We have experienced some changes since our last posting. Levi Langham was unexpectedly and suddenly called back home to the States on a matter of personal business that could not be delayed. John and I traveled with him to Manila on Sunday via the Victory Liner busline. The journey was uneventful enough, but it was upon arriving that the real drama commenced. The porter was waiting outside with Levi’s green suitcase, but closer inspection showed that while it was very similar, the bag was not Levi’s. We explained to the porter that the suitcase was not ours, and asked that he double check the luggage compartments. Levi’s bag was nowhere to be found. The flustered porter explained that several stops back, a woman had gotten off the bus and took a large, forest green suitcase with her from the luggage compartment, claiming that it was hers. The realization began to sink in… she had mistaken Levi’s luggage for her own, and was now miles away from us. We had her bag, and she had his. This wouldn’t have been so very horrible had Levi not placed his passport, visa information, and proof of airline ticket in his suitcase.
Victory Liner does not take any personal information and tickets are paid with cash. We had no contact information whatsoever. And Levi’s plane was set for take-off at 10:55 pm that night. John had initially wanted to send Levi off to the airport at 5 pm, in order to give him ample time to check-in and go through security – not to mention that the evening is rush hour traffic in Manila. We were in a pickle. The porter ushered us to the customer service office in Cubao, Manila, at the bus station, and the issue of the swapped suitcases was explained in detail. The two employees insisted that the lady would come back for her suitcase. We gave them our phone numbers so that they could call us the moment Levi’s suitcase was returned. There was a good chance that the woman would come back for her baggage, indicated by the lock on her zippers and the tags and stickers from her international flight that were plastered on the surface. Beyond that reassurance, there was nothing else that we could do except to wait. And pray.
After leaving the station, John told Levi, “We have to pray. Pick a spot…” and Levi’s instant reply was, “Right here.” So, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Manila, we stopped and prayed right in the middle of the sidewalk, amongst the street vendors and passersby.
We proceeded to check into our hotel, since John and I were staying the night, and from there we hailed a taxi and made our way to Greenhill’s shopping center, where we grabbed a bite to eat. When we had finished eating our lunch, we went souvenir shopping with Levi. He assembled quite a selection of native wooden artwork, an intricately carved jewelry box, a ‘man bag’ for his carry-on piece, and a pair of ‘genuine’ Nike shoes. By the time we were ready to head back to the hotel, we still had heard no word from Victory Liner. It is not an exaggeration to say that Levi was feeling slightly anxious by this time. It was now 4:00 in the afternoon. John was just instructing our taxi driver to return to the Euro Hotel when his phone rang. We had been anticipating this call all afternoon. It was the Victory Liner’s customer service representative, calling to inform us that our bag had arrived. We immediately changed our destination, and with that, we were headed to pick up the all important suitcase.
Without a doubt, it was Levi’s forest green suitcase that was sitting in the office. A quick check through showed that nothing was missing, and Levi was once again in possession of his passport, visa, and ticket confirmation [on an aside, John and I had emphasized to all of our team members prior to our trip the utter importance of keeping your passport and important papers on your person at all times; and everyone had a money belt when we left the US. This episode proved the vital importance of this point. So if you are reading this, try to remember this bit of information should you ever choose to travel abroad. Here's to hindsight].
Jesus Christ be glorified! Levi set off to the airport at precisely 5 o’clock pm. It was not something that we could have orchestrated on our own, but God was ever faithful to provide for Levi. It was a confirmation of His goodness and His perfect timing.
Our team is now dwindled down to four – John, John, Jake, and me. We have been fixing up the temporary clinic, doing maintenance work to keep it in tip-top shape. John did some welding work on the front gateway entrance to make it easier for passing in and out, and I applied a fresh coat of paint after he was finished. A padlock was installed to the gate for additional safety. John also set up the generator, and chained it to rafters and added a padlock for security. He instructed the midwives on how to operate it should the city power cut out.
John Langham’s huge project has been to weld the railing for the Eheler family. Yesterday, all of the guys were hard at work installing the upper rails to the loft in the Eheler house. I added some pictures to our album, and you can check those out in our photo gallery. The rails look superb, and now the next step is to weld on the bannister and rails for the staircase.
We have been thankful for the clear blue skies, and are basking in the sunlight, storing it up for the rainy days ahead. We hear tell of another typhoon, but in the meanwhile, we will soak up the sun. And that about sums it up for the time being. We are in good health, good spirits, and have been enjoying good fellowship. Working hard and eating well… Thank you all for encouraging and strengthening our hearts – Trent and Christina, we just received your letters in the mail and it was a joy to read them! We love hearing from you and what God is doing in your lives. Much love to you all!
originally published on July 12, 2011
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