An Interview: Chinese Believer On Winning Husband To Christ

Hello friends.

Let me introduce you to a very special family.
Dad Peter, Mum Marie, and children Molly, and Yiyi. This wonderful Christian family are a testimony to God’s grace and his power to heal and save. I have had the privilege of knowing this family for a year now and also having the joy of teaching Yiyi English twice per week. So, Let’s start.

KEITH: Hello Marie
Thanks for agreeing to this interview, please tell the readers something of your early life and especially how you and Peter met.
谢谢你接受这次采访，请告诉读者一些你的早期生活，特别是你和Peter是如何认识的。

MARIE: We were high school classmates, but he dropped out before graduation to join the army.
After I graduated from university and he was discharged from the military, we got together, moved to South China for work, and later got married.
We had our eldest daughter after we married, Molly, and eventually returned to North China.
我们是高中同学。他高中没毕业就去当兵了。我大学毕业，他退伍，我们开始在一起，在南方打工，后来结婚。
结婚生下大女儿Molly，我们一起回到了北方。

KEITH: So how did you come to faith?
你是怎么信主的？

MARIE: Before Molly was three, we were both atheists.
That winter, it was freezing in North China, and we had no heating at home. A Christian lady who lived upstairs told us about a daycare near our area that was free of charge and welcomed children to play.
So, Molly joined her little friends and started going there. It really was free, and they even provided meals! At the entrance, there was a sign that said, “Emmanuel.”
Molly came home happy every day. always saying: Hallelujah! After about a month, the teachers invited us for a talk. They asked if we had any religious beliefs. I said no. They then said, “If you don’t, you might consider visiting a nearby church on Sundays to learn more.” One day, I decided to walk into the church in our area. A year later, in 2013, when I was thirty, I was baptized.
Molly三岁之前我们都是无神论者。Molly三岁那年还没上幼儿园。冬天，北方很冷，家里也没暖气，楼上信主的阿姨告诉我们，小区门口有个托儿所，不收费的，可以带孩子去玩。就跟Molly的其他几个小伙伴一起去了。真的是不收费，还管饭！门口贴着以马内利。Molly每天回来都很开心。总是说：哈利路亚！一个月后老师约我们去坐坐。问我们有没有信仰，我说我没有。她说：如果没有的话，可以周日去附近的教会听听了解了解。然后有天，我就走进了教会，一年多后，2013年，我三十岁的时候受洗。

KEITH: How did Peter and Molly, react to your change of faith, after all, you had been an atheist.
Peter和Molly对你改变信仰作有何反应？毕竟你曾经是个无神论者。

MARIE: At first, they didn’t quite understand why I went to church every week. Later, I invited Peter to take Molly to church with me. I often sing hymns and find myself shedding tears unconsciously. Peter told Molly, “Mom’s lost it, she’s crying while singing. All believers are crazy.”
他们起初不太理解为什么我每周都要去教会，后来我也邀请Peter带着Molly一起去教会。我经常唱着赞美诗，不自觉的流下眼泪。Peter跟Molly说：妈妈神经了，唱歌也哭。信主的人都是神经病。

Keith: What changes happened in your life and how did this affect you marriage and your family life?
你的生活发生了什么变化，这对你的婚姻和家庭生活有什么影响？

MARIE: At that time, we had been married for about five or six years. Our small family still relied on help from my parents and Peter’s parents. Conflicts between our three families arose constantly, just like in a TV drama.
I was a proud person. From the moment we met, Peter had always pampered me and given in to my wishes. But when the conflicts increased and I realized he no longer obeyed me as he used to, I felt heartbroken, disappointed, and even thought about leaving. I once ran away from home, considering divorce.
那时候我们结婚五六年，三口之家还很弱小，需要我的父母、Peter的父母帮助。三个家庭的矛盾和摩擦就如电视剧中的一样接连不断。
我是个很骄傲的人，从相识开始，Peter就对我百依百顺。
后来在各种家庭矛盾中，发现他不再对自己百依百顺的时候，伤心、难过、失望，甚至离家出走，准备离婚……

