Hualien Commander Building Collapses After Two Earthquakes: Church Saints Overcome Grief and Launch Gospel Campaign in Hualien: “God’s Kingdom Cannot Be Shaken!”
The first and second floors instantly collapsed and were flattened, with the third floor becoming the first floor, creating a horrifying scene. Although the Hualien church was severely damaged, the church brothers said, “This earthquake has shaken people’s hearts. God wants us to go for Him to every street and alley in Hualien and spread the gospel of His unshakable kingdom!”
[Special Correspondent Yang Yumei, Taipei-Hualien Joint Report] At 2:26 and 32 am on April 23, earthquakes measuring 6 and 6.3 on the Richter scale with their epicenter in Shoufeng, Hualien, struck suddenly, waking up the whole of Taiwan. The red-tagged Commander Building, where the Hualien church was located, finally succumbed to the violent shaking and collapsed downward. The supporting H-shaped steel frame was knocked down, raising a large amount of dust that instantly filled the surroundings. The first and second floors instantly collapsed and were flattened, with the third floor becoming the first floor, creating a horrifying scene.
This scene was heart-wrenching for the saints of the Hualien church. Fortunately, the residents had already been evacuated, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable. The Hualien County Government announced that it would demolish the building within two weeks, following the example of the Uranus Building. At 7:30 pm on the 23rd, the saints put aside their grief and gathered at the church’s second meeting place on Fuxian Road in Hualien to participate in the weekly Tuesday evening prayer meeting with the newly arrived Full-time Training for Young People team. With a strong spirit, they sang “Forward! Strong Pioneering!” and declared that they would seize the opportunity to spread the gospel throughout Hualien!
God reveals His presence – the enemy’s destruction is of no consequence to God
From 5 pm on the 22nd to the morning of the 23rd, the aftershocks of the April 3rd earthquake suddenly increased in number and intensity. The two major aftershocks over 6 on the Richter scale in the early morning of the 23rd, along with the continuous smaller tremors, ultimately led to the collapse of the Commander Building. In the middle of the night, many Hualien residents, accustomed to earthquakes, drove to the square in front of the train station to escape the aftershocks. Many locals even took the earliest train in the morning to flee Hualien in a panic and seek refuge with relatives and friends in other counties and cities. But at this time, there was a group of people who took the opposite train, traveling all the way to Hualien. They were the 31st team of the Full-time Training for Young People, dispatched to churches all over Taiwan for outreach – the Hualien Outreach Team, consisting of 1 trainer and 7 trainees, a total of 8 saints.
The enemy always knows and tries to destroy what God wants to do first. The 23rd was originally the scheduled arrival date for the Hualien Outreach Team. Before their arrival, the Hualien railway and highways were temporarily cut off by landslides caused by heavy rain after the earthquake. However, when they set off, it was not raining, and the Taiwan Railways Administration had managed to clear the tracks. “This is the work of the Holy Spirit, none of this is a coincidence. The Lord is telling us through the environment that He is with us,” said Sister Wang Zhishu from the New Taipei Church.
Brother Chen Wenyou from Chaozhou, Pingtung, said, “Someone told me that being sent to Hualien seemed like a very difficult task, but I replied that there is no need to consider when it is the Lord’s sending!” Brother Luo Dexian from Hong Kong, who was experiencing an earthquake for the second time in his life, said with his head held high, “Our outreach team came here to cooperate with God’s work and spread the gospel of the kingdom!” Sister Li Chen Lifeng, the trainer of the outreach team and wife of Brother Li Laian from the Hualien City Church, choked up and boldly declared, “Lord! I am here, I see the enemy trembling, we will go forward! Make disciples of all nations! Let the gospel spread throughout Hualien!”
The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes
During the prayer meeting, photos of the severely damaged Commander Building were shown one by one. Looking at the collapsed building, Brother Li Laian said with lingering fear, “If the April 3rd earthquake had caused the Commander to collapse like this, with the third floor becoming the first floor, I, living on the second floor, would be gone. But the Lord was mindful of the many brothers and sisters in the building who love the Lord, so He allowed the Commander to collapse 20 days later, after all the residents had been evacuated. I asked the Lord what He left me for, and He said, ‘It is all for you, for the sake of the gospel.'”
He also encouraged the saints, “The Christian life is a race. If we run without the Lord, it is in vain; if we run without the gospel, it is also in vain. Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid, the enemy is just a roaring lion. We should be strong and courageous, and go forward boldly, starting with preaching the gospel!”
Elder Chen Qingming of the Hualien City Church further stated, “Preaching the gospel is to impart God’s economy to people. This earthquake has shaken people’s hearts. God wants us to go for Him to every street and alley in Hualien and spread the gospel of His unshakable kingdom!”
