I n May of last year, God bestowed upon us a "cold and vibrant" four-day retreat in Sydney, Australia. In the freezing cold accompanied by gusty winds and heavy downpours, water leaked into the tents of many fellow initiates, leaving their sleeping bags and clothing all wet. However, the retreat turned out to be a success despite the poor weather, as the participants had many good experiences.

Because of this unforgettable experience, sister initiates Chen and Tsai decided to take along their sleeping bags to the Bangkok retreat, just to be on the safe side. Sister Chen took a big sleeping bag, and sister Tsai, a small one.

The weather in Thailand turned out to be so fine and sunny that the meditation hall became as stiflingly hot as an oven even before noontime. And it was not much cooler in the evening either. The sleeping bags that were regarded as dear darlings in Australia had become an eyesore and a burden here.

A sister initiate from Korea was not expecting her baby for another month. Perhaps the blessing power from the saints during the retreat was so great that the baby could not wait any longer to come into this world to partake in the grand activities prepared by fellow initiates worldwide to celebrate the Fourth Anniversary of Ching Hai Day. The Korean sister initiate was rushed to the hospital and with great ease gave birth on October 25. To everyone's amazement, the "retreat baby" was as transparent as crystal and it never cried.

Very soon the four-day retreat ended on a successful note and fellow initiates packed their belongings, ready to return home. At the airport, sister Chen and sister Tsai ran into the newborn baby and were deeply impressed by its radiant, holy and pure countenance.

As the birth of the baby was totally unexpected, the mother did not have any baby clothes on hand; so she simply wrapped the baby in a piece of Quan Yin cloth. And she herself was still weak from the delivery a few days ago. As well, it seemed that her clothes were not enough to keep her warm in the air-conditioned departure hall of the airport. Sister Chen and sister Tsai could not help smiling from deep down in their hearts. They now understood why they had to carry the two bulky sleeping bags all the way from Formosa to Thailand. The small one, sister Tsai's, was for the baby, while the big one, sister Chen's, was for keeping the mother warm. The sister initiates marveled at Master's wonderful arrangements.