KEITH: Being in a marriage that has one believer and one non-believer, can cause friction and conflict. Were there any times that you felt really down and what did you do to deal with the situation?
在一个信徒和非信徒的婚姻中，会有摩擦和冲突。什么时候你感到很沮丧，你是怎么处理这种情况的？

MARIE: Yes, we started to have disagreements in some areas, like Tithing. My husband didn’t agree with me giving money from our household to the church because at that time, our income was very low, and we had to raise children, so our financial situation was not good.I remember one year, he received a year-end bonus, and I suggested, “How about we give 10,000 yuan to the church?” He refused. I didn’t say anything more, but I still felt hurt, sad, and disappointed. I managed the household money, but God had told me: “First, submit to him.”
是的，我们开始在一些方面的看法不一致，比如说十一奉献，我丈夫不同意我把家里的钱给教会，因为当时我们收入很低，还要抚养孩子，经济状况不好。
记得有一年他发了年终奖，我说我们奉献给教会一万块钱吧？他拒绝了。我就没再说话。但心里还是伤心、难过、失望。家里的钱由我保管，但神对我说过：先顺服他。

KEITH: Yes, many people go through times like that. Was there a specific turning point that you can point to, that changed your perspective on Peter and your marriage?
是的，很多人都经历过这样的时刻。有没有什么特别的转折点，改变了你对彼得和你婚姻的看法?

MARIE: When I started believing in God’s words and submitting to my husband, I realized that Peter is actually a good father and husband. He works very hard and is especially patient with our daughter. In 2015, we had our little daughter Yiyi. In those years, Peter partnered with others in business, and our life began to improve. We moved to a bigger house with heating.
当我开始相信神的话语，顺服丈夫的时候，发现Peter其实是个出色的父亲和妻子，他工作特别认真努力，对待孩子也特别有耐心。
2015年，我们有了小女儿Yiyi。那几年Peter跟别人合伙做生意，生活开始改善，换了有暖气的大房子。

KEITH: Yiyi is your youngest daughter, and she has a lively and vibrant faith, can you tell us, what steps you took to help her come to faith?
Yiyi是您的小女儿，她有一个活泼的、充满活力的信仰，您能告诉我们，您采取了哪些措施来帮助她信主吗？

MARIE: Because we didn’t have a church, I started looking for online children’s Bible study classes. When our little daughter Yiyi turned 7, she began taking the online English Bible study classes with the CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) organization. Yiyi started to know God and began asking me questions about the Bible.
因为我们没有教会，我开始寻找线上的儿童查经班，小女儿Yiyi7岁开始学习CEF儿童事工组织的在线儿童英文圣经查经课。Yiyi开始认识神。开始问我关于圣经的问题。

KEITH: Many people suffered through the pandemic; how did this affect your family?
许多人在新冠期间遭受了很多困难，对您的家庭有什么影响？

MARIE: His business partners and suppliers ran into trouble, and profits turned into losses.
合作商和供货商先后出了问题。生意开始由盈转亏。

KEITH: What did Peter do during the Pandemic and what was his feeling during this time?
Peter在新冠期间怎么样？

