A Lighthouse in the DarknessLost
Lambs Reborn through |
By the Costa Rica Newsgroup
In August 2003, a Chinese ship sailing off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica encountered engine problems and needed to be towed to the port of Puntarenas. While the crew was repairing the engine, an accident occurred, and the vessel was stopped by Costa Rican officials. During this process the ship’s captain abandoned the crew, which included a group of young Aulacese men suffering from hunger and exposure to the elements.
In December 2003, Costa Rican initiates learned of the sailors’ condition from local newspaper reports and began visiting the young men weekly, bringing them daily necessities and Master's News magazines and sample booklets.
Then in March 2004, thanks to the citizens of Puntarenas and the omnipresent power of God, the government granted residence permits to seven of the young men, who were then allowed to live and work in the city.
In 2004, many other such boats arrived in Puntarenas bearing young workers of various nationalities. In one case where a quarrel occurred among such men, the police arrested three young Aulacese, who were then found guilty of disturbing the public order and sentenced to be returned to their native country.
While preparing gifts for the Aulacese youths on Christmas Eve 2004, the practitioners became concerned on learning of the condition of the sailors who were to be deported. So they visited the young men in prison, bringing them Master's love along with some daily necessities and food. The youths were overjoyed at this surprise visit and warmly welcomed the brothers and sisters. Despite the language barrier, the sailors and initiates felt a close bond of kinship, and in simple Chinese and Spanish the youths expressed a desire to read more of Master's publications. So the initiates arranged for another visit and brought them copies of The Key of Immediate Enlightenment series in Aulacese and some News magazines. Upon receiving these gifts, the young men glowed with happiness, and in that moment the initiates realized that any material aid they could provide paled in comparison to the immense value of Master's teachings.
On January 23, 2005 one day before the sailors left Costa Rica, the initiates again visited the prison and brought them many gifts, financial aid for their families in Au Lac, Master's love and more publications. Before leaving, the young men made a beautiful wooden box (see picture) in the form of a heart painted with roses as a symbol of their love for Master. In addition, they each wrote a thank you letter to express their gratitude to Her.
During their first visit with these young men, the disciples learned of two Chinese youths who had also been detained for a criminal offense and arrived in Costa Rica on a Chinese boat similar to that of the Aulacese sailors. The Chinese sailors had been wrongly accused, the young men said, but due to a lack of local assistance and their inability to speak Spanish, the court had postponed hearings on their case until a lawyer could be found to interpret for them. Then during the initiates’ second visit with the Chinese men in December 2004, the youths recounted how quickly they had fallen asleep the night they first met the initiates, unlike on earlier occasions when they had tossed and turned in bed until midnight. The young men also felt that time was passing by much more quickly after having met the initiates, and their minds were free of the turmoil they had previously felt.
After this second visit, the initiates received a phone call from the Chinese sailors, who said they felt different after reading Master's books and had found answers to many questions that had perplexed them since childhood. Now feeling mentally relaxed and comforted, they silently recited Master’s holy name before going to bed each night, very soon felt their bodies drift upward and slept soundly. The men repeatedly expressed their admiration and appreciation for the very special Master who had saved them and made them feel like they were reborn. Gone was their depression, which was replaced by courage to face reality. The youths earnestly asked that the initiates convey their heartfelt gratitude to Master, and thanked the Quan Yin family for bringing warmth into their lives at a time when they thought the world had abandoned them.
This phone call came as a surprise for there was usually a long line of people waiting to make calls in prison. However, that day the guards made the unusual move of allowing the young men to make their call from the facility’s courtyard. During the phone conversation, the youths again poured out their feelings, thanked Master, expressed remorse over their previous mistaken attitudes and asked the initiates to send them the remaining volumes in The Key of Immediate Enlightenment series. “If everyone were to read Master's books,” they said, “there would be peace in the world and we ourselves would no longer get into fights.”
The conversation lasted over thirty minutes until the prison guards came to fetch the young sailors. From their voices, the fellow initiates could sense the youths’ inner bliss and new hope about a better life. Master's infinite love is truly great!
A Lighthouse in the Darkness:
Lost Lambs Reborn through Master's Immense Love |
Adverse Conditions Can be Perfect for Finding Master
Contents