From April 23rd to 28th, the saints of the Hualien Church will cooperate with the saints of the Full-time Training for Young People to launch a week-long gospel campaign. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16) At 6 pm on April 27th, the Hualien City Church will hold gospel meetings at both the second meeting place on Fuxian Road and the third meeting place on Guofu 2nd Street in Hualien, inviting residents of Hualien City to come and hear the gospel. This earthquake may have toppled the Commander Building, but it cannot shake the kingdom of God in the spirit of the saints of the Hualien City Church.
花莲统帅大楼连两震崩塌 召会圣徒挥别伤痛 前进花莲展开福音行动：神的国震不倒！
一、二楼瞬间崩塌压扁，三楼变成一楼，画面怵目惊心。花莲召会虽受创严重，但召会弟兄说，「这地震震动人心，神要我们为祂前去在花莲各个大街小巷，传遍祂不能震动的国的福音！」
【特约记者杨育玫台北-花莲联机报导】4月23日深夜2点26分及32分，规模6及6.3、震央花莲寿丰的地震倏地来袭，摇醒全台，花莲召会所在的红单危楼统帅大楼，终不禁剧烈摇晃向下坍塌；支撑的H钢架被震倒，扬起的大量粉尘倾刻弥漫四周，一、二楼瞬间崩塌压扁，三楼变成一楼，画面怵目惊心。
这一幕，对花莲召会圣徒而言心如刀割。还好居民早已撤离，否则后果不堪设想。花莲县府宣布将比照天王星大楼于两周内拆除。23日晚间7时30分，圣徒们收拾起伤痛的心情，聚集在花莲召会位于府前路的二会所，和刚刚抵达的壮年班开展队一起参加每周二晚间的祷告聚会，用刚强的灵唱着：「前进！刚强开拓！」宣告要把握机会，将福音传遍花莲！
神显明祂的同在 仇敌的破坏对神无损
从22日下午五点开始至23日早上，0403的余震突然加多加剧，23日凌晨两次规模6以上的余震以及不断侵袭的大小余震，最后酿成统帅大楼倾斜崩塌。半夜里，许多对地震习以为常的花莲人纷纷开车到车站前广场躲避余震，更有许多当地人搭乘早上最早的火车仓皇逃离花莲，投奔住在其他县市的亲友。但这时候却有一班人，和他们搭着反方向的车，一路迢迢往花莲而来。他们是召会全时间训练壮年班派到全台各地召会开展的第31队－花莲开展队，1位辅训7位学员，共8位圣徒。
神要做的事，仇敌总是先知道并先破坏。23日原本就是花莲开展队预定抵达之日。抵达前，花莲铁、公路一度遭震后豪雨的土石流侵袭中断，但出发时，天空竟没有下雨，而台铁也实时抢通。「这是圣灵的工作，这一切都不是巧合。主借着环境告诉我们，祂与我们同在。」从新北召会来的王志书姊妹说道。
从屏东潮州来的陈文友弟兄说：「有人告诉我说我被派去花莲，好像是一个很困难的事，但我回答说，是主的差派不用考虑！」来自香港的罗德贤弟兄生平第二次遇到地震，却昂首地说：「我们开展队来这里，是要配合神的工作、开展国度的福音！」开展队的辅训李陈丽凤姊妹，花莲市召会李来安弟兄的妻子，最后更是哽咽豪迈地宣告说：「主阿！我在这里，我看见仇敌在颤抖，我们要前去！使万民做祢的门徒！让传福音传遍花莲全地！」
福音是神的大能 要救一切信的人
祷告聚会中，播放着一张张统帅大楼严重受毁损的照片。李来安弟兄看着已经坍塌的统帅大楼照片，心有余悸地说：「如果4月3日那一震，统帅就像现在这样三楼变成一楼，住在二楼的我就是走了。但主顾念大楼中还有许多爱主的弟兄姊妹，所以让统帅在20天之后，所有的居民都撤出之后才崩塌。我问主留我做什么？主说，都是为你们、为福音的缘故。」
他并勉励圣徒：「基督徒的路是一场赛跑，如果我们奔跑而没有主，就是白跑；如果我们奔跑而没有福音，也是白跑。弟兄姊妹们，不要怕，仇敌不过是吼叫的狮子，我们当刚强壮胆，勇敢前行，从传福音开始！」
花莲市召会长老陈庆明弟兄进一步表示：「传福音就是将神的经纶分赐给人。这地震震动人心，神要我们为祂前去在花莲各个大街小巷，传遍祂不能震动的国的福音！」
4月23日开始至28日，花莲召会的圣徒和壮年班的圣徒一起配搭展开为期一周的福音行动。「这福音本是神的大能，要救一切信的人。」(罗马书一章16节) 4月27日晚上6点，花莲市召会将在花莲府前路的二会所以及国富二街的三会所举办福音聚会，邀请花莲市居民一起听福音。这场地震，震倒了统帅大楼，却震不倒在花莲市召会圣徒灵中，神的国度。
