This trip to the Philippines began, unlike some before, with a great ease of travel. Leaving Minneapolis on the fourteen and a half hour flight to Inchon (Seoul, South Korea), it was my jot to see that the flight was only ten to fifteen percent full! I have not seen that since the early 2000’s. I had no one else sitting on my row of three seats, so I was able to lay down with a three-seat bed to sleep and read. It made for one of the easiest long flights I have ever had.
Upon getting to Inchon, my luck changed significantly. The security people at the transit check took aside several obvious older Americans to place under more intense screening. I had a young Korean man and a middle-aged Korean woman (she turned out to be the chief supervisory) who subjected me to a very uncomfortable pat-down and then rather hostile questioning about a multitude of things that had nothing to do with the point of that screening that typically occurs as one transits through Korea on a connecting flight.
At the beginning of the process, the young man asked if I had “laptop.” I said, “Yes, I am carrying two laptop, one i-Pad, a C-PAP machine for breathing and a new power bank in the box. Do you want me to get all of them out?” He said, “No, laptop.” So, I got out both laptops. A bit angry, he said, “You two laptop.” I said kindly, “Yes, I have two.” “Why you have two?” he asked. “For my work,” I replied. When I was asked what work I did, things got interesting and several came to engage in the increasingly hostile questioning. Several more security personnel had gathered by this time and were making obvious remarks about me preaching and going to the Philippines. The sneers were quite obvious.
By this time, they had put my bags through the machine and very excitedly pulled out my i-Pad, C-PAP and power bank. At that point the lady said, “Why you no pull these your bag?” I noted I told the young man, and even showed him the items in my bag, but he said, “No, laptop.” I am sure that I speak and understand no Korean and that they spoke little English and understood even less, but I am fluent in smiling and kindly answering – it has gotten me through numerous troubles in foreign travel. These folks had no proficiency in either.
To make an even longer story a bit shorter, they were going to seize all left in the bag, but I drew the line at that and called for the head of security. They would not go get that person for a long while and I was about to miss my flight for Manila because of this long process. When the head security supervisory came, I knew we were in trouble. She walked up with her thumbs under her belt and said to me, “You cause trouble! You go!” I told her I would be glad to do so, but needed my things back that they had taken. They gave me the C-PAP and pointed to the door – “You go!” I said, “I need my other thing for my presentations and notes” and put my hand only the i-Pad pulling it slowly to me. Since I did not get shot doing that, I decided to reach a little further for my power bank, but lady warden would have none of it. She said, “This illegal – you no have – I take.”
At that point, I confess that I lost my better judgment and my fluency in smiles had significantly waned. So, I asked her, “If it is illegal, why did you put it in your pocket rather than throwing it away? If it is illegal for me, is it not illegal for you?” At that point she started to turn and leave, so I asked for her name and the names of the others. She laughed and said, “I no tell you name – YOU GO NOW! (Yes, shouting!) Whereupon, I regained some of my previously lost judgment and left the power bank to go to my flight. As soon as I boarded, they shut the door, and I got in the last seat left on the plane. During the flight, several of the older Americans subjected to more intense questioning came back to my seat and we talked about our experiences. We all decided to write the officials at the Inchon Airport and the American Embassy to express our displeasure at the treatment.
Upon landing in Manila about an hour behind schedule, I cleared immigration, picked up by luggage, cleared customs with no delay and got to the hotel well after midnight. By the time I checked in, called Leslie and got a long shower to clean up from the 26+ hours of travel, I was exhausted and crashed in bed. However, I had nightmares all night. I awoke on Thursday morning to the point of the nightmares. Every May 1st, the memories of Ryan being diagnosed on that date in 2023, come back in overwhelming sadness and vivid grief. I tried to get rest, but I knew it would be a difficult day to spend alone and scheduled it as a rest day. Friday, I finally was able to rest all day – thinking some about the late brother Tom O’Neal on his birthday.
On Saturday, May 3rd, I traveled to Cebu City, with memories of my sweet Mom who would have turned 100 had she still been alive. I miss all of these ones who were so special to me, but I can think of no way to better honor them than to do my best in preaching the gospel of our Lord and Savior. Jonathan, Nanette and Kristine Carino went out with me in a driving rain storm on Saturday night to eat grilled chicken at my favorite place over here – Mang Inasal.
This morning (Sunday, May 4), Jonathan and Nanette picked me up at the hotel and we made the short drive to the meeting place for the Lord’s Day worship. On my previous trip last November, several brethren asked me to preach on “Modest Dress” as the topic was briefly addressed in response to a question asked in the classes. So, I preached for about an hour on the subject and many came to express their thanks for the lesson because they had not known some of the passages and principles presented. Instead of being offended that their habits in dress had not been as the Bible directed, that were glad to learn the truth and correct their life accordingly. It was a joy to see such honest acceptance of correction and willingness to truly repent, rather than make excuses and ploys to escape that truth. Would that all brethren were that honest and sincere in facing the subject! In the class time that followed, we examined a lesson from John 12:20-30 entitled “The Pattern Seen in Jesus.” You can see the charts on both lessons by following the above link to my blog. Oh, by the way, it was with great joy that I found the elevator to their 14th floor meeting place is still in working order! Not having to climb the last two floors, where the old elevator stopped, on uneven stairs is a real blessing to me!
A little after 5pm, the Carino family again gave me a ride to the evening worship service scheduled for 6pm. Kristine drove us in her car this evening. I think there were more in attendance this evening than were present this morning. The sermon was delivered by brother Cherlito Lauglaug who did an excellent job in teaching our responsibility of service as Christians. He is one of the seven or eight men (besides Jonathan) who do regular preaching at congregations in the Cebu area started by the congregation meeting in the central city in the LUYM Building. Cherlito preaches at Carcar where they had an all-day gospel meeting yesterday and 14 were added to the number there. Those were people who had already been baptized elsewhere, moved to that area and did not know about a church in that area, and so fell away. The local men that preach all chipped in to take part in that gospel effort and much good was done. The evangelistic zeal of “going everywhere preaching the word” is exemplary in all the brethren here. Much of the rapid expansion of the Lord’s work in the Visayas is a result of Jonathan Carino and the members of this congregation! I love every moment I get to share with them in the service of our Lord!
Brotherly, Harry
Sermon Charts: "Bible, Shame & Modesty"
Sermon Charts: "Pattern Seen in Jesus"
