In 2023, I saw a post from my ex-colleague Eileen about her root-seeking trip to Kinmen. This prompted me to reach out to her, as my mum had tasked me with finding out how to become a member. Many months later, Eileen got me two tickets to the Mid-Autumn celebrations. While registering, I noticed a slide about a root-seeking trip with an age limit of 45. I told my mum, ‘Hey, I’m within the age limit.’ Feeling bored, I filled out the online form, not expecting to be selected. 

One day, I received an unexpected WhatsApp message informing me that I was selected for the trip. The rest is history. 

I only remembered that I would be traveling with a group of strangers and rooming with one, which wasn’t new to me. Despite a busy work period and missing an important planning meeting, things worked out.

I arrived in Taipei with some hiccups. By the time I reached the hotel, it was briefing time, and I met my roommate for the week. On my bed, I found a cute note from her in case I arrived while she was asleep.

Upon arriving in Kinmen, I was surprised by a children’s lion dance troupe performing for us. I wondered if this trip was such a big deal that we needed such a grand welcome. At our first lunch, I started getting to know some group members. By noon, I concluded that I was on a “school trip,” being ushered from place to place and taking group photos at every stop.

Before the trip, I told my mum and uncle that I would try to visit my great-grandfather’s house if time permitted. However, our daily itinerary was packed, leaving no time for personal visits. This reminded me why I don’t enjoy joining tour groups for holidays—too rushed.

The tour leader found a slot for me the day before we departed Kinmen and gave specific timing instructions. That morning, I woke up early and got the reception to help me get a taxi. Without knowing the taxi number and with others waiting, I asked a driver if he was going to Yao Jin. He wasn’t sure but was told to pick up a Chinese person. With time ticking, I hopped into the taxi.

The driver was friendly and shared stories. We reached the village where my great-grandfather’s house was. He stopped near the first house and explained its state. I showed him a picture my uncle took in 2018 or 2019 of a house covered with overgrown trees. The driver exclaimed, ‘That is the house you’re looking for.’ Amazingly, the first stop was the right house. We parked, and he walked with me, explaining the structure and surroundings. I was mesmerized by the space and the well-preserved condition of the house. I felt warmth, not eeriness. During our conversation, the driver mentioned Bible stories, and I asked, ‘Uncle, are you a Christian’ He replied, ‘Yes’. Amen to that. At that moment, I affirmed that it was all God’s plan.

As we were leaving the village, the driver offered a quick tour before returning to the hotel. On the way, we met the village head, who had helped clean my great-grandfather’s house due to concerns about overgrown trees and the building structure.

Back at the hotel, I rejoined the group and received another surprise. Peyton, visiting his village, was with our tour leader, Ronald. A retired teacher who was with them overheard a conversation and claimed to know my great-grandfather, who moved from Little Kinmen to Yao Jin in Kinmen.

Were Peyton’s ancestors and my great-grandfather neighbours or friends?

The surprises continued. During a dinner reception, a group of scouts had an award ceremony.

While taking photos, someone mentioned their Chief Scout was looking for the Chief Scout of Singapore, who happened to be a friend of mine. While chatting, a Mr. Huang, standing next to me, mentioned Jiang Pei Pei. His uncle used to be my great-grandfather’s neighbor and had sent people to Indonesia to look for us.

Any more surprises? Yes, the final one was learning from my mum that it had always been my grandfather’s dream to bring the family back to visit the house, but he never did. I was the first descendant to walk the grounds of that old house. I felt proud. And by the way, she was too excited to sleep for a few nights. Oops.

I set forth on the trip with no expectations, unsure of what lay ahead. Yet, I returned enriched with invaluable knowledge and experiences, reaping far more than I ever imagined. Everything happens for a reason, and I strongly believe it was God’s plan for me to be in Kinmen.

