務是有多麼不可能。
雖然我也很生氣，但我覺得去嘗試一下也沒什麼不好。
I said a quick prayer asking God to help me
because I had been eagerly awaiting my first SSC,
cast one last glance at my dad’s slightly bulging jeans pocket,
and took a wild guess.
我馬上簡短禱告，祈求神來幫助我，
因為我一直都很迫切的等待參加自已的第一次學生靈恩會，
看了最後一眼爸爸那微鼓起的牛仔褲口袋，
就進行了大膽的猜測。
“Fourteen?”
“14個？”
My dad counted, and the jumble of dimes, pennies, and quarters miraculously added up to exactly fourteen coins.
He laughed in disbelief and recounted again and again.
There was no way to deny that there were indeed fourteen coins,
and in the end we were allowed to go.
我爸爸數了一下，這些亂七八糟的 10 美分、1 美分和 25 美分硬幣竟然奇蹟的加起來正好有 14 枚。
他難以置信的大笑著，並一次次的再算一遍。
無可否認，確實有十四枚硬幣，
最後我們得允許可以出發了。
Thank God, it was a fruitful SSC, and I received the Holy Spirit.
Many people may claim it was simply a lucky guess,
but I truly believe that it was the grace and power of our Lord.
If we have a sincere heart to draw closer to God,
He will never fail to open a door for us.
感謝神，這是一次很有收獲的學生靈恩會，我得到了聖靈。
很多人可能會說，這只是一次很幸運的猜測，
但我真的認為這就是我們救主的恩典和能力。
如果我們真心去親近神，
祂永遠不會無法為我們打開一扇門。
RELYING ON GOD TO OPEN A WAY 依靠神開路
When your unbelieving parent still rejects your plea to attend a church event
even after you have just spent an hour meticulously explaining that,
yes, there is adult supervision during church events;
yes, the only things we do are pray and sit through classes all week;
yes, we still have fun;
and yes, the church does feed us,
you may end up feeling hopeless and defeated.
當你不信的父母仍然拒絕你請求去參加教會活動時，
即使你已經都用了一個小時仔細解釋後，
是的，教會活動時會有大人監看；
是的，我們唯一會做的事情就是整週一直禱告和坐定聆聽各種課程；
是的，我們仍然覺得很開心；
是的，教會確實會供應我們飲食，
你最終可能會感到絕望和失敗。
You may even find yourself questioning
whether attending the upcoming SSC is really worth all the effort you are exerting
in order to sway your parent.
After all, it is likely that
your unbelieving parent is not only discouraging you from attending
but even bribing you with new game consoles, electronics, or money
if you choose to stay home.
你甚至會發現自己會質疑，
是否去參加即將來到的學生靈生會是真的值得你運用一切的努力，
只為了改變你父母的意見。
畢竟，這就像是，
你不信的父母不但不鼓勵你去參加，
甚至用新的遊戲主機，電子產品或金錢來賄賂你，
如果你選擇留在家裡。
When these nagging doubts begin to emerge in the back of your mind,
when you begin to wonder if God really cares whether you go to the next church event,
remember that He sees your every effort.
As it says in Galatians 6:7,
“for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
當這些不安的疑慮開始在你的腦後浮現時，
當你開始懷疑神是否真的關心你到底有沒有去參加下一次的教會活動時，
請記住，祂都看著你的一切努力。
正如加拉太書 6 章 7 節所說，
“7人種的是甚麼，收的也是甚麼。”
This is one of the most difficult struggles with having unbelieving parents
—if you falter in your faith,
it is much easier to stray from the right path.
When you are spiritually weak,
instead of encouraging and guiding you,
they act as a stumbling block to your faith.
這是有不信的父母會遇到最困難的一種困難，
—如果你動搖了自已的信心，
就很容易會偏離正路。
當你靈命軟弱時，
反而沒有鼓勵和引導你，
他們會成為你信心的絆腳石。
It is during these predicaments, however,
when even foolproof logic cannot persuade unbelieving parents, that you must rely on God.
Only God was able to soften Pharaoh’s heart to let the Israelites leave,
and only God is able to soften the hearts of even the most obstinate parents.
然而，正是在這些困境時，
即使極其簡易的邏輯觀念亦無法說服不信的父母，那時你必須依靠神。
只有神才能軟化法老的心腸，可以讓以色列人離開，
唯有神才能夠軟化甚至是最頑固的父母心。
Now, nine years later,
my first National Youth Theological Seminar (NYTS) is soon approaching
and my dad’s uneasiness is beginning to resurface
when faced with the prospect of me flying across the country to attend yet another church seminar.
如今，九年之後，
我的第一次全國青年神訓班（NYTS）很快就到了，
我爸的不安又開始浮現，
當我面臨要飛越全國去參加另一場教會講習會的情況時。
He demands to know why the “church events in Southern California aren’t good enough,”
and a shadow of uncertainty flits across his face
as he questions how much larger our church really is beyond the familiar Garden Grove location.
When I inform him that True Jesus Church has churches in thirty-nine countries, from the UK to Congo,
the uncertainty changes to suspicion, and he is done with the discussion about NYTS.
他要求知道為什麼有“南加州教會活動還不夠好”，
有一絲不確定的陰影閃過了他的表情，
他質疑我們教會除了熟悉的圓林聚會點之外，到底還會有多大。
當我告訴他真耶穌教會在 39 個國家都有教會時，從英國到剛果，
此疑慮變成了懷疑，他就不願再談論全國青年神訓班的事情了。
Although he can still be as stubborn as he was the night before my first SSC,
I am nowhere near as agitated as I was then.
Since that first obstacle,
I have seen how God has worked in my family
to allow my sister and me to attend church events regularly.
儘管他仍然可能就像是我第一次去參加學生靈恩會前一晚那樣的固執，
我遠沒有像那時那麼的焦躁。
自從有了第一次阻礙，
我已經看到神如何在我家作工，
讓我和妹妹可以定期參加教會活動。
As the Lord
“makes a way in the sea and a path through the mighty waters,”
so will He blaze
“a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert”
(Isa 43:16, 19).
I have complete confidence that if we let God fight our battles,
He will make the impossible possible for His servants;
He will part the Red Sea for His children.
正和耶和華
“16在滄海中開道，在大水中開路，”
祂會燃起烈火
“19在曠野開道路，在沙漠開江河”
（賽 43：16，19）
我完全相信，如果我們讓神來為我們戰鬥，
祂將會為祂的僕人使不可能的任務實現；
祂會為自已的子女分開紅海。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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