Speaking of living in the school dormitory for teachers, there's also the story of how my father was saved. Mom and Dad have always been free-spirited and open-minded. Although they never forced us to believe in Christ, their faith has influenced ours to some extent.
In Dad’s later years, he became increasingly concerned about whether his children and grandchildren were saved and believed in Christ. He affectionately referred to his grandchildren as "five loaves and two fish"—five granddaughters and two grandsons.
At his granddaughter Kailie’s wedding, he pointed to the family photo and encouraged those of us who were already saved to form groups of three to pray for the unsaved family members standing beside us in the photo, with the hope of leading them to faith in the Lord.
Let’s hark back to the story of living in the school dormitory for teachers. Dad said that although the dormitory next to the library at Beitou Junior High School had its own kitchen, it was very small.
One day, a math teacher who lived in another school dormitory—this one located near a piece of farmland (let’s call it "the farm")—was preparing to move out. This farm dormitory was a bit farther away, across the street from Beitou Junior High, and was surrounded by farmland.
When Dad learned that this larger dormitory was going to become available, he negotiated with the teacher so he could move in. At the time, the principal happened to be away, so Dad took the initiative and moved in on his own.
When the principal returned, he was furious, as he often used the school dormitory as a bargaining chip to attract talented teachers. My father argued that his former dormitory could still be offered to a new teacher. The principal couldn’t refute this, so he had no choice but to allow Dad to remain at the farm dormitory.
This story shows the persistence of my father and how he stood firm on principle.
New dormitories were gradually added on the farm side, with four new units built each time. As a result, we had more and more neighbors. Several years passed peacefully—until, suddenly, a series of incredible tragedies struck.
In the four-unit building where we lived, it was as if a curse had settled in. One teacher after another fell ill and died, one each year. When it came time for our next-door neighbor, he learned that a dormitory in another area was becoming available and quickly moved out.
A teacher who was one of Dad’s classmates didn’t believe in the so-called curse and moved in next door. But a year later, he too couldn't escape it—he passed away from cirrhosis of the liver.
Then it seemed it was our turn. Dad was terrified and struggled to sleep. He became very ill, yet hospital tests couldn’t find anything wrong with him.
Was it all just coincidence? Or was it part of God’s arrangement?
Looking back now at the testimonies of my father and mother, I feel more and more convinced that God arranges everything—even the smallest details—and His plan always exceeds our expectations.
At the time when my father fell ill, a teacher from my mother’s school shared the gospel with them. They began attending meetings at the 12th Hall of the Church in Taipei on Gongguan Road.
Around the same time, the brothers in the church were planning to build a five-story duplex apartment. Initially, my father reserved one unit as an investment. After construction began, the buyer for the other half of the duplex found it too small and canceled their order.
By then, my father was so troubled by the events at the dormitory that he decided to purchase the other half of the duplex as well, creating a full-floor home for our family.
So, in the 1970s, we moved out of the "cursed land" and into a new home blessed by God—what we came to call “the Brothers’ House.”
The entire building was filled with brothers and sisters from the church, who slowly led my parents to believe in the Lord and be baptized. After some time, Dad also began attending early morning prayer meetings with Mr. Ding—a very kind and elderly church elder—and other brothers. They sang, prayed, praised, and worshiped God together. Dad began to experience true church life.
Although, over time, he became busy with work and gradually drifted away from church life, the experiences of that period laid the foundation for his return to the Lord in later years.
The dormitory near the farmland seemed like a cursed place. (I still remember that when I was young, I often had nightmares at night. The nightmares seemed to decrease significantly after we moved out.)
But that house had a yard and a big banyan tree. (Looking at old photos now, the banyan tree doesn’t seem as big as I remembered.) We often played make-believe games under the tree. We folded banyan leaves into spoons, used flat stones as dishes, and drew paper dolls to pretend they were guests visiting each other. We were full of imagination and used local materials to play house.
There were flowers and fruit trees—papaya and guava—in the yard. During Chinese New Year, the neighbors would go door-to-door together throughout the teachers’ dormitory area to offer New Year’s greetings. It was always exciting and fun. I had a happy childhood there.
At that time, our family was the first in the area to use a gas stove, have a TV, and install a flush toilet. As a child, I felt very proud. Looking back now, I truly admire my father’s ability to increase income and reduce expenses. Although we weren’t wealthy, we lived very comfortably.
I believe God's blessing and protection were always with us—because just a year after we moved out, the area was flooded, and our expensive piano would never have survived.
Unfortunately, no representative photos of the 'Brothers’ House' were found.
How God leads people to salvation and guides them on His path of life is uniquely tailor-made for each individual.
While in the United States, I happened to meet several brothers and sisters from The Church in Newington. Because I had been in contact with the local church as a child, the familiarity and this wonderful coincidence moved me to surrender and turn to the Lord.
Later, my father also developed a desire to follow the Lord after living with us in the U.S. After he returned to Taiwan, my sister was also seeking God at the time, and He led her to Taipei Holy Church.
One day, while my father was sorting through old photos, he found a group picture of my mother and uncle at Taoyuan Holy Church. He felt it was a sign—an intentional arrangement by God—and decided to return to God's path by joining Taipei Holy Church.
Since 2007, my father has been faithfully walking this path of life with God.
(To be continued …)
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