The Second Conference (part 3)

Now that there was just one week before the young people's conference, I was very busy preparing Bible studies and other sessions. Just at this time my old friend and fellow-worker, Ruth Nowack, was having to return home to America because of her failing health. My Chinese friends all urged me to go up to Taipei to see her off, not knowing of course that I didn't have money for such a trip.
“I'm awfully busy,” I responded. “I simply can't take the time. I've got three meetings on that day too.” At that, one person volunteered to take a meeting, someone else another.
“But I'd have to go up on the first train in the morning and come back late at night,” I argued, “and you know how impossible it is to get a round-trip ticket these days. Actually, it's so late now that I probably couldn't even get a one-way ticket.”
“Oh, that's no problem,” put in another woman. “My husband's chauffeur can get one for you. He can get tickets anytime.”
I went off to a meeting then, hoping that was the end of the business. When I arrived home, to my surprise I found a round-trip ticket to Taipei lying on my dining table.

Next morning I had to get up very early to catch the 5.30 a.m. Train. I had to walk down to the station because paying the electric and water bills had strained my pocketbook so much I had just about three Taiwan dollars left, not enough for a pedicab. But that was just the beginning of my worries. Although I tried to sleep on the four-hour journey to Taipei, all the way my thoughts were struggling with the next problem—how was I to get from the station all the way out to the airport on three dollars! I needn't have lost sleep worrying about it; the Lord knew all about my need.
As I got off the train in Taipei station, a man walked up to me and said, 'Aren't you Teacher Han from Taichung?”
“Yes, I am, “ I replied, a bit embarrassed since I could not think of his name, though his face looked familiar.
“Have you come to see Teacher Lo off?” the man continued.
“Why, yes!”
“That's fine. Come to the airport with us. My car is at the door!” I could hardly believe my ears. In all this big city of Taipei how could someone come along just at that moment who knew me, knew where I was going, and was going there too—by car! Obviously the Lord had gone ahead once again. How slow I was to learn to trust! This friend, a government official, not only provided a chauffeured ride to the airport but he and his wife took me out for a lovely dinner beforehand.

Then at the airport another strange thing happened. Several people had given Ruth gold rings as farewell gifts. Two of these she suddenly pulled off and handed to me. “I won't know what to do with these in America,” she said, “but maybe sometime when you are in a spot and need money, you could sell them!” They were the sort of pure gold bands that Chinese buy as part of their dowry or just as savings, since they are always negotiable.
 Ruth had said I could use the rings when I was in a tight spot and needed money. Boy, I thought, if I was ever in a hot spot, I am now! I put the rings on my hand, thinking as I did so, Funny, isn't it, I have gold on my fingers but no cash in my pocket!
ust then the people who had taken me to the airport very thoughtfully asked what train I was returning on, and on hearing my answer decided that there was time enough for another meal together before depositing me back at the station. Wow, with those two lovely meals under my belt, I'd have enough to last several days! And when I returned to Taichung, I went to a broker and sold my two precious rings for over eight hundred Taiwan dollars, a small fortune for me at that time.
Well, it was after midnight before I got home, since once again I walked from the station. It had been a long day, though it had been wonderful to see how the Lord provided all the way. Now, however, after Iu-lan had let me in I sank down in a chair, exhausted. “I'm just dead tired,” I said, half talking out loud to myself. “What I wouldn't give for some chocolates to munch on right now! (Chocolates are another of my weaknesses ---especially when I'm tired.)”
“You want some chocolates?” Iu-lan responded, brightly for a change.
“Yes, but where are you going to get any!”
“Just wait,” she said, walking out of the room. She was back in a minute with a big box of chocolates.

“Iu-lan, where did these come from?” I asked, full of curiosity.
“There's a note on them. Some woman brought them in; I know her face but not her name.”
Looking at the note, I discovered that these “heaven-sent “ candies were from a Chinese friend just back from a trip to America. Knowing my love for chocolates, she had brought this big box for me. She had been in Taichung for just that one day, so it was many weeks before I could tell her how wonderful those chocolates were; how I'd gotten right down on the tatami mat floor with my canine pal Cinderella beside me and eaten them like a happy little kid. What a Father! He cares so much that He gives His children extras—even chocolates.
The following Monday the first of the conferences opened at last. The person in charge asked me if the remaining money for miscellaneous expenses such as honoraria for the speakers and chartering buses for our outing could possibly be handed over on Tuesday evening.
“I'll give it to you right after the evening meeting,” I said, wondering even as I spoke where it was going to come from. I had a deep peace in my heart, however, and a calm assurance that the Lord was not going to let us down now.
I had been so busy these days I hadn't remembered to get my mail; so while the young people were having their recreation time on Tuesday afternoon I decided to run downtown to the post office. Not that I was expecting anything---I guess I just wanted to get away from the mob for a while. There was plenty of stuff in my box; but as it seemed to be mostly “junk mail” I stuffed the whole lot into my bag and went back to the conference.
Finding a quiet spot in the church, I began to go through the pile. Yes, most of it was just second-class mail as I'd suspected, but in the lot was an envelope from the U.S. Treasury Department. Oh dear, I thought, now what's up? Are they after more money? When I opened the envelope, however, out fell a check for several hundred dollars! “What has happened to my government,” I spluttered with unbelief, “that they are sending me a check?” As I read the letter I discovered the answer.
Ten years earlier when I left for China, I had filled out all the tax papers for that year and should have been reimbursed for tax withheld. Now here it was, turning up ten years later when I needed it most. What perfect timing!
But even as I looked at the wonderful check, I immediately thought of a snag. Checks weren't easy to cash in Taiwan at that time. I did know someone whom I thought might cash it, but when I went to ask him he refused. After all, the situation was a bit shaky in Taiwan then, with heavy fighting on the offshore islands. I felt I should show him the check anyway and, lo and behold, when he saw it was a government bank money order, he brightened up. 'Oh, that's different. I'll cash that kind,' he said. Terribly relieved, I asked him when I could get the cash.
“I'll give it to you right now if you'll take local currency.” I assured him that that was what I wanted. In about five minutes, with the money safely in my hands, I was walking away feeling like a millionaire!
Back at the church, I was met by the troubled youth group president. What a joy it was to be able to remind him that the Lord had promised to give every last penny, and then to amaze him by pulling the money right out of my bag! I counted out the amount due and gave it to him saying, “We'll even give it to them before the meeting, not after.”
He was sure that I must have borrowed it. But when I explained to him the wonderful way the Lord had provided, he was as thrilled as I was.

