“Why did you wait this long? You are hiking out today.” Ma’am G (Leonda George’s adopted Palawano daughter) said as I stood before her, covered in hives from head to toe.
I had been in Merma — the mountain village in Palawan where missionaries are sent for “boot camp” to begin learning the language, how to cook local foods and adapt to life in a remote village — for about one week when my scalp started itching intensely. At first, I thought it might have been lice from the children or fleas from the dogs. However, the next morning, I discovered that I was having an allergic reaction, and the itchy red welts continued spreading each day. Four days later, the reaction was only continuing to worsen. My voice was becoming hoarse, and my breathing was becoming slightly difficult.
Fearful thoughts raced through my mind. What will happen if my airway swells and I can’t breathe? I am seven hours up the mountain, far from any hospital. I could die here if I can’t get out in time. I accepted that this condition would not clear up on its own.
I slowly made my way to Ma’am G’s house to speak with her about the severity of my condition. Immediately, she asked why I waited so long and insisted that I hike out of Merma before noon to reach my village by sunset. She quickly contacted Leonda George in Kemantian, who was growing more concerned. It was decided that a medical package be sent urgently with an IM (intramuscular) injection, an EpiPen, and some diphenhydramine tablets. When the plane arrived, it flew over the landing strip and released the package, which dropped into the jungle. This is it. I am going to die here because they will never find that package.
Surprisingly, the package was in my hands in the next 15 minutes. However, the IM injection was empty, and my condition did not respond to the tablets. I began the long hike out of Merma but had to stop and catch my breath after only 30 minutes. The men took turns carrying me the rest of the way down the mountain, across rivers and over boulders, until my accompanying missionary and I reached an apartment close to the hospital.
The next morning, my condition had only gotten worse. Without waiting any longer, I went to the emergency room, where the hospital staff treated me for four days until my rash and the swelling cleared up.
Many events clearly revealed God’s providence during this time. The airplane that delivered the medical package stopped working the next day, and the river to Merma was flooded for several days.
We never discovered what caused this allergic reaction, but the experience strengthened my faith, producing a firm belief that God wants me here and will protect and sustain His beloved.
