Make known to every heart His saving grace;
migrated. It is a confirmation that this way is pleasing to God! This is the way to obtain God's blessing! We call on the Spirit of God to open the eyes of all the churches to truly see that migration is God's way for His churches today. We pray that God would touch more people with His love to take the way of migration. Chang Yu-zhi
A HYMN Hymns, #918
1. Christians, make haste, your mission high fulfilling, To tell to all the world that God is Light, That He who made all nations is not willing One soul should perish, lost in shades of night.
Publish glad tidings, tidings of peace; Tidings of Jesus, redemption and release. 2. Behold how many thousands still are lying, Bound in the darksome prison-house of sin, With none to tell them of the Savior's dying Or of the life He died for them to win. 3. 'Tis yours to save from peril of perdition The soul for whom the Lord His life laid down; Beware lest, slothful to fulfill our mission, You lose one jewel that should deck His crown.
4. Proclaim to every people, tongue, and nation That God, in whom they move and live, is love; Tell how He stooped to save His lost creation, And died on earth that men He might approve. 5. Give of your sons to bear the message glorious; Give of your wealth to speed them on their way; Pour out your soul for them in prayer victorious, And all you spend our Savior will repay. 6. He comes again; O brothers, ere you meet Him, Make known to every heart His saving grace; Let none whom He hath ransomed fail to greet Him, Through your neglect unfit to see His face.
NOT DARING TO BE SO SLOW ANY LONGER The burden for the arrangement of migration is definitely in my heart. An unworthy child as myself has surprisingly begun caring for adult matters. How can I avoid being in fear and trembling! I can only ask God to provide special care for His leading. I have decided to take care of the arrangements in Kueixi. I ask the brothers and sisters who will be coming to be assured. From Shanghai I took a detour through Shadi before returning to Yiyang. Because of pressure from many matters, I am very weak physically, and my body temperature has dropped. Although I feel that there will be difficulties in the future, I am not in the least disappointed. I do not lose hope. God will teach me and deal with me through these difficulties. God sent us out in the migration first for the purpose of serving brothers and sisters who will migrate later. This is really grace to us. It is a responsibility we should bear. This vision has been seen by most of the brothers and sisters in our group. Thank God! In the region of Shadi and Tangnei this fire (of migration) is burning brightly. The brothers and sisters are prepared to submit. They dare not be as slow as they were before. Your brother, Feng He-ren January 14, 1950 NEW GRACE I feel that God is among us. He is leading us step by step. I only want to learn how to serve like Martha and how to fellowship with the Lord like Mary. The day will come when I will spontaneously live out the testimony of resurrection like Lazarus. I recently spoke according to the burden of my heart and said some words concerning the consecration of material possessions. Thank the Lord! The brothers and sisters offered up even their prized clothing. Yesterday, the responsible brothers and sisters in our group decided that we will eliminate all inequality in our houses. In the matters of food, clothing, and work all will be arranged according to the Body principle. Thank the Lord! He has given us new grace and has caused us to take a way that amazes the world!
Your brother, Feng He-ren February 7, 1950
ARRANGEMENT FOR THE HOUSEHOLD (YIYANG) Practicing Not Having Anything for Oneself The locality of Yiyang has made the following arrangements: 1) The food in the Household will be the same for everyone. (Those who are physically weak will have special allotments.) 2) The clothing in the Household will be entirely in the principle of "adorn...in proper clothing." We all have been constrained by the Lord's love to practice the principle of handing oneself over and to have everything in common. We receive items and return them to the saints according to each one's need. We keep the extra to make up the lack of those who have nothing. If there is anything left after the distribution, we give it to the storage service group and then distribute to the saints as time goes on. If some are cold or are ill, we contribute extra clothes to meet their special needs. 3) In the matter of work, we make arrangements according to age, strength, ability, and the gifts which God has given them. From the oldest to the youngest, all have their area of assignment. We hope that none would be idle. 4) Our time schedule is as follows: We have morning watch and prayer from 5:00 to 6:30 in the morning. We eat breakfast at 7:00. We work from 8:00 to 12:00. We eat lunch after work. We work again from 1:00 to 5:00. We eat dinner at 5:30. We meet and read the Bible from 6:30 to 8:30. We turn the lights off at 9:00. 5) We fellowship with the other communities that have migrated out in the following ways: a) We have financial fellowship. b) We help them farm for a short period of time. Presently, we are a little short in our food budget. This is not a problem. We think it is best to be a little short. Our lack causes God to give us more. It is a way for God to manifest His doings. The fields in Kueixi are twice as rich as those in Yiyang. Four or five days ago, we went to Yingtan two times to look things over. It has a very good water supply. It has wood, bamboo, and lime, and straw is plentiful. It would be very convenient to build houses there. The soil is twice as rich as that of the fields in Kueixi and three times as good as the soil in Yiyang.
