兩代的先驅者

兩代的先驅者

聖殿山

2021 年 8 月 22 日

未分類, 提升聖徒

作者：莫飛雁，原文為中文

在漢語中，先驅者一詞是由兩個主要的字組成，包括“先”和“驅”字；“先”的本義是在前面，而“驅”則是使馬奔馳。所以先驅者即是指猶如馬匹般在先使勁勇敢前進的人，為他人開闢新的道路。

This is the same for the pioneers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph Smith was the first prophet after the restoration of Christ’s Church. In the spring of 1820, he sincerely asked God with great faith which church he should join. He then saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, whose light was above the brightness of the sun, and they answered his question that he should join none of them. Joseph was called to restore the original Church of Jesus Christ so that people on Earth will have the opportunity to know the living God and know how to obtain eternal blessings. Because of this great mission, he suffered immense ridicule, persecution, temptation, and heartache. After all of these trials, he was martyred.

Early saints of the Church were called to bring to pass the will of God. “Ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts…Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land.” (Doctrine and Covenants 29:7-8). Thousands of converts decided to give up everything they had and left their homes to travel to the gathering place. The journey was hard. They suffered hunger, cold, illness, and uncertainty. They were expelled and persecuted constantly. Many sacrificed their lives in order to build Zion, to strengthen God’s Church on Earth so that they and all people on Earth—past and future generations—could have the opportunity to receive eternal blessings. The state of Utah has established July 24th as the Pioneer Day to commemorate their heroic effort and sacrifice.

However, the word pioneer doesn’t just apply to those who crossed the plains. There are pioneers from every era of time. Adam and Eve were the first human beings on Earth. Vincent Van Gogh was a pioneer of expressionism in the 20th century. Howard Reingold pioneered the development of virtual communities. We can be pioneers within our own families. I would like to share the experiences of two generations of pioneers in the Mo family.

我父親出生在中國廣東省的一個村莊里，19歲去當兵，三年後回到家鄉當體育老師，結識了我母親。當時家境貧窮，偶然聽到了可以讓父親去委內瑞拉的機會，他心想藉此機會為家掙錢養活他的父母和孩子，讓家庭過上舒適的生活，所以決定於1984年獨自一人前往委內瑞拉。幫助他出國的是他的表哥，他暫時墊付著路程和出國證件的費用，父親到達後再打工償還。當時他當體育老師的工資都用完了，便身無分文地向幾位親戚朋友借了600元人民幣開始出發。

行程從新平村開始到沙湖鎮，再到廣州，在朋友家過夜直到第二天早上。然後他乘火車去了香港。到達後不久，他就用僅有的錢買了一套新衣服、一雙鞋和一個給表兄弟的禮物，作為回禮。購物完後，他終於踏上了飛往巴黎的飛機轉機，最終到達哥倫比亞。當時，他身無分文，一句英文也不會。

抵達後，有一個安排好的人來接父親去了指定的酒店並等候去委內瑞拉的行程安排。當時委內瑞拉還不提供任何簽證，所以去委內瑞拉的路程變得格外的長。

在車上有兩名哥倫比亞人，加上我爸爸有兩名中國人，還有司機。車開了幾個小時後，經過一座嚴峻陡峭的山坡，預想不到的冒險旅程現在開始了。透過窗戶，爸爸可以看到荒無人煙的深山密林，使人有種不祥的預感，天也逐漸變黑了。司機才解釋說，他們快到委內瑞拉的邊境了，所以他們一會兒必須以最快的速度跳下車，他要去和邊境線的守衛者談妥，再回來接他們。這時我爸爸就開始後悔了，想不到出國的路徑居然是這樣的。但是這時沒有退路了，就必須聽司機的。車上的人當時都是二十幾歲的小伙子，手腳靈活地從車上跳了下來，一一抓緊樹幹，等待司機回來。爸爸描述說那是一個恐怖的夜晚，從來沒見過這麼荒涼巨大的，懸崖峭壁的野森林，隨時都有被老虎、狼或野獸吃掉的可能。往下俯瞰就是深不見底的深淵，一個不小心就會摔下去必死無疑，睜開眼睛就會使人驚恐萬分。即使是這樣，他們也只能戰戰兢兢地等待車子歸來。

After more than half an hour passed, the car finally came. They got in the car, breathed a sigh of relief, and passed the border safely. The car advanced into the barren mountains and ridges. Soon the driver told them that there was one last border to pass. They had to jump out of the car again. Unfortunately, my dad happened to jump onto an unstable tree trunk. The trunk was about to break, but there was another stable tree trunk not far away from the other person who was with him. My father asked him to give him a hand as he jumped over. The other person didn’t understand what he had said and didn’t reach out to help, so my father got stuck and was hanging on the tree trunk. He then exerted all of his strength to climb up by himself, firmly grasping the tree trunk until he pulled himself up safely. His newly-purchased clothing was torn, and his leather shoes were broken. They endured hunger in the cold night, and waited, listening to the howling of wolves.

