Today, I am going to share with you our experience that we had while traveling by road from Sabah to Sarawak through Brunei recently.
It all started with good intention and ended up with a lot of good things.
It was around 3 o'clock in the afternoon when we approached Sungai Liang, Brunei. The day was blazing hot and the traffic was getting heavier by the moment. I was on the wheel and hoping that our first part of our journey would end soon in Miri City, Sarawak.
As I drove facing the bright orange color sun, all of a sudden a vehicle (Ford Ranger) in front of me stopped. I tried to stomp its brake paddle in vain and crashed onto its reinforced bumper. So, there was aloud bang that awakened my traveling companions - a La Salle Brother and a Headmaster.
I lost my composure for a moment and whispered to my self "Now what!".
We came out of the car and inspected the damage. Report was horrible: we lost our radiator and car air conditioner !
The driver of the Ford Ranger came out to survey the damage. I was afraid and feeling hopeless being stranded in the middle of a foreign country with no Brunei cash. At that time, the exchange rate was B$ 1.00 to RM 2.29.
But surprisingly, the man (Chinese) was very kind. He even apologized to me that he could have flashed his tail lights several times before he stopped. Then he advised us to park aside to ease the traffic flow and offer us his hand phone to make several local and international calls.
Later he even agreed to receive RM 500.00 (B$218.34) to have his bumper repaired !
By God Grace, my friend managed to contact his relatives in Brunei after a long marathon and interconnecting calls using the Chinese man's hand phone for free! From Brunei to Bintulu to Miri to Kuala Belait to Seria Brunei (you can imagine the cost incurred).
My friend's uncle who is a Catholic Priest from Kuala Belait, Brunei sent his friend (a Filipino) to fetch us from the Sungai Liang and had the car towed to a workshop in Seria (more than 50km away). That night, our lodging and meals in Kuala Belait were sponsored by his uncle. Even the Catholic Bishop of Brunei was there to accompany us for a quick but refreshing dinner plus thank giving prayers !
The following day, another uncle, the priest's brother who is an Anglican Pastor drove us to Miri to buy parts since most of the spare parts shops in Brunei were closed for the Chinese New Year celebration.
There, another uncle and aunt of his, brought us to a well known spare parts shop but it was closed. Another shop was still opened and managed to get all the parts needed from two different shops (one of it had already closed for the season holiday). The parts cost only less than RM 600.00 (Imagine how much it costs in Brunei currency).
We managed to leave the parts with the workshop technician before we rested in Pastor's house in Seria. Later in the evening, his uncle's friend (an Indian) drove us to Sungai Liang Shopping Mall, another man (Chinese) send us to ' The Empire' - a Six Stars grand resorts from where my friend's aunt (Pastor's wife) fetched us to my friend's grand uncle and grand aunt's house near Bandar Seri Bongawan.
The following morning, the grand uncle and grand aunt gave us a quick tour to the sub-urban areas and showed us the 'grand life style' of the lucky Bruneians before we headed for Muara to catch the morning ferry to Labuan.
From Labuan, another 2 hours trip by a cargo ferry to Menumbok town before we boarded a Double Decker bus to Kota Kinabalu.
At last - Home sweet home ! And ,our friend -'the La Salle Brother had arrived safely by bus to Kuching City that morning.
*******
Looking back and after going through the hustle and excitement, I have nothing but a feeling of gratitude to the Lord for being with us. Events after events, His helps rendered to us were superb and unexpected !
I must admit that I pray a lot that day.
We all did and He heard us. From the moment we were involved in the accident, the Lord were there with us and never forsaken us.
Now I understand what He said - "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him" (Matthew 7:11)
(Jadi jika kamu yang jahat tahu memberi pemberian yang baik kepada anak-anakmu, apalagi Bapamu yang di sorga! Ia akan memberkan yang baik kepada mereka yang meminta kepada-Nya (Markus 7:11)
As I alighted from the car after the accident I felt my world was gloomy, hopeless and seasoned with bad luck!
And I ask in my heart - who will deliver us from this peril in a foreign country?
But I know that God had said that - "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:27)
("Apa yang tidak mungkin bagi manusia, mungkin bagi Allah" (Lukas 18:27)
And I am glad that I asked and God answered! He was there all the times!
So my friends, if ever, you encounter any problem or so called misfortune in life, Trust in Him !
"Thank you Father for your help and for my friends - La Salle Brother and Headmaster, my friend's relatives and new friends whom we meet there and the kind hearted Chinese man whose rear bumper I banged onto! May God bless you for your kindness, to you and your family always.... these I pray in Jesus' name.
So be it.
(Author's notes: If you think these are just a coincidence, wait till you hear my next sharing when we went back to collect the car from Seria, Brunei).