MARIE: We were stuck at home, and the employees couldn’t go to work. We all lost our freedom. In the winter of 2022, one day he told me, “Life is meaningless, I want to commit suicide. “Although later he comforted me, saying it was just a joke, he had never made such a joke before, and no one would casually joke about something like that, right? Being stuck at home, he started reflecting on the meaning of life.
He had never been someone who enjoyed reading. He wasn’t a good student in school and had enlisted in the army early on. The only books he had ever bought were Jin Yong ((Louis Cha) was a renowned Chinese writer famous for his wuxia (martial arts) novels, which have greatly influenced Chinese literature and popular culture.)’s complete works, filling an entire shelf. But that winter, he started reading Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji). After reading part of it, he said he felt utterly hopeless history was nothing but a cycle, repeating over and over again. Then, he bought Cui Yongyuan’s My War of Resistance, saying, “There’s so much history we never knew.”
我们被困在家里，员工也不能上班，我们都失去了自由。2022年冬天，他有天跟我说：活着没意思，想自杀。虽然后来他安慰我说是玩笑话，但是他从来没跟我开过这种玩笑，也没人会随便开这种玩笑的，对吧？在家不能出门的日子里，他开始思考人为什么活着。他不是个爱读书的人，上学时候也不爱学习，很早就去当了兵。家里他买过的唯一的书是《金庸全集》，占了整整一排书柜。但是他开始读《史记》。他说，读了一部分，感觉好绝望，历史不过是不断的重复、重演。他又买了崔永元的书《我的抗战》，他说原来还有很多我们不知道的历史。

KEITH:What specific moment, can you point to , when Peter’s heart was touched by God, and you felt he was truly saved?
当Peter的心被神感动，你觉得他真的得救了，你能指出哪一个具体的时刻？

MARIE: One day that winter, I was driving with him and casually turned on the audio of Streams in the Desert. As we listened, he suddenly became deeply moved, almost to tears, and said, “It’s so good to believe in God! “II can’t recall exactly which passage we heard that day, but I still remember his words. From that moment, his life began to change.
那年冬天，有天我开车带着他，顺手打开音频版《荒漠甘泉》边开车边听。他忽然特别感动，几乎要哭，说：“信主真好啊！”。我记不起来是哪一篇了。但是他说的这句话我至今还记得。从那天起，他的生命开始发生变化。

KEITH: What changes happened in his life, such as a new love for the bible and prayer?
他的生活发生了什么变化？例如对圣经和祷告的爱。

MARIE: He began reading the Bible and found videos of pastors like Wang Yi and Hong Yujian online. Since we moved to a new house, I also distanced myself from the church where I was originally baptized, the Three-Self Church. We never officially committed to a new church. He could only rely on the internet to listen to sermons. Every day, he took notes and wrote several spiritual devotion journals.
他开始读《圣经》，在网上找到了王怡、洪予健等牧者的视频，因为我们换了房子，我也脱离了原来受洗的三自教会。一直没有重新委身教会。他只能靠网络听道。每天记录。写了好几本灵修笔记。

KEITH: How was submission to Peter, used by God to draw Peter to himself, again this is an alien concept to many Christian spouses.
顺服Peter，是上帝用把Peter引来归向自己的，这对许多基督徒配偶来说是一个陌生的概念。

MARIE: Yes, but God taught us these truths through the Bible that we didn’t know before.
是的，但是神通过圣经告诉我们这些原来我们不知道的道理。

KEITH: Peter was now reading the bible consistently and listening to God’s word. He was also leading family devotions. How important and inspiring has that been in your family life?
彼得现在一直在读圣经，听神的话。他还带领家庭做礼拜。这在你的家庭生活中有多重要和鼓舞人心？

MARIE: He was very willing to organize and lead our family Bible study sessions, preparing the materials in advance every week. At the beginning, a few of the things he taught weren’t entirely accurate, but there were no major errors. I rarely corrected him. Over time, many of his unique insights and thoughts also inspired me.
他很乐意组织和主持家庭查经分享课，每周都提前准备好了讲义。刚开始他讲的一些内容不太准确，但没有原则性错误。我极少纠正。后来他的很多独到的见解和思考，让我也很受启发。

KEITH: How important, has it been to have fellow believers support you?
主内肢体对你的帮助重要吗？

MARIE: It was very important. After I left my original church, I couldn’t find a new one, but it was the brothers and sisters from the online English Bible study group who helped me connect with a nearby home church.
非常重要。我离开原来的教会以后，没有找到新教会，是在线英语查经课的主内家人帮我联系到了附近的家庭教会。

KEITH: How important is it to ground yourself in a bible believing church and especially to ground your children in the word of God?
在一个符合圣经的教会中扎根，尤其是让你的孩子在神的话语中扎根，这有多重要？

