Going Home
▲It was not easy for the author to return from his home in the UK to his home in Taiwan. Get along with, accompany, encourage, and walk with family members who have different beliefs sincerely. No matter how long and winding the road is, I believe they will eventually get home.
Driving through the long snow-capped mountain tunnel, the beautiful scenery of Yilan comes into view - the clear sky and mountains embrace each other, looming in the misty, sometimes thick and thin mist. After an absence of seven years, my husband and I returned to this country after the epidemic. The scenery is still simple, quiet and beautiful, with rice fields everywhere and lush green.
Back at my husband's house, my parents-in-law and we happily took public transportation to visit Wulai Scenic Area, Taipei 101 and Hsinchu Leofoo Village Theme Park. When I arrived at my husband's house today, my elderly father-in-law had been seriously injured in a car accident and was declared a permanent vegetative state by the doctor. He had been admitted to a nursing home and was estimated to have three years to live. The house leaked and it rained all night. The 86-year-old mother-in-law suffered from Parkinson's disease, and her motor and cognitive functions plummeted. At the beginning of 2023, during my husband’s sabbatical year from his university teaching position, we returned to our hometown from the UK to accompany and take care of my mother-in-law.
The road is always at the door
My husband's family is located in Dongshan Township, only separated from the bustling Luodong Town by a major road. When I first returned home, I went to Luodong Vegetable Market with great interest. Once I wandered around a street corner, looking around, and asked passerby A: "Where is the vegetable market?" Mr. A was polite, pointed to the traffic light in front of me, told me to cross the road, turn left, go straight, and then asked passerby B. I thanked him profusely, and a friendly smile spread across his face.
I followed the instructions and walked to Passerby B: "Where is the vegetable market?" The other person asked me to follow her. The two of us chatted all the way. Aunt B heard that I spoke Cantonese Mandarin and remembered that some Hong Kong people had recently immigrated to Yilan, so she guessed that I was also a newly arrived Hong Kong compatriot in Taiwan. I smiled back to her: "I just returned from the UK, and this is my husband's family." "UK? How far away it is!" She asked me, "Is there a wet market there?" I described the simple British food culture, Before you know it, you have entered a traditional market with all kinds of fish, meat, vegetables and fruits. "Thank you, Auntie, Jesus bless you!" She frowned: "I don't believe in foreign religions." She went to buy groceries.
In the noisy market, the vendors were shouting and selling, and I was dazzled by the variety of vegetables. I asked the vegetable stall owner: "How to cook this dish?" They all patiently pointed out the cooking tips. I listened with great interest and bought many fruits and vegetables that I had not tasted for a long time, so that I could prepare sumptuous dishes for my mother-in-law, who is a Buddhist and a vegetarian.
I went shopping in Luodong Market day after day, and I smiled at each other as I passed by my uncles and aunts. Many times I couldn't find my way home while carrying my big bags, so I asked passers-by: "How to get to Dongshan Township?" They were surprised: "Do you want to walk back? It's so far!" I smiled and replied: "It's not far. I walked over there, so I can go back as long as I know the direction. "How can it be so far from Luodong to Dongshan?" I have come to Taiwan from the UK. The road is always at the doorstep, and with kind-hearted passers-by, of course I can get home.
Taiwanese towns and villages with numerous temples are home to countless simple and kind-hearted people; society can function normally because of these kind souls hidden at the grassroots level, silently spreading the beauty of human kindness. Walking on these familiar yet unfamiliar streets and asking for directions, I got a glimpse of how my compatriots who have never known Jesus are still connected to the beautiful image of the Creator. The road to knowing Jesus may seem far away, but they believe that God has placed knowledgeable passers-by along the way, willing to point out the direction "home" to their eternal home.
▲The author learned to be a "salt wife" to reconcile the deadlock at home. The picture shows the author traveling with his mother-in-law, enjoying the beautiful land created by Heavenly Father.
Learn to be a salt wife
My mother-in-law, a devout believer in Buddhism, has been having conflicts with her only son who is a passionate Christian for many years because of their faith. Now she has given up on persuading us to return to Buddhism and has drawn a clear line between Chu and Han. She chants "Amitabha" and my husband and I sing "Hallelujah". ”. When everyone lives under the same roof, the barriers between living habits and beliefs continue to collide, and finally usher in a level 10 storm. One weekend morning, my husband reluctantly accepted his mother-in-law's request and drove her to the temple. When he met a monk, his mother-in-law asked him to greet him, but he blurted out, "Jesus bless you." The mother-in-law was furious, and the mother and son returned home. She was so noisy that her face was red and her ears were red, and her blazing anger seemed to burn down the house. Tired of the quarrel, the mother-in-law locked herself in the bedroom and refused to eat, and had a cold war with her son.
The next day, the mother-in-law, who was handicapped, got on a four-wheeler and went to the market to buy vegetables alone, promising to be independent and independent of her son. I was surprised that when she was "excited", she actually raised her head, straightened her chest, straightened her rickety spine, and went to cook by herself in the kitchen. She finished the meal quickly, as if Parkinson's disease had temporarily left her body, and her eyebrows Full of perseverance and strength.
That night, the furious mother-in-law called her daughter to scold her son, and the husband was helpless. I asked him, "How would you feel if a monk went to church and said 'Amitabha' to the pastor?" He remained silent. One afternoon, I approached my mother-in-law who was chanting Buddha's name and said coquettishly, "Mommy, I love you." Her heart melted, and she hugged me with a smile. "Don't be angry, okay?" The mother-in-law nodded repeatedly with tears in her eyes.
