The arrogance started from Chinatown

Chapter 131 God’s Eyes on MeMore
Nob Hill is located west of Chinatown, near California Street and Powell Street. It is the highest mountain in San Francisco, about 100 meters high.

Some wealthy people who made their fortunes from mining and railroad construction built mansions on the mountain, such as the famous Stanford who once suppressed the protesting Chinese workers and used the lives of the Chinese workers to build the railroad.

Therefore, this area is also a famous high-end community and wealthy area in San Francisco.

Near the intersection of California Street and Powell Street, there is a small church.

Although it occupies a small area, it is beautifully built, with stained glass on both sides. Light shines into the church through the glass, reflecting colorful colors.

Although the light is not bright, the church is quite quiet.

John Henry Hobart was looking up at the statue of Jesus in front of him with a pious look on his face until he heard a voice behind him and turned around to look.

I saw a man wearing a purple striped gentleman's suit and looking quite flamboyant walking into the church with his back to the light, and then sitting down on a bench in the first row.

It was then that John Hobart realized that this was a Chinese youth, who was rarely seen here, and he was looking at him with interest.

From the other person's exquisite clothes and expression, it can be seen that he is a very wealthy person.

Because the other person unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, he didn't seem so solemn, but it also showed one thing: the other person's shirt and collar were one piece.

This is a rather luxurious way of dressing. You should know that collars wear and get dirty quickly, so most people's shirt collars are fake and separate from the shirt, so that you only need to clean and replace the fake collar every day.

"Hello, I'm the pastor here, John Henry Hobart. You can also call me Pastor Hobart. My duty is to spread the gospel of the Lord." John Hobart turned around and said to Chen Zhengwei gently.

After he came to this parish, he thought about spreading the gospel of the Lord to the Chinese in Chinatown in the east, but those Chinese were not interested and didn't even know what he was talking about.

He tried hard for a long time, but only had a dozen Chinese believers.

And it was obvious that the man in front of him was not one of those believers.

"Pastor, I'm a little confused and want to seek some help." Chen Zhengwei said with a smile.

"What's bothering you? Maybe I can help you!" John Hobart did not show any impatience because the other party was Chinese, and his voice was very gentle.

"I always have an urge to donate some money to God, but I don't know if this behavior would be blasphemous!" Chen Zhengwei laughed.

John Hobart was stunned when he heard this, and the smile on his face became even gentler.

"What makes you think this? Whether it is blasphemy or not depends entirely on your heart. As long as your heart is kind, your behavior will not offend God in any way."

"I feel relieved when you say that!" Chen Zhengwei walked up to John Hobart holding a paper bag, then took out two stacks of money from the bag and placed them in front of him.

There are two ways to donate to a church. One is to donate to the donation box, and this kind of money is generally used for the operation of the church.

The other type is donated to pastors as gifts and allowances.

Even though this is a wealthy area and many of the believers are rich people, Chen Zhengwei's generosity is still quite rare.

John Hobart glanced at the money in front of him, but he didn't show any greed. Instead, he looked at Chen Zhengwei and asked, "Do you believe in the Lord?"

"Maybe!" Chen Zhengwei said, "It's just that there are some things I don't quite understand."

"Reverend Hobart, do you think all people should be equal?"

"God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him male and female. We are all God's people, and all are equal," Hobart said after tapping his forehead and chest several times.

"In that case, why don't you go to Chinatown and spread the light of the Lord to those lost lambs? There are tens of thousands of lost lambs there."

John Hobart's expression was slightly moved, and he said, "I have tried hard before, and I hope to spread the glory of the Lord far away..."

"It's not far, Reverend Hobart. It's only one kilometer away!" Chen Zhengwei interrupted him and looked at the chair on the side:

"Maybe we should sit down and talk?"

The two sat on the bench in the first row.

"There are more than 40,000 Chinese in Chinatown, and they all listen to me!" Chen Zhengwei put his arms on the back of the bench, but the content of his words made Pastor Hobart turn his head and look carefully at the young man.

