angel on the road of words
Photo courtesy/Liao Meihui
The dream of taking off
I have loved scribbling and writing since I was a child, and my mother was my first teacher. I grew up living in the simple countryside of Fugang, Taoyuan, Taiwan. At that time, there were no traffic lights on the streets of the town. Although my mother is not highly educated, she is a sensitive woman who loves art and literature. "Don't be obsessed with studying, you must be able to read as well as play. Dreams don't need to be big. Look up at the blue sky, grasp the afterglow of the sunset, cherish the moment in front of you, write down your feelings about life, live in the moment, and chase your dreams! "My mother's words have shaped my character today - seize the moment, dare to pursue dreams, and never give up.
In my memory, my mother was always cooking, listening to the radio, and sometimes even dancing in the kitchen. When I was a child, my family was not financially well-off, but my mother actually allowed me to subscribe to the "Children's Chinese Daily". Starting from the fourth grade of elementary school, she let me take the train alone to spend the summer vacation at my aunt's house in Banqiao for several years. Every time I walk from Banqiao Railway Station to my aunt's house, the bookstore next to the Sweet and Spicy Shop under the bridge is a place I must visit. First, eat a bowl of sweet and spicy to satisfy your stomach, then go to the bookstore and read storybooks for two or three hours. Being immersed in the world of words was simply the most satisfying and happiest thing in the world for me when I was 11 years old!
Looking back now, I can see that my longing for words and my relationship with stories began in that small bookstore under the overpass. From elementary school to high school, from "The Little Match Girl" to "Song of Weiyang" to "A Dream of Red Mansions". When I was in high school, my aunt moved away from Banqiao, and I stopped going to that bookstore. But words and stories have become friends that will never be absent in my life.
When I was a child, my dream was to be an elementary school teacher. When I reached high school, I dreamed of becoming the "Uncrowned King" - a reporter. The journalism department of National Chengchi University, my first choice, failed, and my dream of becoming a reporter was also shattered. After graduating from college, he married Zhiyuan, went to the United States to study, and returned to Taiwan three years later. The couple entered the Industrial Technology Research Institute at the same time, and I worked as a science and technology translator and Japanese translator, which can be regarded as getting involved with writing.
As a middle-aged immigrant to the United States, I never expected that words would still play an important role in my life. In the past 20 years of my writing career, there have been four "angels" who have had a profound influence on me.
▲Attending community activities (2016 Lunar New Year) with Li Meilun (middle), editor-in-chief of Hanxin Monthly.
Li Meilun, editor-in-chief of Hanxin Monthly
In the summer of 2001, the family immigrated to New Jersey, USA. One day, I received my first Chinese magazine - "Hanxin Monthly" from a friend. I don’t know where the courage and inspiration came from, so I took the initiative to call the editor-in-chief Li Meilun the next day and recommend myself. Thanks to her for giving me my first job in the United States, reading and writing manuscripts in an office where I could see cherry blossom trees. After I got home from work on the first day, I wrote in my diary: "It feels great to have my own small office in the huge country of America!"
Editor-in-chief Li Meilun once gave me a comment: "You have the enthusiasm of newcomers, but not the youthfulness of newcomers!" Perhaps it is because of the enthusiasm of new immigrants, or perhaps because they are still young. In the first few years of working at "Hanxin Monthly", I wrote I work very hard and write tens of thousands of words every month, including industrial and commercial manuscripts, interview manuscripts, and also participate in proofreading. I am very busy before publishing every publication. Sometimes I work until midnight, but I don't feel tired at all.
I love to write and dare to write. No one ever taught me how to be a reporter. I learned by myself through imitation and reading a lot of magazines. Watch Oprah Winfrey, one of the most influential African-American talk show hosts in the United States, and imitate how she interviews; watch the well-known Chinese talk show "A Date with Luyu" on the Internet to learn how the host asks good questions. Just read it like this, holding a pen and jotting down some good quotes in the interview notebook.
"Tianxia", "Vision", "Taiwan Guanghua", "Cosmic Light", these magazines that I often read have become my teachers. Just like this, I slowly explored step by step. As a reporter who was not a professional but became a monk, I actually won the first prize for in-depth reporting by independent media in New York in the future. Even I was deeply surprised!
"Hanxin Monthly" started my 15-year career as an amateur journalist in the United States. During that time, I wrote several columns that I liked very much: [Different University Road], [360 Lines], [Where to live when you get old? 】⋯⋯. I got to know many Chinese elites from all walks of life and saw all kinds of immigrant families. Because of my job as a reporter, I seem to have lived several lifetimes longer than others, and have seen all kinds of life. Realize: No matter big or small, no one has the right to be pessimistic when facing survival in a foreign land. But I told myself, don’t give up your dreams just to survive.
▲Pastor Su Wen’an (middle of the picture), the life mentor, held the 2009 Kingdom of God Literary Camp at Mary Monastery in Pennsylvania.
Pastor Su Wen’an, KRC’s text pastor
He is the editor-in-chief of "True Love" magazine and "Kingdom of God" magazine, a writing coach, a spiritual mentor, and also my personal life mentor. In 2002, I came to the KRC Literary Camp out of curiosity. Unexpectedly, I found a group of "real" literary people. Unknowingly, I was attracted by this group of literate people and connected online with this group of literate people. I also connected with the true God who created all things in the universe. With the influence of KRC camp for 15 consecutive years, my life is no longer the same.
Pastor Su Wen'an emphasized many times in class that the ministry of writing must have both internal and external skills - internal skills are the foundation and depth of life; external skills are the moves and techniques of writing. If you only have external skills but no internal skills, you can only be reduced to mere tricks and embroidery, unable to move people's hearts; and if you only have internal skills and no external skills, you will not be able to write moving articles.
