1958
Written by Sunny Chien
If you investigate the history of Taiwan, 1958 is definitely not an auspicious year. On August 23, 1958, mainland China launched an artillery attack on Taiwan. The whole island rallied against the aggression. I was born in the midst of it on September 9, 1958.
My mother recalled that it really was not the right time for me to be born. Being part of the police force, my father was called to duty and became unreachable for the entire month. He was certainly not able to welcome my birth. I simply was born at the wrong time. My father was disheartened to greet me after the birth of my two older sisters. He had hoped for a son.
I always felt that my birth wasn’t a blessing, or a memorable event in my family. My father didn’t bother to name me in a meaningful way. He merely called me “The Junior One”. Afterwards, he picked up a character in the family tradition and named me “The Beautiful Junior One” in Chinese.
However, there is someone out there who is always mindful of my existence. In a special way, He let me know what He intends for me. The following is the story I want to tell the whole world about. It is a true story.
Another inauspicious beginning
Let’s fast forward to the year 2002. The setting was in Silicon Valley, California in the US. I was downsized in February and started a new career of being a full-time housewife. In addition to the countless chores, I could not adapt to one change, which was the reality that our family earnings turned from double income to single one. Having lived an affluent life throughout these years since I got married, I felt less secure because I had to watch every penny we spent.
Nonetheless, vacation time was indispensable for our kids. We decided to go to Las Vegas for the Mother’s Day weekend. Prior to the trip, I did my homework. I searched for various kinds of entertainment and finally booked the tickets for the renowned “Water Show”. I also booked four discount air tickets since the flight only took about two hours. But I didn’t want to take the risk of staying at a shabby hotel. So I found one hotel located in a good spot. It was two years new and cost only $200 a night. I was pleased and reserved a room for two nights. All the four of us could cram in since my two kids were still young.
On the day of our trip, the four of us prayed on the way to the airport. We prayed for a safe and happy trip. It’s so good to be a Christian because we have someone to pray to and this makes us feel safe and sound. “Vegas, here we come!”
When we got out of the shuttle bus and arrived at the hotel, I couldn’t believe the hotel was two years new. It looked like at least 20 years old. I was so stunned but didn’t want to say a word. I would check that out from the front desk later. The staff told me that I booked the room through a travel agency website and didn’t understand why I was upset about the hotel being so aged. This hotel definitely didn’t look like the pretty one I saw online.
It was a busy day for the front desk, so I figured it was worthless to argue with them and decided to take it easy. Since we were in Las Vegas already, we’d better enjoy ourselves. Still, I felt ill at ease as our room was on the second floor. Located barely above the ground, the room had no view. Behind it were a parking lot and a lawn in a mess. On top of that, the noise was loud because people walked in and out. I became disturbed about the noise this might cause.
Going from bad to worse
I didn’t enjoy the “Water Show” that evening. My husband was experiencing a high fever and lay on the seat eye closed throughout the show. I was so worried. How could this be? This was our first night at Las Vegas.
When we went back to the hotel room, I put the kids to bed and started to pray. More precisely, I began to complain. I couldn’t believe God put us in such a cellar after so many prayers. On top of that, we had a sick person on the bed. However, my nightmare did not end here.
At midnight, I had a severe stomachache. Trying not to wake up my sick husband, I carefully crossed over my kid who was sleeping on the floor and rushed into the bathroom, sobbing by myself. Yet, this is not the end of the story. The bathroom was half closed, so it was bright inside but dark outside. All of sudden, a little black creature with a tail sneaked in. I almost screamed. It was a mouse.
The mouse stared at me as if I was the intruder. I immediately jumped onto the cover of the toilet and hastily closed the door. I didn’t know what to do but I was mindful that I definitely could not let it out since my elder daughter was still sleeping on the floor.
We gazed at each other and my knees were trembling. I wept bitterly and was about to break down. Suddenly, the mouse became restless and decided to leave me alone and get out of the bathroom. I whined like crazy and the whole family woke up. I turned on the light, tossed my daughter onto the bed and began calling the front desk.
God intervened
Now that everyone was awake, the mouse started to collaborate. He made his way back to the bathroom and hid behind the trash can. The staff came, checked out the unexpected visitor, apologized to us and said the situation would be taken care of immediately. Shortly afterward, the phone rang and we were asked to pack our stuff right away. Someone was going to take us to another room.
We went through a long corridor in the darkness and walked into a beautiful new building. “This building is two years new!” said the clerk. “It is Mother’s Day today so the hotel is sold out. You are lucky. There is only one room available. This should make up for your trip. In addition, we are giving you coupons for two days’ worth of meals.” We took the elevator and went all the way to the second highest floor. All of Las Vegas was laid out before us.
When we opened the door, my kids hailed with joy. My husband smiled also. What a magnificent suite! There were a living room, a bedroom, a bar, a Jacuzzi, a massage bath tub, a washing machine, and a small kitchen in the suite. The large bay window brought the beautiful scene of Las Vegas into our eyes. Everything seemed like a dream. I burst into tears. No one noticed the room number 1958 but my eyes were glued to it. It was the early morning of Mother’s Day.
Dear friends, maybe you are losing control in your life, feeling helpless, hopeless, or insecure. You can have that peace directly coming from God, by you appreciating and realizing what God has planned for you. Every single one of us can build that intimate relationship with God. Through the salvation made possible by Jesus Christ, you can experience God’s wonderful grace that will care for and guide you for a lifetime. God made you and He knows you more than you know yourself, and He is right there waiting for you with open arms. You don’t need to clean yourself up to go to Him, He takes you just the way you are, and will come in and heal your deepest wounds to give you peace like you’ve never experienced. It no longer becomes conditional peace, but contentment in all circumstances. That is true love and true acceptance. You will not find it anywhere else.
Trusting Jesus was the first step to huge adventures in our lives. Life is not always easy, but I know Christ is always with me. These promises are available to you as well. Why not pray this simple prayer in faith today and release the reins of your life back into God’s hands.
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Saviour and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of woman you want me to be.
