Here is Bhein Ji's story of Amritsar visit. I am sorry, for not seeking her permission.
""""""""""The first time i visited india, before i knew i would become a sikh, i was told to visit amritsar. i had planned out my trip in advance, thinking i would visit amritsar for two days, then move on to haridwar for the kumb mela. on the train to amritsar, i met a sikh woman who was coming back to amritsar after 20 years in america. she was very kind and when she learned i did not have a hotel booked, she called her brother who owned a hotel very close to darbar sahib. it was completely staffed by singhs and they were very polite to me.
at amrit vela, i was awoken by the sounds of beautiful music coming from outside my window. i quickly got dressed and followed the sounds of keertan until i reached darbar sahib. this was my first glimpse of the famous "golden temple". once inside the walls, i saw people were gathered near the akal takht. i walked towards them and someone handed me a handful of rose petals. i saw the people around me showering the rose petals on a beautiful golden throne that was being carried towards darbar sahib, so i followed suit. afterwards, my hands smelled like roses, and i saw the men picking up the petals to tuck into their turbans. the women were carefully picking up bits of cotton that had been used to clean and polish the palki sahib. other people were washing the marble walkway on hands and knees, with so much love, even in the bitter january cold. it was overwhelming. the beauty of the buildings, the sound of the keertan, the love and devotion of the sikhs...
i stayed in amritsar for longer than i had expected. every morning i went to darbar sahib. i bought an english gutka sahib and began to read japji sahib. a woman saw me in the mornings at darbar sahib and gave me a kara. she told me to wear it every day and whenever i thought to do something wrong, look at it as a reminder that god was watching and i should always do good. in my hotel i had kept a bottle of wine i had brought from the US. i looked at the kara and threw it into the garbage. i also threw out my tweezers and leg shaving supplies. from that first day at darbar sahib, i never again cut my hair and never again touched alcohol. i decided the hindu festival haridwar was not for me, so i remained in amritsar for a week. i decided to travel to anandpur sahib and fatehghar sahib. it literally changed my life.
10 months later i was blessed with khande de pahul.
i can't help but feel that guru sahib called me to darbar sahib that first amrit vela with his beautiful keertan. i owe my life to him for that.""""""""""""""
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