There are always challenges to cross-cultural communication. On our flight to the Philippines, no one was getting on or off the scheduled stop in Hawaii, so our pilot decided to skip that late night layover. Consequently, our plane landed in Manila at 1 AM, rather than the planned 4:30 AM arrival. This was before the cell phone era, so we had no way to communicate with our Deaf contact. After some confused dithering, we realized the precise directions our friend had emailed for where to wait for him were for the old terminal, but we had flown into the new terminal. We got a ride to the old terminal, and settled outside, under the sign for passengers with last names beginning with S, per our clear instructions.

There, we spent the night on the sidewalk outside the airport. Chuck curled up atop our suitcase and slept, while I walked to ease my aching muscles. Uncomfortable with Americans sleeping with the homeless people, airport personnel repeatedly came outside to urge us to call our friend. We countered, “He’s Deaf,” in gestures and several languages, to no avail. They continued entreating us to call our contact.

When our friend realized that our plane had arrived at the new terminal, he went there, showing airport employees a written description of us. At 7 AM, six hours after our landing, an airport official finally came out to us with the news that our friend was on his way from the new terminal adding, “You can’t call him. He’s Deaf.” 

How amazing that our God always understands us! “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether” (Psalm 139:4). He not only understands every word we speak, he invites us to confidently bring those words, framing all our needs, to “the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). May you find strength and solace there.