In the interview camp class, he said that there are two kinds of tragedies in the world: one is one who can write but has no story, and the other is one who has a story but cannot write. Under the guidance of Pastor Su over the years, I hope that I can develop my ability to tell stories and write well; I encourage myself to have both internal and external skills, and not to flatter others or be groveling. Writing is not to please people, but to please God.
All students who have participated in Pastor Su Wen'an's writing class will remember in their hearts - "Workers come before work, authors are more important than works, sincerity is better than everything else!"; "Qi Mei Movement"; "A Carriage of Water in Life"... Pastor Su not only teaches writing skills, but also pays attention to the renewal and reshaping of life temperament and lifestyle. Pastor Su taught me how to write step by step. Over the past 20 years, through the "True Love" family magazine, I not only improved my writing skills, but also applied the teachings gained from interviews to my own family life.
▲On the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Kingdom of God, the author takes a group photo with Teacher Li (front row, left) and some colleagues.
Teacher Gao Lili, founder of "Kingdom of God" magazine
Without the writing camp founded by Teacher Gao Lili, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Teacher Li Li’s commitment, seriousness and passion for God deeply inspired me.
I know clearly that I am impatient, and I often remind myself, "Mom, walk quickly, learn to walk slowly!" Looking back on my life story, in each article, I see my struggles again and again, my mistakes again and again, and sometimes Seeing that I was going my own way, I felt like a helpless Adou. I tried my best to use words to express my deepest feelings, but I always felt that my pen was clumsy and my words were poor, and I was full of passion and had no way to express my feelings.
I roll and crawl on the road of words. Many times I feel stuck in the quagmire of words and cannot climb out. On the way to writing, I broke my head many times and broke my head. I wanted to give up writing and become a literary deserter, but I was saved time and time again by the love of colleagues from the Kingdom of God and teacher Li Li.
I planned to publish a book at the beginning of 2021, but I wanted to give up at one point. The Holy Spirit moved me to call Teacher Li Li. We talked on the phone for nearly two hours.
"God does not judge you, so why do you judge yourself? You are you, uniquely you. There is no need to compare with others, no need to compete with yourself. You are God's treasure, you are a sparkling diamond." Li Li. The teacher's words seemed to pull me out of the ashes and let me learn to accept myself again and see myself as being in the right way.
▲The author happily took a group photo with teacher Mo Fei (fourth from right) and classmates.
Teacher Mo Fei, founder of Genesis Word Training Bookstore
She occupies an important place in the world of Christian literature and is the companion, pastor, intercessor and leader of Christian literary workers. She encourages writers that in front of every story of grace, everyone can claim to be an author; she leads a group of elite writers and recruits tens of thousands of good pens to write for God. I hope that I can become one of the tens of millions of good pens in her mouth.
I have admired Teacher Mo Fei for a long time since I first arrived at the literature camp. I have collected almost every book she wrote. The pen in her hand is ever-changing, sonorous and powerful, connecting each word into a vivid story, with characters and plots vividly appearing on the paper. In 2005, I entered the advanced class at the "Kingdom of God" Chinese Literature Camp and became teacher Mo Fei's student for the first time.
Could it be that the teacher responded to my request and used his free time to conduct a one-on-one writing "clinic" with me. The "diagnosis" she gave me that time is still unforgettable.
I asked: "I love literature, but I can't write words with literary concentration. How can I overcome this dilemma?"
The teacher looked at me in a firm tone and said:
You can't just rely on a little love for words or an appreciation of literature. Calling is an important key that allows a person to transform from a lover of literature to a minister of the written word. Meihui, you are a journalist who writes reports. God’s kingdom needs a large number of journalists who write reports. Don’t underestimate yourself. Come on, don't be afraid, just write. Write in good or bad times! Written for God! "
On the last day of the camp in the same year, Teacher Mo Fei asked me if I would like to offer my pen on the altar. I bravely raised my hand to respond.
Not long after returning from the camp, I received a thick package from Teacher Mo Fei. When I opened it, I found two large copies of the Times Literary Award. Judging from the yellowed pages, these may be books she has collected for many years. I can fully feel the teacher’s dedication and cultivation of writers.
▲In the summer of 2017, Meihui celebrated her son and daughter’s graduation from graduate school and university.
Four angels, four kinds of lessons
Four angels taught me four lessons. Editor-in-chief Li Meilun taught me to see "broadly"; Pastor Su Wen'an taught me to see "finely"; Teacher Gao Lili taught me to see "far"; Teacher Mo Fei taught me to see "deeply".
Thanks to my mother, it was she who opened my skylight to literature and art; it was she who gave me a pair of wings to fly and the courage to pursue my dreams. In addition to being grateful to the four angel teachers, I am also grateful to every student I have met at the Kingdom of God Cultural Camp over the years who has become a literary fellow traveler.
Over the years I have tried to integrate what was taught at the KRC camp into my life, family life, and church service. Explore how to knead faith into the soil of life, so that the words carrying faith are not so heavy, but let the words fly out lightly with wings, spreading the love of Christ through words.
▲Graduated from the seminary in 2018 and completed his first book "Flying Over Life" in 2021, bravely spreading his wings and going to the place where God leads.
(This article is partially excerpted from the author's new book "Flying Over Life—From America to the End of the World.")
Liao Meihui, an award-winning journalist, graduated from Chinese Evangelical Theological Seminary of North America (CESNA), and is a special writer for this publication.