We hope to set things up in one locality after another according to the little light God has given us and to inform you as we go. I often make mistakes. I really need the elder brothers to support me in prayer and give me much direction. Your brother, Feng He-ren February 13, 1950
TO THE BROTHERS IN YIYANG AND KUEIXI We want to thank God for showing us the way of migration and for moving a group of brothers and sisters this way. Some brothers and sisters migrated from here to Yiyang and Kueixi on the twenty-third of this month. Before we parted, I felt a heavy burden to speak a word to the migrating brothers and sisters. The main idea is summarized here: First, "I do all things for the sake of the gospel." The goal of migration is the gospel. The gospel speaks of love, sacrifice, denial of self, and giving. Therefore, after migrating to Kiangsi, all elements of our living, whether clothing, food, or travel, must be in accordance with the main goal of being "for the gospel." Even our loving of one another must be for the same goal. Second, "unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." If the gospel is to be preached, a great price must be paid. We must be like grains of wheat planted into Kiangsi. We must die in Kiangsi; only then will we be able to bear much fruit. We are already taking this way. Because of the Lord's love, we are willing to give up a more comfortable life and live for the gospel in a remote area. This is pleasing to God. For the future of the migrations and for the way of the gospel, I feel that I must present a word to you: First, please do not give the brothers and sisters who migrated from Shanghai special treatment. It is only right that they have the same food, clothing, and lifestyle as the rest of the brothers and sisters. On the one hand, it is good that you showed your love toward the brothers and sisters from Shanghai, but in reality "differing love" is a hateful thing. Furthermore, its influence on further migrations is too great. For the sake of giving the Lord a way, I hope you will not pay attention to personal feelings but will speak the truth in love. I hope you will avoid divisions among you. It does not matter how much education or talent you have. All are brothers and sisters, and all should do the same work and receive
the same treatment and care. Only give the elderly and sick extra food and rest according to their needs. Second, all should labor together, working with their own hands. Do not have some overburdened while others are idle, doing nothing but sitting and enjoying the fruit of others. Work and rest, labor, and enjoyment should all be equal. May you live out the testimony of the Body so that the gospel may flow out through you. May God bless you! Chang Yu-zhi January 25, 1950 A DESIRE TO MIGRATE It is truly God's will to spread the gospel through migrations. Abraham lived a life of migration. He established a testimony in his migrations. I, too, have a desire to migrate. I have handed over the responsibility for the church in Anchang to others, and I feel peaceful and assured. If God allows, my family hopes to migrate to Kiangsi this year. Do the brothers want me to serve in Yiyang or in Kueixi? Please give me direction. Your brother in the Lord, Fei Chang-bao January 15, 1950
SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY TO PREACH THE GOSPEL (YIYANG) Thank the Lord! He has led us to peacefully and joyfully perform the first group wedding of six couples. Everything was filled with God's presence! Friends from this region also attended. We did not accept any gifts. We preached the gospel in the afternoon, and ten people confessed the Lord and accepted Him. May the Lord save them. Shangrao wants us to go there. After we finish the arrangements for a few farms, we will see how the Lord leads us. He-ren March 3, 1950 BEING RAISED UP IN THE LORD'S MERCY (MANCHURIA) In 1933 God's servant came to Ch'ang-ch'un in Manchuria, and the meetings started. Later, some were raised up in Shenyang and Jilin. In the past ten years the number of assemblies has increased to more than twenty localities.
