Mission Accomplished

A man's heart plans his way

but the Lord directs his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

At 9:45 p.m. on Friday night, I boarded the Nakhonchai Air VIP bus bound for Bangkok.

I boarded the bus with a sense of excitement. I was embarking on a major task that needed to be done before we left Thailand. My mission: to bring three large suitcases of our stuff for shipping from Bangkok directly to our home in the Philippines.

Excess baggage rates have risen sharply over the past months due to the fuel crisis, and plane passengers are now allowed to check in only one suitcase with a maximum baggage weight allowance of 20 kilos each. Shipping most of our things through a forwarder was the only practical thing for us to do.

With me was Shayne, a young Filipina student in Maejo University who has become quite close to my heart. She had a trip scheduled to Bangkok this weekend and I took the opportunity to travel together with her.

The bus was a 32 - seater, very cool, and comfortable. The seats could be reclined to the maximum of 155 degrees and were even equipped with an electronic massage mechanism that could be activated at the touch of a button.

Though I was not able to sleep much during the night, I did not really feel tired when the bus finally reached its destination. The trip took nine hours.

With the help of Shayne, I managed to bring all three suitcases inside the bus terminal building.

Ernie had contacted a door-to-door forwarder in Bangkok that would take care of shipping our things back to our country. By God's provision, everything was made so easy for me. The manager of the company was a Filipino and his staff was actually prepared to pack and pick up, anywhere in Bangkok, boxes for shipping--in homes and offices, and yes...even in bus terminals.

We found a spacious corner and in less than 30 minutes, I had finished packing the contents of all three suitcases into a huge balik-bayan ( a Filipino word meaning "back to one's country") box. The men had their packing tapes and metal straps ready. After putting the consignee's name and address on it, the box was loaded into a van, ready for shipping.

It was as simple as A-B-C!

True to His promise to me a few weeks ago, God did enable us to get over this big task in preparation for our final journey back home. Shayne and I prayed right there in the middle of the busy terminal, thanking the Father for having made everything so easy.

I went back inside the pre-departure lounge with my now empty suitcases to await my 12:00 p.m. bus trip back to Chiang Mai. The three-hour wait was a welcome thing; it was an opportunity for my soul to be still before God, even in the midst of the hustle and the bustle.

The bus trip back to Chiang Mai was quite pleasant. I was particularly thankful for the new MP3 player that Ernie had bought for me just a few days before this trip. The ride proved to be a restful time of worship as I listened to songs by Gena Bradford, the Women of Faith, and Israel Houghton.

At 9:45 p.m. of Saturday the bus rolled into the Chiang Mai terminal, exactly 24 hours after I left the night before.

Waiting for me outside the baggage claim area were my dear friends Ut and Oy who had offered to pick me up and take me back to our university flat.

Back home, Ernie had a warm supper ready for us. We ate the meal with glad hearts and a sense of accomplishment.

Somehow I knew that God had accompanied me on this trip. How else could I explain the fact that instead of feeling drained out, this long journey had actually revitalized and energized me?