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En-route to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Captain Guardian Angel
It has been a quiet, resting week yet I am still tired and not yet fully revived. We took the bus from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Singapore. It was a five hour trip. I knew there was a problem from the beginning when our bus was almost an hour late. It was hot and we sat near running buses inhaling the fumes during most of that time. I started to get a headache.
In the bus the boys seemed more active than normal and I seemed more tired than normal. We stopped for a break, got a snack and then back on the road. The driver made a quick roadside stop before the border and several young men almost snuck off the bus. I wondered why they didn’t go to the border. The bus stopped again and some people began getting off. I wasn’t sure where we were and waited to see if everyone got off. The driver began yelling, “passports, passports!” By his yelling, I assumed we were at the border and suddenly realized I had not gotten my passports out of the suitcases before we left. I explained to the driver I needed access to the suitcase. He was not happy about that. We exited Malaysia customs and got back on the bus. A few minutes later we stopped again.
Again, I wasn’t quite sure what was going on and hesitated. Again the bus driver started yelling. As we got off the bus a man was standing near the luggage compartment of the bus. He looked at me and said, “Lady, I can help you with your luggage.” I was grateful for the help. He explained we had to go through customs at the border of Singapore and the bus would pick us up on the other side. He was from Singapore and had to leave us to go through another line. It was crowded at customs. I had to fill out the normal four forms and we were stopped and several bags were opened and inspected.
As we completed inspections we turned to walk towards the bus and there again was the kind man who had helped us with the luggage. He again took one of our bags and walked with us. He forewarned us that the bus may have left us.
We walked down the line of buses and none looked like ours. I turned and looked at the man. “I was afraid this may happen. They only wait 30 minutes. It is only fair to the other riders.” He seemed very understanding of the situation.
I can’t say I felt the same way. I looked at my watch. It was 9:30 at night and very dark outside. My mother instinct kicked in. I could not believe this bus driver left us and felt he had done it on purpose. The kind man had gone to look for other options for us. He returned with another bus driver who offered to take us into town for $20. I started to fuss. I was irritated and started making demands. “Lady, that won’t help get you where you want to go,” the kind man said gently. I looked at him and realized what he said was of great wisdom. I responded, “Ok, tell me what to do”. I shut my mouth and let him take care of everything. We all five got in the new bus and headed to town. The kind man asked which hotel we were going to and I realized the information was on my computer and the boys had just used up all the battery power on the computer. I did remember it was a Holiday Inn.
He didn’t seem the least bit surprised that I did not know which hotel it was. We got off at the bus station. While on the bus he had called his son to get phone numbers for all the Holiday Inns. Our first call was our hotel so we now had our destination address. Our hero walked us to a cab and made sure the cab driver knew where we were going. He then turned to me and asked, “Do you have any Singapore money?”
At this point I think I blushed. In all the confusion of the day, I had forgotten to get Singapore dollars. I thought to myself, “How in the world have you made it this far around the world?” He reached in his pocket and handed me a $50 Singapore bill. I graciously and gratefully accepted it. I gave him my business card and he gave me his. I looked at his card and saw he was a Captain for Singapore airlines. Harrison handed him a website bracelet. The boys and I thanked him for all his help; we hopped in the cab and were off. We safely arrived at our hotel in minutes.
I have searched high and low for the man’s business card and as of this writing cannot find it. There is a part of me that wonders if he was real or was he our guardian angel of the day who came to make sure we made it safely to our location? Either way, I am grateful that someone was watching after us. Actually, God has been watching after us this entire trip. He sometimes calls on others to help us when He knows we need the help.
Please join us in asking God to pour out His blessings on this man who so kindly blessed us. Pray for all those who go out of their way to help the alien in their land.
The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, ... Psalm 146:9
Our two dear friends from the Holiday Inn who so wonderfully took care of us in Singapore.
The Holiday Inn Parkview was a special treat for us. I highly recommend it!
