What Are The Chances?

 

When Lowell and Susan were in the MTC, they met Elder Wall who was being called to speak Mandarin in Hong Kong. Lowell worked with Elder Wall's father in the Translation Division at Church headquarters for a number of years, so it was fun to make this connection. Recently, here in Hong Kong, we ran into Elder Wall with a new companion of his and were chatting with them on the way to the train station. Just before separating to take different trains, Lowell asked Elder Wall's Chinese companion what his surname was. He replied, "Ngai." He had already told Lowell that his parents had both been born and raised in Hong Kong but were now living in Canada.

Only moments after leaving the two elders, Lowell began putting two and two together. He and Susan had known a Charles Ngai and the girl he eventually married, Shirley Fung, forty years ago in the Tsim Sha Tsui Branch of Hong Kong. They continued their association with them as they both attended BYU and Lowell, Susan, Charles, and Shirley were all members of the Asian Branch on BYU campus. Charles and Shirley later married and eventually moved to Canada. We knew they had at least two or three children ( in fact, Elder Ngai is their fourth and youngest).

Could this possibly be a youngest son of their's? He would be about the same age as our youngest daughter, Amy. Lowell found the missionaries phone number and called to ask Elder Ngai if his parents were Charles and Shirley Ngai? He answered in the affirmative . We had the two elders over for dinner and a nice chat. What are the chances that Elder Wall (whose father Lowell worked with) and Elder Ngai (whose parents Lowell and Susan both know) would be called as companions? What are the chances that we would meet the two of them together during a ten minute walk to the train station and rediscover this long enduring relationship? Some things are just meant to be. This was one of them; a tender mercy.