On the way to the airport, I was still hoping that something would prevent us from going. Surely there were no more planes going to Da Nang! But, when we arrived at the airport, we learned that there was one more plane going to Da Nang. It was a big one and it was being sent to evacuate the last of the Americans from that beleaguered city. We boarded that plane as if we were the owners. We were the only passengers, and it carried us for free.

We were excited to get to Da Nang and see our brothers who were still left there. But, instead of them being glad to see us, they scolded us and told us to get back to the airport immediately and board the same plane and get out. Everything in the city was very chaotic. Everybody was running here and there, not knowing how to escape from the Communists who were tightening their stranglehold on the city. It was no place for us.

Confused, we obeyed, but when we got back to the airport, it was even more chaotic, and when we inquired about the plane that had brought us there, we were told that it was already filled. We went back into the city, more confused and not knowing what to do next. I went straight to the banks of the beautiful Da Nang River and prayed. I also did some com- plaining. Had God told us to come back here just to be stranded? That didn’t make sense. While I was walking along the river praying, I noticed a small ship with a Philippine flag on it. When I talked to the men in charge of it, they told me that their purpose was to take all Filipinos and their dependents out of the city, as ordered by then President Ferdinand Marcos. Right then and there, God answered my question about why He had sent us back to Da Nang. We were being rescued.

\