The Missing Wallet

Our worldwide church’s sixtieth General Conference Session, held in San Antonio, Texas, United States of America, had drawn to a close.

All who came from different countries and cities prepared to return home. We planned to drive from San Antonio early Sunday morning to reach Phoenix, Arizona, by that night and continue to California the next day so that we could be home by Monday evening. Like everyone else, my husband, Abel, and I began packing our belongings. While Abel was loading the car, I looked for my wallet in my handbag.

When I couldn’t find it, I became anxious. Why is it not in my handbag? I wondered. Did I use it during this past week? I couldn’t remember.

My thoughts went elsewhere. Perhaps my husband had put it in his briefcase. Yet it wasn’t there either. I looked again, but my wallet simply was not there. Then I remembered my stay in the hospital. I called to Abel. “Where did you put my wallet when you went with me the night I was transported to the hospital by ambulance?” “I put it in your handbag and slept over it in the hospital the night you were admitted.” I looked in my handbag again while he searched in his briefcase one more time.

We looked everywhere, rechecking everything, but my wallet was nowhere to be found. I was alarmed because my bank cards, driver’s license, Social Security card, and some cash were all in it. Worst-case scenarios were running through my mind. We bid farewell to our gracious host and hostess and left San Antonio, hoping that whoever had found my wallet would return it to me. I prayed that when we arrived home, my wallet would have already been returned to me in a package when we picked up our mail at the post office. When we picked up our mail and there was no wallet, my heart sank. Would it have been too hard, Lord, to help me find my wallet or help someone else find it and send it to me? Before we began the tedious task of reporting the missing identity and bank cards, my husband looked once more through his briefcase.

“Honey, it’s here!” he said with a shaky voice.

Five times we had looked through his briefcase.

Two pairs of eyes and hands had carefully searched, finding nothing.

Now God had answered our prayers.

No, He had not answered immediately but rather at the right time —in His time. Nothing is too hard for the Lord.

Ofelia A. Pangan