Captured by His Love, A.C.

When my family first moved to the United States from Taiwan, I was just a fourteen-year-old kid who thought she was coming for a better education, higher standard of living, and a brighter and more promising future in the land of opportunities. America was awaiting me. Little did I know that my landing in California would change the direction of my life. One month after we settled in a little town called Castro Valley, one of my mom's friends invited us to a Christian gathering. In our first visit, we did not know the language, culture, or the people, yet we felt a warm receiving from the brothers and sisters. I felt right at home. And to my surprise, the so-called “Christian gathering” wasn't at all what I'd expected. Instead of a beautiful, angelic choir, everyone participated in the singing with joyful praising. Instead of a long sermon given by one person, everyone stood up one by one to speak what they'd experienced of Christ that week. The meeting was spontaneous, and everyone was joyful and radiant. Although I did not know much as a new comer (and as a kid), that kind of atmosphere attracted me to come back again.

As to when exactly I received the Lord as my Savior and my life I'm not so certain. I believe it happened spontaneously as I began to meet with those Christians in the local church. I remember one Sunday morning during the Lord's Table meeting as we were singing one of the hymns on the worship of the Father, my heart was just filled with joy. I don't know how much I understood the depth of the hymn, but the undeniable feeling at that moment was that the divine life in me was leaping and dancing in ecstasy. That morning I lost my voice amidst all the singing and praisings. The Lord, though He cannot be perceived through physical senses, became so real and loving to me, (1 Peter 1:8). Not long after that I got baptized in a home witnessed by many dear families in the church.

In my freshman year of college, I moved into a house of Christian girls, several of whom became my spiritual companions during the four years I was in Berkeley. I have to testify that nothing is more strengthening and saving than pursuing Christ with other young people who have the same goal. My experience, particularly with my companions in college, can be described by a quote by Witness Lee in the Experience of Life: “ Give yourself to love the Lord. No other way is so prevailing, and no other way is so safe, so rich, and so full of enjoyment. Just love Him. Do not care for anything else.” While so many of my peers were ambitiously pursuing and living for worldly attainments, I focused my being and my love on this precious One. So besides studying, we prayed together, studied the Bible together, preached the gospel to our fellow students, and occasionally sang songs on the campus. None of these things were religious duties, but they were spontaneous expressions of my love for the Lord.

At this point I would like to express my appreciation of this dear brother, Witness Lee, and who I attribute much of my growth in the divine life through the help of his ministry, books. It was during college that I began to read a number of books by Witness Lee and have been deeply impressed ever since. One book, A Young Man in God's Plan, among many others, ministered to me. Witness Lee, in this book, speaks of God's need for young people to turn the age. God has used many young people in the past and now He's again looking at our generation for those who would rise up to cooperate with Him. For two years a quote taken from that book was hung on the wall of my room: “Lord, I thank You that I am still young. I do not want there to be anything set, settled, or occupied with me. I want to be fully open to You for Your new move on this earth. Lord, I give myself to You. Come in and occupy, take, and possess me for your up-to-date move on this earth.” This prayer has stayed with me and today I still pray this to Him. Undoubtedly, it's the Lord's mercy that I still love Him and pursue Him even more so than a decade ago when I first got saved; but it's also through Witness. Lee's ministry and meeting with believers in the local church that my love has been fostered and my pursuit has been built up. May the Lord keep me on this path for the rest of my life!