My Human Angel
By Raquel Arrais
An announcement came over the airport loudspeaker, alerting me that our plane was delayed due to bad weather. I was returning to the United States from Bacolod, the beautiful capital city of the Negros Occidental province in the Philippines. As one hour passed, then another, I was sure I would not make my connection from Manila to Washington. My heart sank and I began praying. “Lord, you know that this connection is very important to me. Tomorrow I meet my grandson Benjamin, back in the States, to spend a long weekend with him. I’ve been looking forward to this time together! Please Lord, help me not to miss my connection home.”
Once I was on board the plane, I tried to think of some way to catch my next flight. Soon the last person in line boarded. “Good,” I thought, “now we’ll go. I still have a chance.” But to my surprise, the flight attendant announced we were still waiting for one more passenger.
Oh, no. More delays. I continued to pray, but things weren’t looking good. Shortly, a crippled man boarded the plane and took a seat right beside me. He looked tired, but I was upset. As the plane took off, I started talking with the man, telling him my frustrations. He was very gentle and attentive as I told him how I didn’t think there was any way now to make my connection in Manila due to the distance between the domestic and international terminals. Manila airport is always busy. Going from the domestic to the international terminal by bus would take more than 30 minutes.
When we landed in Manila, I was about to say goodbye to the crippled man when he stopped me: “Do not worry. You will make your connection. My personal driver is waiting for me, and I will drop you at the gate.” Sure enough, the driver was there waiting and in five minutes I was at the gate for my flight home. I was the last one to check in and run to the plane. My last words to him were, “You are an angel. Thank you for caring and for making my way home possible.”
Flying home that night, I thanked God for the unseen angels in my life, as well as for the human angels He often sends along the way. The Bible tells us, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11.
Raquel Arrais is the associate director for the General Conference Women’s Ministries Department. She lives and works in Silver Spring, Maryland.
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World Church Prayer Requests
February 10 - 17, 2019
• PRAYER REQUEST: Pray for Heather-Dawn Small (director of the General Conference Women’s Ministries Department), Raquel Arrais, and all Women’s Ministries leaders worldwide, especially for those in your local church.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Pray for the Men’s Ministries leaders worldwide and in your local congregation.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for Revive Café, an urban Center of Influence in Auckland, New Zealand, as they seek to help people eat healthfully. They plan to eventually help others start similar cafés.
• PRAYER REQUEST: In New York City, the Bronx Food Pantry serves 7,000 people in a neighborhood where over 50% of the residents suffer extreme poverty. Volunteers pray with those who come. Please ask God to expand the pantry’s influence that even more people may be helped.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Pray for God to open our hearts to how we can practically serve and minister to those around us. Pray for doors to open for more Centers of Influence, perhaps in our own churches.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please keep praying for the General Conference Youth Ministries Department as they prepare to mobilize Pathfinders and other young adults all over the world to preach at 100,000 different sites for Total Youth Involvement. This begins March 2019. #TYI19