When both parties sit together, they can see more details.

Chen Zhengwei's shirt is made of fabric with raised stripes, which looks very delicate and is also very expensive.

The suit and hat are both made of silk.

He didn't have the braids that are common among Chinese people, and his demeanor when he spoke was full of confidence and dignity, which was brought to him by his high position. "This is a very respectable achievement!" Pastor Hobart said seriously.

"They traveled across the ocean to the United States. They were confused and didn't know where their future would lie. Maybe they should have some faith? God is a good choice." Chen Zhengwei turned his head and smiled.

"The light of the Lord will shine equally on everyone!"

"I think more will fall on me!" Chen Zhengwei laughed.

Pastor Hobart smiled but said nothing, but Chen Zhengwei's words made him somewhat excited. More than 40,000 potential believers, one-fifth of the population of San Francisco.

This is not a small number in any parish, both as his achievement in the parish and for spreading the glory of the Lord.

However, he also knew that the other party must have a purpose for saying this.

"Language is a big problem!" Pastor Hobart first stated the biggest difficulty.

"Just let them learn English! The Chinese are a very good learner, they just didn't have the opportunity before!"

"Maybe we should build a school in Chinatown? So they can learn English after work!" Chen Zhengwei discussed seriously with Pastor Hobart.

"us?"

"I can provide a place for them to learn English. And your church can find some volunteers... write some teaching materials, and it would be better to send some volunteers to help teach. Then I will arrange some Chinese who can speak English to assist. What do you think?"

Although there are some Chinese people in Chinatown who can speak English, they don’t know how to teach and can’t write.

Cooperating with the church can not only bind the Chinese and the church and increase Protestants' recognition of the Chinese, but also solve the problem of teachers.

"Good idea!" Pastor Hobart nodded in approval.

"Then why are you doing this? What do you want?" Pastor Hobart asked. He was very curious about what the young man in front of him wanted.

"Like I said, they need some faith. Only those with faith can face life firmly and fearlessly."

"In addition, the Chinese paid a huge price during the construction of the United States. Under the Pacific Railway tracks, under every sleeper, there are Chinese corpses. However, what the Chinese are facing now is discrimination, insults, attacks, and hostility... I think we should be treated fairly."

"Pastor, what do you think?" Chen Zhengwei took out a cigarette from his cigarette case and said, "You don't mind, do you? I don't think God would mind such a small thing!"

He feels that his smoking addiction has been getting worse recently.

"God will save everyone who believes in him!" Pastor Hobart tapped his forehead and chest again.

You have to know that the Protestant denomination strongly supported the emancipation of black slaves and equality between races. This was in line with his beliefs and he had no reason to refuse.

"So our goals are the same!" Chen Zhengwei laughed and stretched out his hand to Hobart.

"There is another problem. The San Francisco Archives was burned down recently. Everyone needs to re-apply for personal records. We Chinese encountered a lot of obstacles and discrimination in this process..."

"I heard that Judge Henry Billings Brown comes to church every week?"

"Judge Brown is a devout Christian!" Hobart understood Chen Zhengwei's purpose.

"Reverend Hobart, could you introduce me to Mr. Brown?"

"I can introduce him, but as for the rest it depends on your conversation with him." Hobart agreed after a little thought.

"God will bless you!" Chen Zhengwei smiled brightly.

Doesn’t this mean we have an important introducer?

"By the way, Pastor Hobart, how about you baptize me?" Chen Zhengwei thought for a while and said, being a Protestant is a good identity.

"I'm honored! And I'm glad that the parish has a new member!"

"There are tens of thousands of church members, but I am particularly special, and God pays more attention to me!" Chen Zhengwei looked up at Jesus in front of him, his brows full of vigor and vitality.

"Reverend Hobart, can you help me invite some guests to the ceremony?"

"I'd love to!" Reverend Hobart also laughed.

(End of this chapter)