By sister initiate Tan Yu-ying, Los Angeles, California, USA

This is a very long story that goes all the way back to 1968 when my sister spent her summer holidays working in Chicago. At my husband's request, Mr. Liang, a Chinese classmate in the area, took care of her. This planted the seed for the close friendship that later developed between our two families. In October of that same year, Mr. Liang's fiancee arrived from Au Lac for their wedding in Formosa. My father presided over their wedding, and this was the first time that I had met the couple. After the wedding, we went our own separate ways. The Liangs lived on the east coast of the United States but later moved near San Francisco. We stayed in the Midwest for a long time before moving to Los Angeles. We did not communicate often but our concern for each other never faded. Every time there was a disaster, such as an earthquake or fire in Los Angeles, the Liangs called to make sure that we were fine. The couple were both quiet by nature, but a warm friendship silently held our two families together.

Then, in the summer of 1994, Master opened a vegetarian restaurant in San Jose to promote vegetarianism, and fellow initiates and guests were invited to a dinner reception. A large marquee was set up in the parking lot to accommodate the numerous participants, who sat quietly, waiting to see Master. When She finally arrived and saw how quiet everyone was, She exclaimed, "This is more like a military camp than a dinner party!" A week later, word spread that Master was going to entertain us again with a "romantic" dinner party.

Before that, I had received an invitation to a surprise 50th birthday party in San Jose for a very close high school friend, which was being planned by her two sisters. Many friends were invited to the party. We heard that the Liangs would be going and looked forward to seeing them again.

Before I made the airline reservations, I was worried about how we could get to the party venue, when I received the surprise message that Master was going to invite us to another dinner scheduled for the same day as the birthday party. What was more wonderful was that the birthday party was to be held in the afternoon and Master's party in the evening. A friend of my sister's offered to give us a ride. The arrangements were just perfect. Just before the trip, I received an inner message during meditation that I should bring Mr. and Mrs. Liang to see Master. But I wondered if it was my own mind that had construed this thought, for I knew nothing about the couple's religious inclinations.

On this eventful day, I arrived for the birthday party before noon. As everyone was busy with the preparations, I went into a room to meditate and stayed there until after many guests had arrived. As soon as I opened the door, I saw Mr. Liang and his wife standing outside the room. And before I could speak, Mr. Liang asked, "Yu-ying, I heard that you are practicing meditation. Can you teach me?" I realized immediately that these had all been God's arrangements. I responded at once, "I am here today because of you.…" I told them how we had gotten to know Master, and Mr. Liang was deeply impressed by our experience. Our conversation that afternoon lasted longer than all our previous exchanges put together in the past twenties years.

Later, the Liangs naturally came to Master's dinner party with me. The atmosphere was great. We had barbecue and Master was in a great mood. She not only gave a discourse, but also told stories and even sang. Some people requested initiation and Master happily agreed. I could see that the Liangs were very interested in getting initiated, but I did not want them to make a hasty decision. I wanted them to first learn more about Master's teachings, and asked them to read Her books first. The following day, Mr. Liang called to say that he regretted not having received initiation the night earlier. I suggested that he first practice the Convenient Method. Nevertheless, he expressed in every subsequent call that three months of waiting were too long for him. I smiled and said, "You have already waited for so long. Why can't you wait another three months?" Of course, I understood his anxiety very much.

Afterwards, he told me that he had been seeking the Truth for many years and had participated in other spiritual groups, but none had met his expectations. He prayed for God's guidance every day, hoping that Hes would show him the real path. After reading Master's books, he knew that God had answered his prayers. He became convinced that "when the disciples are ready, the Master appears" because this was an apt description of himself.

As I write this article, I am deeply touched by God's detailed arrangements! The many things that happened in the past - from the friendship between the Liangs and our family, to Mr. Liang's acquaintance with my sister and parents, to Master's "second" party, and the timely arrangement of the birthday party - could only have been so perfectly arranged by almighty God!