Wu Huajie is no longer young. She is over 80 years old. She is one of the students who attended the New Bible Readers (NTB) class in Northeast China. The NBT program is a Bible-based literacy program held at a local church. Although Grandma Wu is elderly, her enthusiasm and passion for learning are evident. She enthusiastically shared her experience of attending the NBT class.
Overcoming Literacy Challenges
"Before I attended the NBT class, my knowledge of Chinese characters was very limited," she admitted. "I am very grateful that I can now read the Bible better. The words in it are no longer foreign to me!"
With a big smile and a radiant face, Grandma Wu continued her story, "I began to appreciate the preaching and teaching of the pastors in church more. Sitting and listening to their words with better understanding brought great joy to my heart."
This remarkable change in Grandma Wu's life was made possible through the PBA classes organized by the Christian Council & Three-Self Patriotic Movement (CC&TSPM) with the support of the United Bible Societies (UBS).
Although Wu was born and raised in a Christian family, her inability to read limited her spiritual growth. She had to sacrifice her education due to her family's poor economic situation.
Over the years, she found herself forgetting most of the Chinese characters she had learned in elementary school. She recalled the challenging days when she could not read. She said, "Those were years of struggle. I longed to read the Bible myself, especially when the sermons in church were so hard to understand. But I couldn't."
"Just listening to sermons was not enough to remember the message. I wanted to write down the important points and reflect on them after church. But I could barely write a few Chinese characters," she continued.
Second Chance
Therefore, Grandma Wu is very grateful for the New Bible Readers program that offers people like her a second chance to learn to read and write. She is very grateful for the opportunity, saying, “I can’t speak for everyone else, but for me attending the NLT class is like going back to school again.”
It seems that the NLT program has been a great blessing to many older believers like Grandma Wu who said, “The class gives us confidence that many friends care about our inability to read, and they want to help us in their own way. Isn’t that a reason to rejoice?”
As the older people gather in the NLT class to read, study, and understand God’s Word, joy and peace fill their hearts. “It’s as if we’ve finally found a way out of the dark shadows of education. We eagerly take advantage of every opportunity to learn. We know that God’s presence is with us as we study. Without His Holy Spirit, we wouldn’t be able to understand the Word.”
Nernek Wu beamed with joy, proudly saying, "Today, I can read the Bible quite well. There are only a few Bible characters that I still have difficulty understanding."
It turns out that being able to read the Bible has brought immeasurable joy to Grandma Wu's life. "The more I study God's Word, the more interesting it seems. God's Word is truly as sweet as honey, as the Psalmist describes. My desire to study God's Word grows, and I can't get enough of it," she said excitedly.
Gratitude and Devotion
Grandma Wu expressed her sincere gratitude to UBS and all the generous donors who made her transformation possible. "No matter where we are in the world, we are one family under God. Your love inspires us to love God even more."
Today, Wu diligently reads the Bible and prays every day. She shared, "I really enjoy reading the Psalms, Proverbs, the Gospels, and the thirteen letters of Paul. I also find inspiration after reading the books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Their unwavering faith during difficult times is truly remarkable."
Wu's earnest prayer is that his local church will be zealous in spreading the Good News and that all people will eventually know the Lord. "Let's pray for China and the world," he urges, his faith shining as brightly as his newfound ability to read the Word.
Quoted from: ubscommunity.org
