谢德华(Edward Short) 的儿子义方、甜美 (Lewis & Tammy Short) 一家人从非洲坦桑尼亚回来美国做一些和教会有关的事工。期间也到我们中华基督教会证道，讲了在坦桑尼亚的事工和需求。他们目前在坦桑尼亚帮助建立教会诊所和学校，并帮助那里的人认识上帝。
义方和太太甜美都是四十多岁。义方至少会流利的应用四、五种语言，包括英文、中文、意大利语、法文和斯瓦希利语。甜美是一名护士，在美国是有注册护士执照以及工作经历。他们都是道道地地的美国人，凭他们的能力，本可以在美国过着十分舒适的生活。也就是大多数人所向往的，包括不错的收入、稳定的生活，业余送孩子去学各种才艺和运动俱乐部、周末和自己朋友聚会和娱乐。可是他们选择离开七旬的父母，远走十分贫穷落后、充满疾病又缺少医药的非洲。他们的孩子也缺少同龄的懂得美国生活的朋友。是什么让他们做出如此选择？
这在大多数赴美的中国知识分子，经过数年寒窗苦读，考托福与GRE（研究生入学考试），过关斩将拿到签证来到美国，追求更好的教育、职场机会，更加美好品质的大多数人来说真是莫大的牺牲。但是坦桑尼亚的人民是蒙福的，他们的生命因为有义方、甜美以及许许多多和他们类似的上帝的使者，给他们带来生活的福音。
这不仅是身体上的，更是精神及属灵上的祝福。因为这些天使般的人的到来，因为诊所的建立疾病可以得到医治；因为学校的建立，孩子可以入学；因为圣经的学习，智慧得以开启。
看到义方、甜美一家，也想到明末清初许许多多来到中国的传教士，如司徒雷登、利玛窦、戴德生他们不也一样从西方来到贫穷落后的中国创办大学、医院：如燕京大学、协和医院。把生命献给中国，引导人信仰上帝，生命得到重生。
其中以戴徳生为例，他本可以在英国过一个富裕的医生生活，但他感受到上帝的呼召，要到中国传道。他因此学习过着简朴、刻苦的生活，慰问病人、操练爱心。他女朋友的父亲，因不愿自己的女儿嫁到中国，戴德生不得不与其解除婚约。而他自己的母亲，在他启程去中国的码头撕心裂肺的哭声，何尝不是母子离别痛苦与担忧的写照！
他在年轻、有才华前程似锦的时刻选择来到贫穷、落后、战火纷飞的中国。他在中国成立中国内地会，从西方呼召宣教士参与中国事工。他在中国传道52年，其中三个孩子夭折，妻子也罹患霍乱。
戴德生一生心向中国，把青春、才华和爱都献与中国与中国人。他的岳父台约尔先生也是早期来华的宣教士，改良了中文活字，提供了印刷效率。而戴德生先生筹集各方力量办学校、建医院、帮助人们认识上帝。
值得一提的就是由于他和家人的努力，促使英国政府在1917年全面停止对中国鸦片的输出。但今天我们可能都不知道他的付出和对中国人生命的影响。
话题再回到义方、甜美身上。虽然他们目前在坦桑尼亚帮助建立的学校、诊所的规模可能没有当时的燕京大学、协和医院规模大。但他们在非洲播撒文明的种子，这种子定会生根发芽、开花结果。
想想中国近代历史上无数优秀的人才，都是受过教会的影响。我们耳熟能详的冰心、郑振铎等文化巨匠，他们的作品字里行间无不透出基督爱的渗透和影响。正如圣经上所说，“天下万族必因你的后裔而蒙福。上帝兴起他的仆人，首先差遣他到你们中间，使你们脱离罪恶，好赐福给你们。”
不管历史怎样评说，这些传教士怎样被误解或接纳，被当局的意识形态所扭曲。但历史会沉淀那些真正对人类文明进程做出努力、贡献的人。让你们感恩那些带着上帝的使命，在过去、现在和将来将福音带给世界各个角落的人间天使。（周淑美播音）
God’s Messengers—Pioneers of Civilization
By Jingqiong (Katty) Kang, M.D., Ph.D.