2023年，我看到前同事艾琳Eileen关于她去金门寻根之旅的帖子。这促使我联系她，因为我妈妈让我找出如何成为会员。几个月后, 艾琳给了我两张中秋节庆祝活动的票。在注册时，我注意到一个关于寻根之旅的幻灯片，年龄限制为45岁。我告诉妈妈：“嘿，我在年龄限制内。”感到无聊，我填写了在线表格，没想到会被选中。 

有一天，我收到了一条意外的WhatsApp消息，通知我被选中参加这次旅行。其余的就是历史了。 

我只记得我会和一群陌生人一起旅行，并与其中一人同住，这对我来说并不新鲜。尽管工作繁忙，错过了一个重要的计划会议，但事情还是顺利进行。 

我到达台北时遇到了一些小插曲。当我到达酒店时，正好是简报时间，我见到了我这一周的室友。在我的床上，我发现了一张她留的可爱便条，以防我到达时她已经睡着了。 

到达金门后，我被一支儿童舞狮队的表演惊讶到了。我想知道这次旅行是否如此重要，以至于需要如此盛大的欢迎。在我们的第一次午餐时，我开始了解一些团员。到中午时分，我得出结论，我是在参加“学校旅行”，被带到各个地方，并在每个停靠点拍集体照。 

在旅行前，我告诉妈妈和叔叔，如果时间允许，我会尽量去拜访曾祖父的房子。然而，我们每天的行程都很紧，没有时间进行个人拜访。这让我想起了为什么我不喜欢参加旅行团度假——太匆忙了。 

导游在我们离开金门的前一天为我找到了一个空档，并给出了具体的时间指示。那天早上，我早早起床，让酒店柜台帮我叫了一辆出租车。在不知道出租车号码的情况下，看到其他人在等，我问一位司机是否要去药井。他不确定，但被告知要接一位华人。时间紧迫，我跳上了出租车。 

司机很友好，分享了很多故事。我们到达了我曾祖父房子所在的村庄。他在第一栋房子附近停下，并简单地解释了它的状态。我给他看了一张我叔叔在2018或2019年拍的被树木覆盖的房子的照片。司机惊呼：“这就是你要找的房子。”令我惊讶的是，第一站就是正确的房子。我们停车后，他陪我走过去，向我解释了房子的结构和周围环境。我这个空间和房子虽多年无人居住但它保存的非常好，使我被其迷住了。我感到温暖，而不是阴森。在我们的谈话中，司机提到了圣经故事，我问：“叔叔，你是基督徒吗？”他回答：“是的。” 对此我只能说说阿门。在那一刻，我确信这一切都是上帝的安排。 

离开村庄时，司机提出在返回酒店前进行快速游览。在路上，我们遇到了村长，他因为担心树木过度生长和建筑结构问题，曾帮助清理我曾祖父的房子。 

回到酒店后，我重新加入了团队，并收到了另一个惊喜。吴家宏在访问他的村庄时，与我们的导游施心鹏在一起。一位退休教师听到他们的对话，声称认识我的曾祖父，他从小金门搬到金门的药井。家宏的祖先和我的曾祖父是邻居还是朋友？ 

惊喜还在继续。在一次晚宴上，一群童子军举行了颁奖仪式。拍照时，有人提到他们的总领队在寻找新加坡的总领队，恰好是我的朋友。在聊天时，站在我旁边的黄先生提到了江佩佩。他的叔叔曾是我曾祖父的邻居，并有派人去印尼找我们。  

还有更多惊喜吗？是的，最后一个惊喜是从我妈妈那里得知，我的祖父一直以来的梦想便是带家人回去参观那所房子，但他从未实现。我是第一个踏上那所老房子土地的后代。我感到自豪。顺便说一下，我的妈妈因为太兴奋而几晚没睡好。哎呀。 

我在没有任何期望的情况下踏上了这次旅行，不确定前方会有什么。然而，我带回了无价的知识和经验，收获远超预期。一切都是有原因的，我坚信让我来到金门是上帝的计划。