48 Hours and Counting

48hours ago, my friend asked us to pray. But we thought we could pray and do more. So the clock started ticking. Wednesday morning the plan fell in place. An impossible plan.. but oh well just give it a shot.


Wednesday morning , ICA started processing my new passport.

11am we’re booked on SQ 916.

1230pm, the details of what was happening in Erap City reached us. Isang Dakot still no news but we that it had been by by Ondoy and at least one kid had died.

3pm, we got the list of things needed for relief from Jay and sent out an appeal for aid, cash and kind to all out contacts. We don’t know what to expect. Maybe 40kg? Maybe more? Someone in SQ is able to give us another 10kg more. We have 60kg of baggage allowance.

5pm Our phones start ringing non-stop and msgs flood our Inboxes.

530pm my dad dropped off new large boxes for the collection at CAYC.

By 6pm we had gotten in touch with people like Jeremy, Herman, Tim to help with the collection and packing. Herman helped us to rent a van. Daryl’s dad would drive it so we could go round and pick up donation too.

7pm Catholic Nurses Guild inform us they are trying to get meds. Catholic doctors are ready to give Panadol which is great because the people there are getting fevers, coughs and colds.

8pm onwards Donations started rolling in to the Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Centre at Lorong Low Koon. Youth Ministry Office kindly gave us the space for the donations to be dropped off.

Friday

830am the rental van is picked up. Daryl’s dad knows the boss. We get a discount.

930am We’re picking up things from Yishun, Katong Convent, clinics, Sengkang. And my new passport too!

1230pm We reach CAYC. Herman has packed 10boxes weighing an average of 15kg each. The donations that have come in overnight were startling. We still have boxes being dropped off at the airport for us. There is more stuff that have not been packed. No time. No space.

The Van leaves. The Van gets lost. The van is carrying the 10 boxes of cargo and the 2 passengers for the flight. My 2nd favourite mantra, Everything happens for a reason... In times like this... just believe. Plus lots of people praying for us.

130pm We arrive at T2. The counter just closed. We can’t check in. We miss our flight.... Stick to the mantra – Everything happens for a reason.

2pm We manage to change our tickets. We’ll take the next flight out. SQ 918 at 505pm. There’s a BIG PROBLEM... we have too many boxes! We managed to push our allowance to 90kg. We can only take 4 boxes.

205pm Lord we’re tired. Never mind the 14boxes (yes 4 more were added at the airport). We have clothes, blankets, footwear, 100plates, about 10 000 slabs of Panadol and 100 lightsticks. But the people who had joined us at the airport were more determined than me. And I have to mention their names here: Gerry Teo, Paul Goh, Colin Seet, Jeremy Nonis and Edward G (who happened to be in the airport) These people were not taking ‘no’ for an answer. They wanted as many things to get to the 130-150 displaced families.

We start calling people. Who can help? A SATS girl appears. A St Anthony’s youth. I have to mention her name! What an angel! Jasmine. She helps us. She’s as steely as the rest. The duty manager comes down. He sees our deed of donation.

230pm We’re checked in, all 288kg of us.

48hours after the appeal to pray...

245pm Me: “Jay we have 288kg of aid coming in at 8pm. Are you ready for it?”

Jay: “Ok we can arrange that. I’ll change the van to a truck.”