Suffering…makes us remember God

“All the ends of the earth shall remember…and turn to the Lord” Psalm 22:28
On Wednesday after I finished writing the Mercy Messenger, I reminded the Lord that I didn’t have an insert story to inspire our readers. With my work caught up, I busied myself that afternoon and the following morning with catching up on all the regular household duties that had been put on hold. By Thursday afternoon everything had been completed including laundry, bills paid, the car had fuel, and I even stopped for a hair cut. Later I realized it was a part of His plan, He knew I was going on a journey!
On Thursday afternoon I received a frightening phone call from my brother…our mom fell while on vacation and she was in the hospital very badly hurt! Mom was traveling alone on a cruise in the Caribbean and was found unconscious at the bottom of the stairs near her cabin. She was taken to St. Elizabeth’s hospital on the island of Curaçao, a province of the Netherlands.
The Cruise ship was scheduled to leave port within the hour and they would have to leave mom on the island. My brother had been contacted by the Cruise line and he would call later to let me know of mom’s prognosis and the plans to get her home. I left for church as usual to pray before the evening Mass, he would call on my cell phone when he had more information.
Before Mass my brother called again. He was able to speak with mom on the phone and she told him she “hurts all over” and the last thing she remembered was heading toward her cabin to take a nap. The hospital was taking x-rays and tests were being done to determine her injuries.
The cruise line offered to pay for the airline and hotel expenses for a family member to come down and accompany mom back home, but a passport is needed and I am the only one in our family that has one. I immediately agreed to go, thinking about how frightened she must be, and also wondering about the extent of her injuries. A quick prayer…”Lord HELP my mother…let us get her home safely!”
Later that evening I received a call from Chris, the person coordinating the travel arrangements for the Cruise line. He suggested I clear my calendar for the next 3 days and be ready to leave within a matter of hours. I should pack only the basic necessities in a carry-on bag. He would see what flights are open for emergency travel and would call for my approval before booking the flights.
I began making calls to cancel appointments for the next several days then started thinking about what to pack. Then it hit me…everything was in order at home for me to be gone for several days, this was divine providence! The hand of God was guiding this rescue trip and I could trust that all would be well.
Chris from the Cruise line called back after 10 pm. and said there was a flight available at 6:15 in the morning…should he schedule me on the flight? I said I would be ready… and he told me by morning he would email the rest of the flight itinerary for my trip down. In the morning his email revealed that whole networks of people were working to put the emergency plan into action. He was forwarding our emails to the port agent in Curaçao, and I should call to verify their help on the other end.
The next afternoon the port agent, Mr. Fleming stopped by to see mom in the hospital and she gave him my cell phone number. My connecting flight from Indianapolis to Dallas-Fort Worth allowed no time for a phone call to Mr. Fleming as I went directly to the boarding gate and was literally the last one to board. Mr. Fleming called me just after I arrived in the Miami airport and we finalized arrangements before my flight to Curaçao. Thank you Lord…perfect timing!
Mr. Fleming would have a driver at the airport take me directly to the hospital, the doctor arranged for mom to be released into my care, and the driver would take us to our hotel. Arrangements for our return flights on Sunday were in the works. After speaking with Mr. Fleming I called mom to tell her I would arrive that evening, and she was thrilled…help was on the way!
After we settled into the hotel that evening mom told me about her experience. Her overnight stay Thursday in the hospital was terrifying for her. In addition to being left behind in a foreign country, she didn’t know how she was going to get back home. The doctor had put her in a neck brace and because of her injuries she was unable to move. At bedtime all the lights were turned off in the hospital dorm, it was so dark…and from the corner of her eye she could see something shaking at the end of a bed a few beds away… was it a voodoo doll? She heard a familiar noise, and asked if someone had ‘prayer beads’, the nurse brought her a rosary, afraid to close her eyes she prayed all night long.
On Saturday morning, before I began my morning prayers, I offered mom a rosary and she wanted to pray with me. Later that evening she thought we should pray another rosary in thanksgiving to God, she was so grateful to be rescued!
When I went to the hotel restaurant later that morning to get our breakfast I couldn’t believe my eyes. Our hotel was right on the Caribbean Sea, it was so beautiful! Later I saw children playing on the white sandy beach, kites were flying in the sky, and on the sparkling blue sea were ships in the distance, the temperature was in the mid seventies with a gentle breeze blowing…it was heavenly!
Mr. Fleming was preparing the necessary documents for mom to leave the country since her departure was different than her arrival. Then on Saturday evening he came by with the travel itinerary for Sunday. We would be picked up the hotel at 5:30 in the morning and taken to the Curaçao airport. Our tickets would be at the Airline ticket counter and a wheelchair would be waiting for us at both airports. We would fly into the Miami airport, and then be driven to the Ft. Lauderdale airport where mom’s luggage would be shipped home, and our direct flight would arrive home Sunday evening around 8 pm.
We marveled at all the wonderful God incidences that occurred… Curaçao where the ship was at port was the only island that had a hospital, and it was a Catholic hospital. When I asked if there was a nearby Catholic church the taxi driver had told me there were many Catholic churches on this small island. And in the parking lot of the Clarian Hotel where we stayed was a large bronze statue of my favorite Saint…PADRE PIO. (I have no idea why). On Saturday afternoon there were a few brief showers followed by a rainbow… another gift, a promise of God’s infinite Love!
So many people worked together to get our mother home safely. Mom was in a lot of pain and unable to walk at all, and since the prescription medication made her sick, she was taking only Tylenol. The airport personnel were very caring and they escorted mom’s wheelchair through the airports and to board the plane another small chair on rollers allowed her to be wheeled down the aisle to her seat. We were the first to board the planes and the last to get off.
Our final flight from Fort Lauderdale to Indianapolis was first class with the best meal we had during the 3 days of our unexpected pilgrimage. I call it a pilgrimage because it was a challenge, it was a sacrifice and we experienced God in the midst of it all.
My brother met us at the airport when we arrived in Indianapolis and we immediately took mom to the Emergency Room at her request. Methodist Hospital ran C.T. scans and a series of other tests and found mom had 6 cracked ribs and two breaks in her pelvic bone. On the island, St. Elizabeth’s hospital x-rays showed no breaks, perhaps this was another blessing, because if these had shown up they may not have released her for travel. By the way, mom is recovering well and will soon be released to go home.
Suffering does have a way of reminding us all…we need God! Why does God allow suffering? Jesus taught us from the cross that suffering accepted brings salvation and new life. God’s ways are not our ways…but we can trust that His ways are always for our greater good!
Wishing you all a Blessed and Holy Lent,
Debbie Miller