The apostle Paul taught believers to “always be gentle, seasoned with salt.” Salt can be used for seasoning, cleaning, and preservation; it can maintain good health. Salt deficiency can cause heart failure. Jesus compared Christians to "salt", which exerts a mediating power in interpersonal relationships, making peace with others and making peace with others. I learned to be a "salt wife" to reconcile the deadlock at home. The cold war between mother and son really thawed, and we opened up and started talking that night.
▲My mother-in-law rarely goes out because of her illness. This trip allowed her to bathe in the mountains and sea and relax her body and soul.
The pain is worth it
After the relationship was restored, we took a five-day and four-night trip to Huadong on consecutive holidays in April. Since my mother-in-law is a vegetarian and relies on a wheelchair for transportation, she had to find a suitable hotel in advance and arrange an appropriate itinerary. My husband drove south towards Hualien and Taitung. He took a break while passing the beautiful scenery. He and I helped my mother-in-law get out of the car to enjoy the scenery.
Compared with seven years ago, my mother-in-law is much older, more stooped, her hands are shaking from time to time, and she moves slowly. Her father-in-law's misfortune made her deeply world-weary, and she could not relieve her inner pain by chanting sutras, throwing choppers, and worshiping all day long. While she was still able to walk, we overcame all difficulties and took her on a trip, hoping to dilute the sadness with filial piety and love, letting her soak in the magnificent back garden of Taiwan with mountains and seas, get close to the vast heaven and earth, and the temples built by human hands, and give her the breath of life. The Creator of the world.
Due to different personalities and values, the only son and the three sisters have been arguing for years, which has damaged the brotherhood. Because of the trip to the east, my sisters-in-law were grateful to us for everything we had done for my mother-in-law, and admitted that they did not dare to take their elderly and frail mother on a trip, but we did it. During the meal together, the husband and the sisters chatted and laughed happily, rebuilding the sweet relationship of "a family".
I recall pushing my mother-in-law to the Peacock Garden at the Ideal Land Resort Hotel in Hualien. The ground was uneven and I couldn't push the wheelchair forward, so I turned around, faced my mother-in-law and pulled the armrest of the wheelchair forward. My mother-in-law felt sorry for me and kept saying, "Forget it, you don't have to look at the peacocks." I insisted, "You must look at them, they are so beautiful!" Finally, the peacocks appeared, and my mother-in-law happily climbed on the fence and shouted, "Peacocks, peacocks." "It's so beautiful! Show me the screen, okay?" The peacock ignored her, and her mother-in-law waited with fascination until the rain began to fall.
Immediately, I discovered that I had used too much force to pull the wheelchair, and my palms were bruised and painful. Seeing my mother-in-law's long-lost innocent smile was worth the pain!
▲The beautiful peacock made my mother-in-law stop for a long time.
Maintaining family ties on the way home
My husband, who was clueless about planning a trip, joked that I was the tourism director in my family and could always plan a variety of itineraries for everyone to enjoy. In fact, I am a literary person who can endure loneliness and enjoys reading and writing at home. When I go out, I am "not interested in playing," but in "creating joy and maintaining family ties."Holding the trembling hand of my mother-in-law, we admired the natural beauty together, plucking the most delicate heartstrings deep down many times. I love her deeply as I love my own mother; they have gone through a difficult life but have not been knocked down. I sincerely respect them and am willing to take good care of them.
During my return home, my husband took on the menial chores at home, and I took care of the housework. We got along well with each other. Occasionally there were conflicts and quarrels, and each came to calm down before God; after the anger subsided, the two went out to relax, and after the depression was relieved, they went home talking and laughing. The most important thing for my mother-in-law is that her children have a happy marriage. Seeing that we are reconciled as before, she feels that her son’s God is “very real”! Unbelieving relatives may be waiting to see if our actions are consistent with the gospel we preach.
The Bible says: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will be saved." Many Christian friends feel powerless about this. For more than 20 years, we have prayed earnestly for my parents-in-law to believe in Jesus. Now, the father-in-law’s consciousness has been imprisoned in a body that is withering day by day. The husband longs for Jesus to come into his dreams, soften his hard heart, and make him accept salvation. But my mother-in-law, who has been a Buddhist for decades, is still as strong and unbreakable about the gospel as an iron wall. My husband was concerned about the salvation of the souls of his two elders, and couldn't help but accuse his mother-in-law of being ignorant and persistent in worshiping idols. I tried to persuade him to stop her: "You must trust God and cherish the time we spend together."
As a young man, I only stepped into the church and believed in Jesus, opening the door of salvation that was locked in my home. Over the years, through family ties to spread faith, members of my natal family and relatives have become Christians one after another, including my uncle who also called out "Amen" to Jesus before his death last year. I have truly tasted the beauty of "one family being saved."Leading family members to the Lord is a journey of co-working with God. We perform our duties, maintain relationships, sincerely give love, always maintain faith and hope, pray earnestly for unbelievers and friends, and maintain family ties at all times. Believe that when the time is right, Heavenly Father Himself will complete the work. As long as you are a loyal guide, point the way with love and care, accompany and encourage you along the way, and let your family follow the signposts. No matter how long and winding the road is, I believe they will eventually get home.
Yin Liqun, born in Hong Kong, holds a master's degree in preaching from the seminary and has been engaged in literary work. She lives in Northern England with her husband and has three children. Entering middle age, I pick up my pen again for God, and may I write for Him for the rest of my life. Articles have been published in Cosmic Light Magazine, Christian Tribune, Flying Magazine, Kingdom Revival Newspaper, Hong Kong Christian Weekly, etc.