By Edward Short October 23, 2006

Memories of Dale Ward /03:

By Edward Short October 30, 2006

2006年10月10日生命之光广播电台的节目部经理，Dale Ward，逝世。虽然Dale已经走了，但是他给我留下了很多很好的回忆。

1996年，Dale，生命之光广播电台的总裁Charles Caudill，和我一起去中国旅游一个多礼拜。我们在上海和北京待了两三天，玩的很愉快，但是他们最喜欢的城市不是北京、上海，乃是西安。

回到美国以后，有人问Charles和Dale，你们去中国旅行，最深刻的印象是哪里，哪个城市，哪个地方？他们都说“西安和兵马俑”。

除了兵马俑以外，我们还记得一个人，是我们出租车的司机。我们离开西安的那天早上，饭店给我们安排一辆出租车，但是司机一看到Dale，就很不高兴，不要我们乘坐他的车。“为什么？”，您想问我。因为Dale很大！那时候，Dale重量很可能有150公斤，加上Charles和我，还有我们的行李。司机认为他的出租车不能承担这种重量。差一点，他不让我们上车。上车以后，他嘴里一直叽里咕噜，让我们知道他不高兴。

从西安市中心到飞机场有一段距离。因为Dale那样大，我们让他坐前面。因为他坐前面，很方便跟司机讲话。因为Dale不会说汉语，我就为他当翻译。Dale很客气地跟司机说了几句关怀他的话，问他工作好不好做，每天开车开几个钟头，家里有几口人，开出租车这个行业够不够维持他家的生活，这样的问题。Dale还向司机道歉，说，“很对不起，我实在太胖，希望对您的车不会有任何损坏”，和类似的客气话。结果，司机听的很舒服、很高兴。慢慢地，司机就开始对Dale有好感。慢慢地，司机不高兴的脸变为笑脸，他头上的乌云变为阳光。司机发现这位美国人很和善，就抓住好机会与他交往，所以他也向Dale问了一些问题。慢慢地，两个人很谈得来。

到了西安机场以后，司机不但跟Dale握了手道别，也亲自把Dale的行李送进机场。二人分离的时候他们已经建立了良好的人际关系！

Dale是一名基督徒。当天Dale所表现的就是基督徒的人生观。Dale用上帝的爱来爱这位司机。以耶稣基督为榜样，让一位本来对他有意见的变成他的朋友。

我想，您和我有时候也会遇到一位对我们不理解、对我们有意见的人。这时候，我们要用很好的态度和词句帮助他冷静下来，慢慢地思考事实，就如圣经箴言所说的，“回答柔和，使怒消退”（15:1）。Dale就是这句话的模范。

In 1996, Dale, Charles Caudill, President of World Christian Broadcasting, and I went on a trip to China together. We were in Beijing and Shanghai for two or three days and enjoyed our time in those places very much. The city that Dale and Charles enjoyed the most, however, was neither Beijing nor Shanghai, but Xi’an.

Whenever one mentions "Xi’an" to an American, he immediately thinks of the terra-cotta soldiers buried there by Emperor Chin Shihuang, and unearthed not too many years ago. If an American has the opportunity to visit China, the itinerary must include time to see the terra-cotta soldiers in Xi’an, an important cultural heritage indeed. Our small group was no exception, and so we arranged tickets for Xi’an where we saw the 2200-year old terra-cotta soldiers. All of us stared as we wondered how could these have been made, what kind of society existed back then, what kind of an emperor was Chin Shihuang, and what kind person he was.

After we returned to the USA, people asked Charles and Dale what their favorite place was in China, and what made the deepest impression on them, they always replied "Xi’an, and the terra-cotta soldiers."

Besides the terra-cotta soldiers, I especially remember a person in Xi’an, one of our taxi drivers. The morning we left Xi’an, our hotel arranged for a taxi to take us to the airport, but when the driver saw Dale, he became upset and didn’t want us to get into his car. "Why?" you ask. Because Dale was so large! At that time, Dale weighed about 150 kilograms. To that, add Charles, and me, and add our luggage. The driver thought his taxi couldn’t handle all the weight, and he almost didn’t let us get in. After we all piled in, the driver continued to mumble and grumble in order to let us know how unhappy he was.

It was some distance from city central to the airport. Since Dale was so large, we let him sit in the front. Sitting in the front, it was easy for him to talk to the driver, but because Dale couldn’t speak Chinese, I translated. Dale began talking to the driver and expressed interest in him personally. Dale asked some very polite but simple questions, such as, was driving a taxi a good job, how many hours a day did he drive, how many people were in his family, did he make enough money to support his family, and other questions like these. Dale also apologized to the driver and said that he hoped the additional weight did not harm the car.

So, what happened? The driver was surprised, moreover, he appreciated Dale’s concern, and little-by-little his attitude changed. His unhappy face turned into a smile, and the black cloud that hung over his head turned into sunshine. The driver realized that this American was a good man, and so he seized the opportunity to talk to him; he asked Dale some questions too. Soon the two were enjoying a conversation.

When we arrived at the Xi’an airport, the taxi driver not only shook Dale’s hand, but he picked up Dale’s suitcases and personally carried them into the airport! By the time they parted they had become good friends.

This is one of my most pleasant memories of Xi’an, and from it I learned much. I learned how the good attitude of one person can change the misperception of another.

Dale was a Christian, and all that Dale expressed that day was the Christian philosophy of life. Dale loved that driver with the love of God, and followed the example of Jesus Christ and changed someone who was unhappy with him into a friend.

I believe that sometimes you and I also run into people who misunderstand us or take exception to something we do or say. In such a case, we too should adopt a good attitude toward the person, and choose our words carefully in order to help him cool off and think clearly about the facts of the matter. This is just what we are told in the book of Proverbs in the Bible: "A soft answer turns away wrath" (15:1). Dale was an example of this statement.