More than an hour had passed when the car came for them again. They jumped inside, thinking that their adventure was finally over. Not long after they got going, the driver told them to get out of the car once again and switch to another large truck full of boxes of plantains, where they would hide underneath. When my father saw the plantains, he realized that if the trestles under the boxes were to fall apart, the person underneath would surely be crushed. But they had no other option, so they went in as they were told. Other drivers and co-workers worked together to cover them up tightly with the remaining plantains. My father described that he couldn’t move his hands and feet, and had difficulty breathing due to the weight and lack of oxygen. They endured this hardship until they arrived in Caracas, Venezuela. My father’s cousin met him as he got off the truck and drove him to his house for a temporary stay. Finally, he could eat, change clothes, take a shower, and go to bed. He slept all day and night for about a week.

為了還清$8,330的債務，很快地就找到了在工廠裡的工作，經常加班。那段時間，他每個月都會給家裡寫信，告訴家人，在還清債務之前，他不能寄錢回家。這樣連續四年後，他終於還清了債務

Later on, my father moved to St. Maarten to work in a Chinese department store for a fellow who was from the same village. He was also responsible for making lunch and dinner for the man’s family. Unfortunately, the man would complain that my father didn’t cook enough, while the man’s mother would complain that he cooked too much. This caused them to quarrel against each other more and more over time. The man’s wife believed that my father was the cause of the disputes in the family, so she kicked my father out of the house one night. He wandered penniless for three days until another kind man took him in to work in a restaurant. He let my father sleep in the corner of the restaurant. Due to the heavy workload, he felt exhausted to the point that he decided it wasn’t working out.

His former employer eventually reappeared and begged him to go back to work in the department store, so my father went and worked for him again. But a few months later, the man’s wife still didn’t like my father and kicked him out again. Soon, he found another job in a supermarket, where he was mistreated and abused physically and verbally by the wife of his boss.

Sometime later, a wealthy man named Afoo, who passed by the supermarket daily, noticed that my father was an extraordinarily hard-working man. Afoo offered to hire my father to work for him. Because of my father’s diligence, Afoo looked after him and offered help wherever needed. He increased his salary over time, which enabled my father to send more money home, and even helped many family members to come to the island, including my mother, brother, uncles, aunts, and other relatives from both of my parents’ families. Eventually, Afoo sold one of his restaurants to my father. With that opportunity, he was able to open up more businesses. He provided sufficiently for my grandparents and his four children so that we no longer lived in poverty.

Finances were not the only blessing. Because of his success in business, my father had the ability to support my sister and me as we attended college in the Netherlands. During the first year of college, we both wanted to find a church to do voluntary work, hoping to live a more meaningful life in addition to studying. One day, my sister met the missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who invited her to attend the church services and we both did that Sunday.

當我一踏入教堂，和傳教士們打過招呼後，有一個難以忘懷的瞬間，我至今仍然記得很清晰，當時我感覺好熟悉、好溫暖、我可以感覺到光芒充滿了我全身，深入了我的腦海，穿透至我的內心，我感覺到莫名的快樂。我的人生中一直因對死亡的恐懼和懷念過去而缺少了真實的快樂, 這促使了我每週與傳教士們見面，試圖抓住這份前所未有的快樂。後來我意識到，很明顯神是活著的的，祂是我們的天父，祂很愛我們，所以忍痛割愛地派遣了祂的愛子耶穌基督來為我們的永恆的快樂而做了無限的犧牲，同時祂也讓我經歷了多年的不快樂而謙卑下來明白，在世間再大的快樂都會有結束的時候，而祂是唯一一個能使快樂持續不斷的源頭。我從此認識了祂的道路，最終於2016年6月洗禮加入教會。

In February 2019, I was doing an internship in England. I had the opportunity to attend a local church meeting one Sunday. I ran into a missionary and learned that she was younger than me, and a more recent convert. Because she insisted on serving a mission, her parents didn’t talk to her. The story was very sad, but at the same time, her bright countenance and calm smile were unforgettable. In an instant, some impressive words appeared in my mind, as was described in the scriptures, “notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center… It did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn” (3 Nephi 11:3). That voice said to me, “Are you not in easier circumstances than her? What reason do you have to not to go on a mission?” It was very obvious that Heavenly Father was calling me to serve a mission through the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

I didn’t want to hurt my family, so I kept telling Heavenly Father in prayers the many reasons why it wasn’t necessary for me to serve a mission. Every time I had an excuse, I was convinced otherwise by the example of a missionary. This became a pattern and happened four times in three weeks. Finally, my sister and I fasted in the temple to gain clarity on this matter and asked Heavenly Father if it was His will. We got the same answer at the same time, that I should go.

