God has a plan for all of us

Billy Chan

February 19, 2019
Shuk Kin Chan (???), photo taken when she graduated as a nurse around the 1950s

“God has a plan for all of us”, “God loves you even before He had created you”

Quotes like this are not only well known in our Catholic world, but they are also very common in lots of different religions. You hear this from almost anyone who believes in God. Sometimes you are overwhelmed by the times that we use these quotes to comfort ourselves. However, how often do we actually believe in them?
My eldest aunt passed away on Valentine's Day this year at the age of 92. She was my father's eldest sister. Her name was Shuk Kin Chan (???), and to be honest, we weren’t actually that close. I can barely remember the number of times we met and talked, but somehow, something burned deep inside my heart after I got the news.
From my memory, she was always a joyful and lovely person. Even after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she always had a smile on her face. It was her personality not to fight for anything. Maybe that’s also the reason she lived for so long.
When I was born, I was diagnosed with clubfeet. Clubfoot is a deformity in which the foot is turned inward. My auntie Shuk Kin, who was a nurse, introduced me to a well known orthopaedic surgeon in Hong Kong, Sir Harry Fang Sin-yang (?????). It was very expensive to visit him, but luckily, my aunt had worked with him before, and he significantly lowered the fee for us. Her son, my eldest cousin Professor Charles Yu (?????), introduced us to his friend, a physiotherapist who then referred me to a non-profit hospital. Dr. Fang also performed my very first surgery at that hospital for free. Because of him I can now walk and travel and date and get married!!!

What other plan can be better than this? God loves me even before he created me!

And there’s so much more to come.

Billy Chan (right) with Professor Charles Yu (?????)
The brother of my aunt’s husband, who happened to be a Catholic priest, Father Edward Yu Fuk Min (?????), introduced my grandparents on my dad’s side to the Catholic Church when they were in their 70s, and they were baptized shortly after. Alleluia!
After I was born, Father Edward referred me to a Catholic school. That is where my Catholic journey started. I still remember the way my grandmother held my hands, praying to God to heal my feet every night. I was baptized when I was 11, and now I am working for a Catholic media company. I am actually spreading the Good News of the Gospel to the whole world.

What other plan can be better than this? God loves me even before he created me!

Fr. Edward Yu ?????
Billy Chan (right) with Fr. Edward Yu (?????)
How romantic that my aunt passed away on Valentine’s Day, which is a day full of love. On this day, she was reunited with her beloved husband and with God. What other plan can be better than this? It is true that we were not close, but my aunt was a very important person in my life. All these things can prove that our God’s plan is perfect and that God’s love is true and complete.

I am glad that God has a special plan for me.