There have been some amazing miracles as well as setbacks this trip. We arrived at the Manilla airport at 4:30 a.m. for our 11:55 flight to China. At 9:00 when the ticket counter opened we went to check in. Looking at our flights they informed us it was cancelled. When I asked how we will get our connecting flight to Zhengzhou they scurried about looking at options. The next big glitch was when they looked at our passports and informed us that my daughter and son in law did not have VISA’S and would not be able to enter China without one. We were shocked and started texting home and getting on the internet. We called the Chinese Embassy but they closed in an hour and we were an hour away.
Looking at every angle or option we could the choice was made, they would stay in Manilla and I left for China. It was a difficult decision to leave them but I did not want to disappoint my students. I was so grateful to know we now have a new friend in town they could stay with. The woman we met the first day in Manilla who invited us into her home for dinner was welcoming them with open arms.
I continued my journey as planned but not without great sadness and disappointment. My daughter and I left each other at the airport crying. I really was looking forward to sharing my China experience with them. Each new turn of events that happens unplanned and unexpected brings the element of surprise or shock. In the moment I don’t know why this happened or if it is just what it is lessons learned “always have a VISA when going to China.”
The reason I say remain flexible is mostly because each day of life ,not just in the Philippines or China we will encounter disappointment. Things don’t always go as planned. If I get stuck in the “what if’s “then I’m not present to “what is.” This hiccup is a brief disruption from daily breath. I can’t quit breathing just because I got the hiccups. I learn to breathe deeper and take in what I can from the experience. I did have moments when I considered bailing and going home with them. That’s the easy way out. Stay with it and learn from the experience I remind myself, I am here for a purpose or I would not have had the heart call to come back.
The results have been positive. My daughter went to the hospital and had an ultra sound, the baby is fine. She got a refund on her plane tickets and got on a flight home tomorrow. They have been able to rest and eat good food in a comfortable air conditioned home with a wonderful angel of a friend. I love my new friends in these faraway lands. People truly are resources and looking for ways to do good, let them help. “Never suppress a generous thought” was a quote that comes to me. We may be the answer to someone’s prayer or they may be the answer to ours. In this case we have had many answered prayers.