Dear family, brethren, and friends,

The excitement started right away when my early morning Wednesday flight to Atlanta was diverted to Greenville, S.C. because of severe storms and tornadoes moving through the Southeast.  I had skipped breakfast thinking there would be plenty of time in Atlanta, then stayed near the gate in Greenville as Delta kept changing the status of the flight from “on” to “off.”  Finally about 3:00 P.M. we flew to Atlanta where thousands of people were stranded by cancelled flights.  It took 2-3 hours for me to re-book new flights. I finally had a soup-and-salad supper, the only meal of the day, then waited to catch an 11:00 P.M. plane with a new convoluted schedule.  It would take me to Detroit to spend the night in the airport before making connections which included a Japanese airline en route to the Philippines.

Alas, that Atlanta flight was cancelled too and I stood in line again two hours to get a new schedule for the next day.  At 1:30 A.M. I crawled under a row of seats in a waiting area, put my head on my little blue travel pillow, and covered up with a light jacket to sleep 5 ½ hours.  Thursday morning I ate breakfast and worked a few hours before boarding my new Delta flights to Japan and on to Manila about noon.

Delta Airlines cannot control the weather and did a great job of trying to help the thousands of stranded people re-book their flights.  There were lines as long as two to three football fields standing in the concourses as people waited to re-book (this airport has at least 7 different long concourses).  While I stood in line Donna worked the phone and got my new ticket which is the only reason I was not up all night in one of those lines with many others – I promised her a raise ASAP!  This was just another one of thousands of occasions when I thank God for a wonderful wife.

Since I arrived in Manila a day late, some brethren met me at the hotel Saturday morning to quickly repack boxes to be shipped ahead to the places I will be teaching.  Then I rushed to the airport to catch a flight to Davao City to keep my first appointment.  The flight was delayed, as are nearly all domestic flights from Manila.  The two major airports cannot handle all the flights since the airlines have brought in much more business with cheaper prices, even undercutting the bus lines at times.  I was so tired I fell asleep before takeoff and did not wake up until the plane was in the landing pattern two hours later.  That means all went well, no more excitement.

I walked from my hotel to a mall to get pads for my glasses and saw the moon in all its bright glory!  Y’all be sure to find it and tune into my messages of love!

I had to hit the ground running this time, but God helped me every step of the way.  I am reminded again of how important the prayers of the saints are when I make these trips!  Please, everyone continue those prayers.

In Christian love,
Ron Halbrook

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