Day 9 after Yolanda.
On the plane going to Tacloban, I was sitting beside a man in his late 30s. You can see worry in his face. He was bothered, a bit tense.
He asked me, "Are you from Tacloban?" I said I'm from Manila and going to Tacloban to deliver relief goods and equipments for our church there.
So I asked him, "Ikaw sir?"
"I work in Australia. My family is in a nearby town in Leyte. They're safe, but we lost everything."
At that moment, I didn't know what to say. All I can do was to listen and share the moment with him.
He then told me that he was only able to contact his family on the 4th day after Yolanda. I can't imagine how he must have felt waiting that long to get their call.
When the plane was about to land, he looked outside the window. You can see how eager he was to see his family. At the same time, he was in disbelief.
And then he told me something I won't forget. He said, "Thank you for coming to Leyte. Thank you for taking the time off your busy schedule to help out your kababayans. We will need it. God bless you."
Wala pa kong ginagawa pinapasalamatan nya na ko. I felt humbled.
We were spared from this disaster. That could have been you or me.
There is a big opportunity for us today. We have a window to show our love for our brothers and sisters in Visayas. We have to tell them and remind them that God has not forgotten them.
Include them in your prayers. Continue to bless them. In your social media post, continue to share their stories and how people can be of help.
It may take time, it will be challenging, and it seems impossible, but one thing is for sure, I know that God will bring healing and restoration in their city.
What I've Learned from the Man I Met on the Plane Going to Tacloban