MARIE: Yes, even though this home church is small, it provides good shepherding for Peter, who is new to the faith. There is also a children’s Sunday school, which allows the kids to get to know God from a young age, and this is very important.
是的，现在这件家庭教会虽然小，对于刚信主的Peter也可以很好的得到牧养。还有儿童主日学，可以让孩子从小认识神，这非常重要。

KEITH: Yiyi is an active Christian, but Molly is quieter and more thoughtful. Please share your thoughts about Molly and her future. How can we actively pray for her?
Yiyi是一个积极的基督徒，但Molly更安静，更体贴。请分享你对Molly和她未来的看法。我们如何积极地为她祷告？

MARIE: Since Molly has been attending public school, her studies have been very busy, leaving her with little time to read the Bible. Moreover, the teachings of evolution and atheism in school have had a significant impact on her. We hope that she will have more time to read the Bible, pray, and fellowship and communicate with her peers. Please pray for her: that she may have the time and opportunities to do things that will truly help her spiritual growth.
因为Molly一直在公立学校读书，学习非常繁忙，没有时间读圣经，而且学校里教导的进化论、无神论，对她造成了很大的影响。我们希望她能够多一些时间读圣经、祷告，与同龄人团契和沟通。请大家为她祷告：能够有时间和机会，去做真正对她生命成长有帮助的事情。

KEITH: What does the future hold for your family. Is Peter taking any theological training?
你们家的未来会怎样？彼得接受过神学训练吗？

MARIE: A month ago, Peter enrolled in a two-year Master’s program in Biblical Counseling, studying theology half a day while continuing his work.
Peter今年开始，报名了为期两年的道硕课程，一边读神学，一边工作。

KEITH: Submission is very difficult concept for women in China to understand and so is being silent also. How did you win your husband without a word?
顺从是中国女性很难理解的概念，保持沉默也是如此。你是怎么一言不发就赢得你丈夫的？

MARIE: We were taught from a young age the ideas of “gender equality” and “women are also half of the society,” but the Bible tells us that “wives should submit to their husbands.” At first, I didn’t understand, but I know that God’s words are truth, so I chose to believe in His word. In the section of Peter’s seminary application form asking “how you came to faith,” he wrote a lot, including: “My wife believed in the Lord, and I saw the transformation of life in her.”
我们从小就被教导：“男女平等”、“女人也是半边天”等思想，但是圣经告诉我们：妻子要顺服丈夫。开始我不理解，但我知道神说的话都是真理，我选择相信神的话语。
Peter在神学院申请表中“怎么信主的”一栏中写了很多，其中写道：“我的妻子信主，我在她身上看到了生命的改变。”

KEITH: Finally, Marie- and thanks so much for doing this interview- have you any final thoughts or words of encouragement, so sisters or brothers, that are in marriages where they are the only believer.
最后，非常感谢你接受这次采访，你有没有什么最后的想法或鼓励的话，姐妹们或兄弟们，在婚姻中，他们是唯一的信徒。

MARIE: Actually, I have done very little. By relying on God’s word and walking in the path He has shown us, God always grants us unexpected grace.
我其实做的非常少。依靠神的话语，走在神所指引的道路上，神总是会给我们出人意外的恩典。

KEITH: Can you point them towards key scriptures, that helped you?
你能给他们指出对你有帮助的关键经文吗？

MARIE: Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. (1 Peter 3:1-2)
你们做妻子的，要顺服自己的丈夫。这样，若有不信从道理的丈夫，他们虽然不听道，也可以因妻子的品行被感化过来， 这正是因看见你们有贞洁的品行和敬畏的心。（彼得前书 3：1-2）

Final word:
This is a story that inspires me. This family is totally awesome. Mum and Dad walking closely with the Lord and with each other, every time, I teach Yiyi, Peter is cooking, he works and still serves his family. I pray this interview touches many hearts and inspires so many others. Amen.