Lewis and Tammy Short (son and daughter-in-law of Edward and Sharon Short) and their sweet family, returned to the United States from Tanzania to do some church-related ministry. During the period, I went to the Middle Tennessee Chinese Church of Christ and heard Lewis preach about the ministry in Tanzania, and the needs there. The Shorts are currently helping to establish a church, a clinic and a school in Tanzania; and they are helping people there to know God.
Lewis and Tammy are both in their forties. Lewis is fluent in at least four or five languages, including English, Chinese, Italian, French, and Swahili. Tammy is a nurse who has a registered nurse license and work experience in the United States. They are all authentic Americans who, by their ability, could have lived a very comfortable life in the United States. That is what most people yearn for, including a good income and a stable life. They want to send their children to learn a variety of talents and enjoy sports and join clubs. They spend weekends with friends and enjoying various forms of entertainment. The Lewis Short family, however, chose to leave their 70-year-old parents and go far away to Africa, which is very poor and backward, full of disease and has a lack of medicine. Their children also lack American friends of the same age.
What made them make such a choice?
Most of us [who came to the USA from foreign countries], endured several years of study, preparation for TOEFL (Testing of English as a Foreign Language), GRE (Graduate Record Exam), etc, all in order to obtain a visa to the United States. We came in order to pursue better education, career opportunities, and to better ourselves; most of us will say that we did this at a great sacrifice.
But the people of Tanzania are truly blessed. The gospel of life from God has been brought to them by Lewis and Tammy and the many other similar messengers of God. These blessings are not only physical, but—more importantly—also include metaphysical and spiritual blessings.
Because of the arrival of these angelic people, and because the establishment of the clinic, diseases are healed; because the school was established, children enter school; because of Bible study, students’ minds are opened to wisdom.
Seeing the Lewis Short family, I also thought those many missionaries who came to China in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, such as Stuart, Ricci, and Dai Desheng [Hudson Taylor]— people who came from the West to poor and backward China to start universities and hospitals such as Yanjing University and Union Hospital. Dedicating their lives to China and guiding people to believe in God, people were born again. In the case of Dai Desheng [Hudson Taylor], he could have lived as a wealthy doctor in the UK, but he felt the call of God to preach in China. He therefore lived a simple and hard life, expressed concern to patients, and practiced love. The father of Hudson’s girlfriend, did not want his daughter to marry and move to China, so Taylor had to cancel his marriage contract. And his own mother, on the dock at his departure to China, gave a heartbreaking cry as mother and son parted amidst her pain and worry!! This young man gave up his talented future in order to go to the poverty and backwardness of war-torn China. He established the China Inland Mission and called the missionaries from the West to participate in Chinese ministry. He preached in China for 52 years; his wife suffered from cholera and they buried three of their children there.
Hudson Taylor gave his heart to China and devoted his youth, talent and love to China and the Chinese. His father-in-law, Mr. Taiyol, was also an early missionary to China. He improved the Chinese movable type and improved printing efficiency. Mr. Taylor raised the power of all parties to run schools, build hospitals, and help people know God. It is worth mentioning that due to the efforts of his family and his family, the British government completely stopped the export of Chinese opium in 1917. But today people may not know Taylor’s contribution and the impact on Chinese life.
Let us return to the topic of Lewis and Tammy. Although the size of the school and clinic they are currently helping to establish in Tanzania may not be as large as the Yanjing University and the Union Hospital were at that time. But they are spreading the seeds of civilization in Africa, and these seeds will take root and sprout and produce fruit. I think that countless outstanding talents in China’s modern history have been influenced by the church. Our well-known cultural masters such as Bing Xin and Zheng Zhenze have been influenced by the love of Christ in their works. As the Bible says, “All nations will be blessed through you.” “God raised up his Servant and first sent him to you to free you from sin and bless you.”
Regardless of how history judges, or how these missionaries are misunderstood or accepted, or perhaps even their work is distorted because of the ideology of the authorities. But history will give credit to those who truly make efforts and contributions toward the process of human civilization. Let us all be grateful to those angels who have accepted the mission of God and who carry the gospel to the world–those in the past, present and future.
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