We Meet Laidi Chen - Page 2
Problems in Beijing Unknown to us the Chinese National Academy of Sciences in Beijing had refused to assist us in Beijing because they felt that our Branch was too lowly for them to help. So no one was to meet us or help find us housing as had happened in most all places we stopped. Shawn Chen and his girlfriend, when they found out about this, took a train to Beijing to meet us so we would have some help. We were surprised when they met our train. Shawn got us a room at the Friendship Hotel. After we checked in we discovered it would cost 160 Yuan a day. We were paid only 300 a month so we couldn't stay at that hotel. Shawn went to talk to them and they said that they had a cheaper room for 50 Yuan a night but we would have to move to that room from the one we were in. We moved only to discover the next room was exactly identical to the last one but that allowed them to save face, which was fine with us.We call our new Friend After we had toured Beijing a few days Shawn had to return to Chengdu. We then called our new friend we had met on the train. Laidi Chen was her name. She invited us to her home for dinner. She came to the hotel to guide us to her home. At that time Chinese were not allowed to have foreigners in their home so she was taking a chance in inviting us. We had a wonderful dinner of Jiaozi (dumplings made of pork and cabbage) and met her husband. He was a former Chinese officer who was in charge of United Nations Prisoners of war in Korea. Laidi invited to take us to tour the Forbidden Palace that we had not seen yet. We spent the next day touring the palace. We became good friends and kept in touch over the next few years.
The End of the story Laidi is now working fulltime for a Church in Seattle, Washington and is a Christian. She is also a citizen of the United States and proud of that. Last week I received an E-mail from her and I enclose a copy:
"Paul: After I called you the other day I called my daughter who is in Victoria BC. We talked about you and how we first got to know you. It was in 1984, 17 years ago, in a train from Qingdao to Beijing. It must have been the Lord's plan for you to bring me to the US so that I could know Him. What a miracle! What a blessing! God bless you and all your families.
Have a wonderful Easter.
Love, Laidi