After we left the temple on our way home, I received a shocking message from my father saying, “I just woke up and felt nervous and uneasy. Don’t tell me that you are going on a mission!” In order to not worry him, I told him that I was not. After a while, my parents told me that a fortune teller in China told them that something was preventing me from continuing my studies, so they spent a long time convincing me to concentrate on my studies and not get distracted by anything else. Even so, I still filled out mission papers. I was told that because I have a Chinese passport, I needed to have parental consent. Many people thought that would be impossible, including my sister and other Church friends.

This situation lasted until May. One day in the temple, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to tell my father about going on a mission and was reassured that everything will be all right. At that time, I was accompanied by an elderly couple, the Gouts, who had given me great support and care in many aspects of my life. On May 4th, after dinner with the Gouts, I video-called my father from the dining table, telling him that I was going on a mission. His reaction was just as I had imagined. My decision brought him heartache like a knife through his heart.

My father’s perspective was that he had suffered much hardship to raise me up to this point, and now I was leaving to serve a God who was unknown to him. He was thoroughly disappointed in me like he had lost a daughter. He even said, “I don’t know how to be a father anymore.” I could see that it was so hard for him; he had no more energy to speak and ended the call. Although the Gouts couldn’t understand anything that was said, they also felt my father’s pain and became emotional because there were no words that could help my father understand the situation. They fasted and prayed a lot for me. I cried to Heavenly Father every night; there was a great spiritual battle in me trying to resolve the will of Heavenly Father and my own father.

一個星期過後，爸爸發了40多分鐘的語音信息給我，當他向我表達他的感受時，每一句話都讓我十分難受，我真的知道他有多在乎我，我卻不能按照他的渴望去做。在他說話的最後5分鐘裡，他卻說“但是，我知道你也被夾在我和神之間，神要你去傳教，我卻要你繼續掙錢或唸書，你還是聽祂的吧，因為我也不知道未來會發生什麼。” 靠著他勉強的同意，我的傳道申請終於可以順利進行。

However, my family did not stop mocking me for my decision. I felt like I was worthless in my family and had only brought them harm. At the same time, I was suffering from a serious illness and was taking medication that made me feel dizzy all the time. I had to give a presentation on my thesis in order to graduate before going on a mission. A miracle happened as I began to present, I felt perfectly fine as I wasn’t sick at all until the end of my presentation. I was also worried about my visa issues. Even so, I still felt calm, and I believe Jesus Christ was carrying me and sharing my burdens.

After graduation and leaving the Netherlands, I had about two months left before going on my mission. I felt the need strongly to go to Zhejiang, China, and stayed at my friend’s house. It was necessary to avoid any potential obstacles that might prevent me from going on a mission, to apply for an American visa, and to keep going to church on Sundays. The night before I left, my family spoke to me in a negative way, causing me to fall on my knees and cry to Heavenly Father. One image came vividly to my mind: Jesus Christ in the garden of Gethsemane the night before he was crucified, as he knelt and prayed to his Heavenly Father, and learned that he had no other way but to endure the cross to save all mankind. He said, “not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). This gave me so much strength. I stood up and wiped away my tears as though nothing had happened. With renewed commitment, I was ready for departure.

During my mission, some unfortunate things happened at home, which made it more difficult for my family to understand why I was out helping others and not them. However, after returning home, I could see that my father began to have a new view of our Church, as he saw the blessings and changes that the mission had brought me. He began to see how the gospel could help him, being a man full of anxiety. My father has always put family first, and what he cares most about is that our family should always be united. Jesus Christ has given us this opportunity to be with our families forever. My father began to realize that he really felt peace as he studied the Gospel with missionaries, which was an obvious contrast to his troubles in his career and family matters.

我曾經以為我和姐姐，作為歸信者，在莫家開始了第一代基督教徒。現在回想起來，這也要靠上一代，爸爸媽媽在身體上和精神上做出了巨大的貢獻，勇敢地走出了那個村莊，還有一輩子的飽經風霜後，才讓我們有機會出國，遇到傳教士，認識神，去傳教，讓來自耶穌基督的平安逐漸滲入我們的家和朋友之中。

把兩代的先驅者連接起來使我明白先驅者的前面，還有先驅者，多代的先驅者是有連貫性的，我們只是繼續前一代先驅者的道路，為了神永恆的目的而延伸至旅程的另一個端點。每一個人，只要願意為好的事情而做出犧牲，都會成為之中的一部分。需要付出的有時候是汗水、淚水、血、身體上或精神上的折磨，但是這樣苦盡甘來的快樂是永不止息的。