In 1942 God's servant, our brother Philip Luan, came to Manchuria to make some arrangements. Because of the change in the world situation and the cruel attack of the Japanese, we passed through many trials and tribulations, but we all came through safely. We were not able to fellowship with the elder brothers and sisters in the inland for some time because communication was blocked. Because of our immaturity and uncertainty in our direction, many brothers and sisters received teachings that appeared to be truth but were not. This occurred because we were starving and had no choice of food. These ones departed from the proper way. With the exception of Jilin and Ch'ang-ch'un, almost every locality was carried away by this deception. These brothers and sisters suffered much for their moment of blindness! Last summer, the church in Peking sent a brother to visit the churches in Manchuria. He passed through the localities of Ch'ang-ch'un, Shenyang, Jilin, and Harbin, and he met with the saints for forty days. The assemblies in all the localities were much blessed by the Lord. The brothers and sisters in Harbin suffered much for four or five years because they left the proper way. They turned this time and all were released. They are now very fresh. The Lord's presence is with them in a special way. The Lord is also gradually adding saved ones to the church. The meeting place was too small, and a larger place has been rented which can hold three to four hundred people. The population of Harbin is almost one million. It is an important point in the water and land transportation network in the area north of the Songhua River. It is at present full of needs. There is also Mudanjiang, a locality along the northeastern border of the country. It is a center of transportation: east to Vladivostok; west to Manzhouli; north to Jiamusi, the mines in the Heligang mountains, the forest regions, and the Heihe border; southeast through Tunhua to Tumen and on to North Korea; southwest to Harbin, Ch'ang-ch'un, and Shenyang. Its produce is abundant, and life is easy. It has a population of almost three hundred thousand. It used to be a Baptist region, and there are many people who love the Lord. Although they are in tribulation, their testimony is strong. They have been reading books from the bookroom for many years. Those who have a heart for the Lord are looking for the way to go on. Once a brother from Ch'ang-ch'un visited them, and everyone was helped through the fellowship in the Lord.
In January of this year, Peking sent a brother to visit all the local churches in Manchuria. He went to Shenyang, Harbin, Mudanjiang, and Ch'ang-ch'un. There were meetings for two months. By the Lord's grace and mercy, every locality received much blessing. There are now thirty localities. Some already have assemblies; others do not have as many people, but they do have prayer in one accord. Only Ch'ang-ch'un, Shenyang, Jilin, and Harbin have the Lord's table. All the churches in Manchuria are now one. The Lord has led us to the way of righteousness for His name's sake. We can only give thanks and praise to Him. Dalien was not able to send people to visit these places because of barriers to transportation. The brothers sent letters of invitation, and Brother Yuan Zhu-wu and Brother Chin Jia-ye came to attend the meetings. They fully received the Lord's truth and expressed the desire to stand with all the churches on the ground of oneness to serve the Lord. They also consecrated themselves and are willing to follow the footsteps of the flock. After they returned to Dalien, the brothers and sisters willingly received the Lord's truth and obeyed all the Lord's arrangements. They hope some brothers will go and visit them. The brothers and sisters in Manchuria spiritually have lost much over the past few years. Since the Lord has brought them back to the way of oneness, He will indeed multiply His blessings to them. We ask the brothers and sisters in every locality to pray for them! On the following page is a map of the churches in Manchuria. Please forgive us if it is not detailed enough! Fang Ai-guang March 20, 1950
THE LORD'S LOVE BEING LIKE RED-HOT BURNING COALS We received your letter on January 28. The word in that letter has truly become light to our pathway and strength for our living. Thank the Lord! He dispenses food to the needy at the right time. When I consecrated myself during the conference in 1948, my desire was to give my very blood to the Lord. There was no such opening in my environment. I desired to shed my blood but did not have anywhere to shed it. I wanted to die but had no place to be buried. Thank the Lord! He is the God who hears prayer. He received my small consecration and brought me to the place He ordained.