3 countries. 3 ships. 3 quarantines.
His passport was expired and he was in another country. He was set to go home in the Philippines last October 2020 and all he had was a document from his company to allow him safe transit despite his expired passport. He was among the last of the crew members that would go back to their home country after the Covid 19 pandemic hit the world.
He was given a plane ticket to the Philippines. But at the last minute in Barbados airport, he was told his document won’t hold. It was in Barbados where their ship has docked during the pandemic.
And so the hurdles began.
He was sent back and was quarantined in a hotel in Barbados. Meanwhile, his company had to process his travel document with the Philippine Embassy in the U.S.. For one and a half month, he stayed at that hotel. He later became friends with the staff there who were so kind enough to check on him knowing that being far from family at that time was a difficult thing. That kept him sane I guess.
Nights passed and he had to make a decision. Will he wait out the travel document to be handed over to him in Barbados or will he opt to go to Miami and take his chances that he will leave U.S. from there?
He chose the latter. Thinking his chances are better there. So he had to go onboard another ship (leaving Barbados finally), endure a 14-day quarantine, transfer to another ship yet again which will transport him finally to Miami.
The days in the Miami hotel was crucial. His travel document from the Philippine Embassy was out. But the results of his PCR test weren’t. You know the travel requirements during Covid back then. You had to have those results before they let you fly out. Six hours was left before his scheduled flight and no results yet. He was emailing the doctor explaining his situation. (He was being told that they could not do anything to expedite the release of the results, since it was a Sunday.) He then reached out to their Crew Assist, hoping they could help him.
You see, what we all didn’t know was the travel document had only a month’s validity. A week of that was used up while waiting for the travel document to reach Miami from Washington. The two weeks were consumed by the quarantine protocols he had to go through. He had only about five days left for him to be able to use his travel document before it expires. What complicated things were the fact that flights then do not have regular schedules. Which means, if he won’t be able to fly out on that day, he will have to stay and wait again for another round of processing for a new travel document from the Philippine Embassy. You get the picture. Covid. Expired passport. Away from the family. Uncertainty.
He reached the point of helplessness to say the least. He stormed the heavens with prayers. And He surrendered everything to the Lord. He had accepted that he would be stuck in the U.S. again. But what he was more concerned about was how he will tell the family about the turn-out of events. We all knew back here that he was headed home.
This is where I tell you that in our deepest and lowest moment, when all else have turned against our favor, the Lord works miraculously in the background.
His email to Crew Assist proved to be important. Key officers were messaged and alerted. People moved. Circumstances changed. PCR results were expedited. It was out just in time to reach his flight finally.
He did all he could, but it was the Lord’s hand who moved everything. Looking back, God allowed things to happen and we know He has a higher purpose in all of this. We may not know it now. But this faith-stretching experience certainly strengthened him.
It is indeed true. When we are heavily burdened, it is when the Lord no longer walks with us. It is then when the Lord begins to carry us until we finally see light and joy again.
This is my husband’s story. And this is his miracle.
the velveteen leah 