Lost Wallet; Found Peace

Every Sunday on the way home from church, we stop by the Big C grocery store and supper. It makes for a long day out but is much easier than heading back out during the week. Also, I don't have to make or clean up supper. Last Sunday, I was trying to make sure I purchased all the items needed for Christmas dinner as well as a few gifts. I had other places I needed to go during the few days before Christmas (Immigration Day was one of those) and didn't want to have to make another trip there. After checking out, I put my groceries in a couple of cloth bags, the receipt in a bag, my coins in my coin purse, and my bills in my wallet. I then replaced my coin purse and wallet in my purse. I had Simeon on my front in the carrier and Hollis in the cart. I pushed the cart outside and removed all our belonging before sliding it into line with the others. Then we walked to meet Daddy, Meriel, and Eris at a little outside shop. Hollis found something for Daddy at that shop, and we went up to the table to buy it. I fished around in my purse for my wallet and couldn't find it. Sometimes I have a hard time finding things in my purse since it has much in it. I just paid for the item with coins and then took a closer look through my purse.

Philip and Meriel had gone to the food court area, so I asked Eris to hold my things as I took them out of my purse: New Testament, phone, coin purse, passport copies, hair barrettes, keys, Sunday school papers, pens. It was empty; I turned it inside out to double check - no wallet. I must have dropped it outside of my purse instead of into it after paying for the groceries. I retraced my steps to checkout counter 22 without finding it. I looked around the counter and asked the clerk; she hadn't seen it. I thought I might have accidentally put it into another bag, so I went upstairs to find Philip and the other bags. On the table Philip had staked out for our supper, I emptied each bag, careful not to show anybody his or her Christmas present. When I was reasonably sure that my wallet was not in our possession, I went back to the grocery store to the Customer Service desk.

It took me awhile to explain what I was missing. The word used for wallet in Thai is "grapau" which can also mean pocket, purse, or suitcase. After pointing to another person's wallet, the ladies behind the desk understood. They then called a person who spoke some English to come assist me. No one had turned in the wallet, so I was fairly certain that somebody had taken it. It was unlikely that it would still be lying unfound after thirty minutes with the amount of people in that place. I gave the lady my phone number in case it was found and went back to the food court. I was tired and disheartened. I felt that I had enough to do tonight with putting away groceries, getting the kids ready for bed, and getting ready to go the immigration office in the morning. We had been on track to getting home at a reasonable time but now it was going to be on the late side due to the time I had spent looking for the wallet. I was too upset to eat supper. I put on a brave face for the kids, but Eris knew I was discouraged and was especially loving and sweet.

God gave me the grace to act appropriately towards my tired children and helpful husband. After the girls were in bed, I had time to process the loss of my wallet. The anger and frustration had passed; now I was just tired. I felt bad about the loss of money; we don't have much to spare, and we strive to be good stewards with every baht. I was thankful it had been lost after I had bought Christmas presents at the market that morning and groceries in the evening, so there was less cash. I had been carrying more money that I usually do to buy gifts if I saw them; about 1500 baht ($50) was left. I also carried skytrain cards worth another 1300 baht. However, I realized that God had allowed the loss of my wallet and He was just as able to provide for our needs as before I lost that money. I prayed for the person who took the wallet, that he/she would be able to use the money to provide for their needs and that God would bring someone to them to share Christ.

Philip was very loving and did all the necessary paperwork for immigration. I only had to packed the bag for the morning. Philip even brought me back some goi-ti-ouw (noodle soup) when he went out to make copies. I ate my soup while calling the credit card hotline to cancel my card. I called my mom who was able to cancel the rest of the cards from our joint accounts. The hassle didn't take as long as I thought, and I was so thankful for my mom who was willing to help lessen the burden. The trouble of replacing my driver's license and library cards could be dealt with later. (Still not done yet.) I grieved over the loss of photos - my brother, my dog Maiden, my closest friends, Eris as a baby, Philip carrying me over the threshold. Some are saved digitally and can be replaced but the notes on the back cannot. I am thankful that I still have all these friends, with the exception of my dog, and I really don't need to carry them around in my wallet; they are in my heart.

This past year, God had developed me into a person who is more able to give my troubles to Him. I am calmer and more peace-filled. This situation allowed me to see some of the changes in my character. I was surprised at how easily I was able to give the problem to God, to let go my frustration, and to allow my husband to help as needed. Not to say I behaved perfectly in the situation but better than I would have a year ago. I was able to fall asleep right away that night, blessed by my family and the Lord.

The final item that I remember was in my wallet was an advertisement torn from a magazine when I was in college. I carried it because it always made me laugh, even when I was having a hard day. I thought it was irreplaceable, but I just did a Google image search for "old man on a pink bicycle" and found it right away. Now I can print it and put it in the new wallet Hollis gave me for Christmas!