7. Pray to See Miracles

Just a few days after I was transferred to this beautiful place to rest from the previous heavy labor, I again made a stupid mistake. One night, I was on duty, and I sat on a bamboo chair. When it was midnight, the weather turned cold, so I went into the room hurriedly to get a coat. However, as I returned, the bamboo chair was gone. Soon this news was spread over. Every one felt it was funny: "The cadre asks 'Glasses' (my nick name in the labor farm because I wore glasses,) to guard the barn of silkworm breeding, but even her own chair was stolen!" I was so worried that the cadre would not let me keep this position if I was so useless.

Next, Mr. Wong who was in charge of the storehouse handed me three large thick plastic bags for fertilizer and asked me to wash and dry them and return them to him. At the end, he reminded me: "Be careful not to lose them!" Because if I did not pay careful attention, it would be stolen. I put these three bags under the tree, then I swept the floor. I thought after I finished sweeping I would take these bags to the pond and wash them. However, as I swept the floor, I forget about it. Later, all of a sudden I remembered. I was scared out of my wits. Since I did not keep an eye on these bags, if there had been someone passing by and had taken them, I would not know what to say to Mr. Wong. Fortunately, they were still there. Carefully I counted one by one, and there were exactly three bags. Then my burden was released. I took them to the pond and washed them. Whenever I finished washing one, I put it behind me. When I was done, I stood up, checked, and there were only two bags. I was as scared as a wooden chicken. A male member of the farm came to the pond to fetch water. Immediately he could tell that I was in trouble. He asked me: "Is the bag you were washing stolen? I just saw a man hurriedly passing by." I did not say anything. It was not so easy to be transferred here, but not long ago my chair was stolen, and now I was asked to wash these bags and one of them was stolen. The cadre would not let me guard the door any more. To me it was truly unbearable as if a big disaster fell upon me. At this moment, I could only pray silently in my heart. I had no faith, and I worried how I was going to return the bags to Mr. Wong. Definitely Mr. Wong would report it to the cadre. Just then, a middle-aged female member who was in charge of the whole barn of silkworm breeding went by. She and her husband were both very capable and very kind to us, the old and weak ones. I told her about it and asked her to give these two bags to Mr. Wong. As to the one lost, I would pay it back. She took the bags and repeatedly said: "You know this is a bandit's den, how can you be so careless?"

Pray! I could only pray to the Lord! "If they send me back to be among the prisoners, I could not watch in prayer or be close with You peacefully." This was the main reason that I was reluctant to leave there. The Lord answered my prayer. An amazing thing happened. After one day the lovely female manager called to me: "Glasses! How could you be so muddle headed? Mr. Wong said that he gave you only two bags; why did you say that you lost one bag? Now, do not worry, everything is all right." I repeatedly gave thanks to God. I had counted one by one clearly under the tree. Besides when Mr. Wong gave me the bags, he also mentioned clearly that there were three of them. Otherwise I would have thought that it was I who got confused. Why did Mr. Wong say there were only two bags? This was God's deed. Though it was a small issue, it increased my faith greatly. My dry heart was gradually reviving.