“But that money is really yours,” he said, a concerned look coming over his face.
“No, it's not mine. I wasn't aware that it was due to me all these years, and the absolutely perfect timing of the whole thing makes it very clear that this is God's handiwork. The money's not mine, but the Lord's. He was the One who kept it for just this time, and what's more we got interest on it!”
The money carried us right through the first conference and part of the second, and enabled me to replenish my larder as well.
The Lord richly blessed that church young people's conference, despite the many efforts of the enemy to hinder his work. How wonderful it is to know that He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world! Thirty young people either accepted the Lord Jesus as Savior for the first time or came into assurance of salvation during those days. Then fifteen gave their lives to the Lord for His service, while others set matters straight that had gone wrong.
 .....I now had to get busy with preparations for the student conference. There were a myriad of details to attend to, many of which only I could handle since the seminary had made me responsible.
There were still the Bible study notes to prepare for the Campus Fellowship magazine—ninety or more studies for each issue, a reading and questions for each day of the three-month period. I had nearly finished this mammoth job when, just two days before the conference began, I woke in the middle of the night with a terrific pain in my abdomen, a warning sign that my old ulcer was beginning to trouble me again. The stress of the past few weeks was apparently having a physical effect. My doctor was away, but I decided the wise thing to do was to go back on the bland diet he had given me. However, this was not too easy since I didn't have any dry milk powder, nor money to buy any! The Lord's word to me in my devotions that day was, “ The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.” This really encouraged me; I was sure the Lord knew all about this new test. And He did indeed, for that very morning He guided one of his faithful servants to bring along a gift of a big can of milk powder!
 No one at the conference suspected that I was not feeling up to par, and fortunately in a few days my symptoms were gone.
Once again, however, I was now faced with having to hand over more than a thousand Taiwan dollars for the supplies for the student conference. This time I had the amount in hand from the reimbursed tax money---but that wasn't going to cover all the expense that would be incurred before the end of conference for it was nowhere as much as had been stolen. So once again I was wondering what channel the Lord would use to supply our need.
The very Sunday before the conference started, four different people came to my house with special gifts designated for the conference, bringing the total the full amount needed. How good of the Lord to do that before conference started! Although my own personal needs were still outstanding, I would be at the conference for five days and would get my meals there---and I did still have plenty of milk!
Since the conference was held in Taichung, I was able to dash home now and then. One day, remembering the unfinished Bible study notes, I decided that as I already had about two months' material finished, I would take it out to my Chinese secretary. She could start copying now and save time and a rush later.
I went home to fetch the notes. But when I looked in the place where I always put them, they were not there! I hunted a bit more, but there was no sign of them. I couldn't remember having put them anywhere else either. These were my original rough copies, there were no duplicates. Woe is me! If they were truly gone, this would be in many ways a greater loss than the money. I couldn't take more time to look now as I had to hurry back to the conference. Although I was really puzzled, I didn't mention it to anyone, hoping above hope that after the conference I would be able to find those notes.
Before long the conference came to an end, with the Lord having indeed poured out His blessing on the gathering. Many who attended have since become leaders in various avenues of the Lord's work. No wonder we met such resistance!
But where were those notes? Now that question was again uppermost in my mind. Yet it is a question that is still unanswered as I write. I just had to go back and start from scratch and do the whole thing over, meeting the deadline in twenty days. The student magazine came out on time with 91 days of Bible study notes in it. I can only say that the Lord poured in strength, wisdom, and insight such as I had never experienced before. Though I saw little of my bed in those days, at least the ulcer didn't trouble me again. The Lord continues to care for my personal needs in wonderful ways, too many to record. Yet, when this period was over and the O.M.F. Secretary returned so that I could draw money again, gifts stopped coming in as suddenly as they had started.
In spite of knowing I was living under attack these days, I was feeling very encouraged by the way God was working in the lives of the students and young people as well as caring for me. My faith was really being strengthened, and I felt a new deeper knowledge of God's love. How wonderful it was to see His hands at work in so many impossible situations during those eleven or twelve weeks, and to enjoy even closer fellowship with my Chinese friends, who were often God's channels to met my needs. Now I had no more doubts. I could indeed say 'I know” to Romans 8:28, and I had complete confidence that the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Hudson Taylor is indeed the God of Pauline Hamilton too. The lessons I learned were more precious than the money that was stolen or the missing Bible study notes. They came as a fresh reminder of the battles that was going on and how God's soldiers need always to be on the alert.
A while later when I shared this testimony with several groups, they asked, 'Why didn't you let us know your need? We could have helped you.”
“Had I done that,” I replied, “I would have missed one of the most precious experiences of my whole life.”