Why I Believe In Jesus

In 1987, at the age of 35, I suddenly fell ill with Meniere’s disease—a condition that makes the world spin uncontrollably. During an episode, I couldn’t stand or walk and was confined to bed all day. At that time, my husband worked in a logistics role in Jinan, earning only about ten yuan a month. I was a farmer, barely making any money all year. We had no means to afford medical treatment.

Realizing that we couldn’t go on like this, I asked my husband to try borrowing some money from his relatives. Some of his siblings were doing quite well, with one in the army and another teaching at a school. However, my husband came back empty-handed after visiting them. He was not only shy and unskilled in socializing, but if someone crossed him, he’d speak harshly to them without hesitation. Even his own siblings didn’t care for him much. We only had one daughter, which in rural Shandong essentially meant having no successor, and this only added to others’ disregard. So, it was not surprising that he returned without a single penny.

My older brother on my mother’s side heard about my situation and sent his eldest daughter with 200 yuan to help with my treatment and take care of me. By then, I had nearly lost all ability to take care of myself; every time I tried to stand up, I felt dizzy and nauseous. My life felt as if it had reached a dead end. Though I was still young, it seemed the only thing left for me to do was wait for death.

My husband’s cousin lived right next door, and his wife would often come over to chat. When she learned of my illness, she became very worried and kept trying to find a way to help me. One day, she mentioned that she’d heard of someone in a nearby village who had found healing through faith in Jesus. She said, “Why don’t I take you there to see for yourself? If it doesn’t help, it’s just a distraction, but if it works, it’s like finding a treasure.”

No one in our village believed in Jesus at that time, and I thought to myself, “Since there’s no other hope, why not give it a try?”

My sister-in-law found a handcart, which we call a dipai cart in the countryside, and pushed me all the way to a church in the neighboring village. We spent an entire afternoon there, listening to them speak about faith in Jesus. At that point, I knew nothing about Christianity, and I didn’t understand much of what they said. I only remembered that they kept saying that humanity is sinful, that we need to confess, repent, and believe in Jesus, and that God would forgive us.

When we got back home, I was still confused, but I decided to try praying the way they had shown me. I said, “Lord, I am a sinner; please save me.” To my astonishment, the next day, I was able to get up and walk! I was shocked—this God was real! I quickly recovered from my illness.

From that moment, I became the first Christian in my village, bringing this faith into my life and into the community around me.