I had already planned to visit Hefei (on May 20th, haha). On Friday, I communicated with my brothers and sisters in Hefei about transportation and prepared to leave for Hefei the next morning. Because I was afraid of not catching the morning train by taking the bus at school, I stayed at Wang's house for one night.
They also woke up early. While I was getting ready, they made some fried bananas for me. Last week, I tried fried bananas made by Xinjie and found them delicious.
I always forget things when I go out. I woke up at their house at 5 o'clock in the morning and found a bag of snacks in the living room. It reminded me that I hadn't prepared anything to eat on the train. I didn't expect Wang and Mengjie to prepare it for me. I suddenly realized why they went out at ten o'clock that night. I was so touched that I didn't know what to say. At 5:30 in the morning, Wang bought breakfast for me, and finally he took me to the bus stop.
We arrived at the train station around 6:45. I was bored on the train, flipping through my phone, and saw that Wang was preparing to read the scriptures with Wu from Anshida. Usually, it's Wang, me, and my companion Haoge who read the scriptures at school, together with Wu from Anshida through the internet. On Saturday, Haoge couldn't come because he had an exam, and I was on the train, so we could only communicate through voice chat. So, I read the scriptures alone at the junction of the train carriage. It was a bit awkward, but it was also an experience. As a Christian, I can't always give up enjoying the words of the Lord because of external reasons.
There was an important gathering on Saturday. Knowing that my family was busy and taking the bus was convenient, I went alone. With excitement in my heart, I contacted Zhu from Hefei after getting off the train. He was a young man who looked thin and dark. He seemed a few years older than me. I followed him to the gathering place. I felt a little nervous and a little joyful, and finally saw her in the hall - she was writing something earnestly with other brothers and sisters.
"You're here!" She suddenly saw me and said softly with surprise in her eyes.
"Yeah, I'm here." It was like fulfilling a promise, understanding each other without words.
Of course, the gathering was important. This gathering was special and enjoyable for me. I also met several familiar faces from Hefei, especially Xu. Because there were many people in the living room, he was lying on a chair writing. After a while, everyone came to the room where I was. Then, one by one, they spoke for the Lord. Speaking for the Lord, in the Old Testament, only the prophets chosen by God (referred to as prophets in the Chinese Union Version) could speak the words given by God to the world.
In the New Testament, Paul said,
"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy." 1 Corinthians 14:1
"For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged." 1 Corinthians 14:31
Prophecy means speaking for the Lord, speaking the words of the Lord. Seeing everyone searching and studying the Bible, earnestly seeking the words that build up life.
Although it was my first time speaking for the Lord, everyone was enthusiastic, learning from each other, and gaining strength from each other. I was deeply impressed by her speaking. She always had the joy given by the Lord Jesus on her face, with a lovely and beautiful face, walking towards the podium with light steps. Like a deer walking in the jungle. Although she was a little nervous and excited, there was still joy and gratitude in her words.
I arrived near noon, and the morning gathering was coming to an end. I was hungry after sitting on the train for so long. The lunch was very rich, and there was even my favorite clams. It seems that people here are not very fond of clams, but I really like them. However, I didn't eat much because they were quite expensive. I only remember the clams because I ate the most of them. After lunch, everyone rested for half an hour and continued in the afternoon.
In the afternoon, we practiced two songs, shared a message, and finally had another opportunity to speak for the Lord. I also wanted to speak. Although I had known about speaking for the Lord for a long time, I didn't practice much in normal times and didn't have the burden. Because in the Lord, many things cannot be done without burden or feeling. For example, reading the Bible and praying every day.
The afternoon ended around four o'clock. The brothers and sisters had another gathering, and I thought I would join them. To be honest, I didn't plan to attend the gathering on Saturday, but I didn't make it clear about the purpose of my trip. So the brothers and sisters directly took me to the gathering, which was reasonable. But I really had many things that were difficult to explain.
After some setbacks, I finally tasted what I wanted. I finally arrived at her school. It was evening, and the heat of the day hadn't dissipated. Although the sun wasn't setting, the two of us rode our bikes slowly, chatting along the way. A solo journey always feels very long. When two people are together, they always hope that the journey can be infinitely extended. Although I am introverted, Huihui always comes up with many topics with a smile. Because she has been practicing the piano a lot recently, her teacher assigned her too much homework, so she had to give up the evening gathering to practice the piano. Usually on Saturdays and Sundays, her time is dedicated to the Lord.
That night, her school was holding a lantern festival. Although I really wanted to take her to see the lanterns and walk around her campus, I didn't have the right to sacrifice her time. I came to Hefei not to disturb her. As long as I could see her, I would be satisfied. Accompanying her to practice the piano was also a joyful thing.
She is beautiful when playing the piano. I really like her sitting in front of the piano, elegant and quiet. Her hands are small, her fingers are short, but when she presses the keys, it's like a dance of elves. Her eyes scan the sheet music and the keyboard, her fingers move gracefully, and she sings the music crisply. Her feet tap the beat. The moving music flows slowly. I really like her wholehearted dedication, her seriousness, and her beauty.
When practicing a new piece, you will find that practicing the piano is a mechanical action. Practice it over and over again, make mistakes, correct them, divide and combine, until you can play it smoothly. Listening to her talk about some interesting things about playing the piano, it's really fun.
In my opinion, she is an ordinary girl, not as happy and strong as she appears on the surface, and she longs for someone to care for her. So when she goes to practice the piano, she always becomes irritable and throws a little tantrum. Actually, at this time, she really needs someone to comfort her. I feel sorry for her sitting in front of the piano for several hours, playing the same piece over and over again. Maybe for someone who listens to music, listening to someone play music is enjoyable. But I think for someone who is learning the piano, learning the piano is really boring and painful. Many improvements come from grinding time.