Malta and Grecee

The Joy and Agony 喜乐与痛苦 （华语在下段）

Our recent trip to Malta and Greece was an extraordinary experience, filled with grace, excitement, and surprises. Malta, a beautiful island-country, was made possible by Fr. Aloysius' invitation and ground arrangements. Fr. Aloysius, who is pursuing his Pastoral Theology course at the University of Malta, also engaging in pastoral activities wherever needed. Despite his busy schedule, Fr. Aloysius made our stay memorable. 

After spending a week in Malta, we flew to Athens on April 24, the birthplace of democracy and modern civilization. During our stay in Athens, we visited many ancient archaeological sites, ruins, museums and savoured many authentic local foods, especially Greek yogurt sand souvlaki. It was a fantastic and exciting journey. 

 

However, on the last day of our trip, May 1, 2023, our plans came to an abrupt halt.

Labor Day protests led to the closure of the metro station we intended to take the train to the airport, and the roads nearby were also blocked. In our confusion, and hurry to catch our flight, we lost our wallets and passports to pickpockets while dragging our luggage on the road. It happened within seconds.  Fortunately, we were able to return to our Airbnb, where we were allowed to stay for a few more days. 

 

We frantically informed our children and Fr. Aloysius of our situation and took the necessary steps to block our credit cards and report the loss of passports to the police. Our parish priest Fr. Michael Chua alerted Deacon Sherman, who contacted Katerina, a Greek friend of his in Athens to kindly help us with our travel documents and emergency needs. A Malta-Greece-Malaysia communication line was securely established. Praise the Lord.

 

The process of obtaining travel documents was time-consuming, as there is no Malaysian embassy in Greece, only a Consulate. All documents had to be sent through the consulate in Athens to the Malaysian embassy in Bucharest, Romania, and then couriered back to Athens if approved. 

 

On May 2, Katerina brought us to the Consulate to submit our applications. After submission, there was nothing much we could do except wait and pray. Many priests who came to know about our predicament, including our two Assistant Parish Priests, Fr. Philip Chua and Fr. Bonaventure, fervently prayed for us too.

 

Fr. Aloysius encouraged us to pray harder for a miracle, that someone found the passports and handed them over to the police station.  A miracle did happen, but not as we thought.

 

On the third day of our application (May 4 Thursday), we received a call from Katerina informing us that our new travel documents were ready for collection at the consulate! It was so surreal, but it was true. We collected the Emergency Certificates on Friday morning, booked our flight for Sunday night, and arrived at KLIA on Monday at 4:45 pm. THIS IS A MIRACLE Alleluia!

 

During our free time in Athens, we discerned on the whole incident. As seasoned travelers, we pondered how and why it happened. We have been traveling on our own for years, praying for God's guidance and protection in every journey. However, in Athens, we experienced the agony of losing our passports and possessions, but also the grace of experiencing the love, kindness, assistance, and support of the community, including our Airbnb hosts, foreign friends, and our CHURCH!

 

In conclusion, our journey to Malta and Greece was an unforgettable adventure filled with beauty, excitement, and surprises, including the unexpected loss of our passports and the miraculous quick issuance of our travel documents (Emergency Certificate).

Despite of all the difficulties, we are thankful to God for all the wonderful experiences and knowledge gained, and the people that we met along the way on our travels. Above them all, we saw the presence of Our Lord.

To Katerina, our kind Greek sister and guardian angel, Deacon Sherman, Fr. Michael Chua, Fr. Aloysius and many others who had rendered their great help, support and prayers, we are indebted to you all.

 

We will continue to travel, with the Grace of God.  Amen.

  

我们最近的马耳他和希腊之旅是一次非凡的经历，充满了恩典、兴奋和惊喜。美丽的岛国马耳是因为受到在马耳他大学念书的陈忆赐神父（Fr.Aloysius）的邀请和帮忙地面安排而实现的。陈神父目前正在马耳他大学攻读牧灵神学课程。繁重的课业之外，他也积极参与当地教会各种牧灵活动。虽然我们见面时间不是很多，但他让我们的逗留感觉舒服、美好。除了美丽回忆，我们也认识了数位当地的居民朋友。

在马耳他度过了一周后，我们于4月24日飞往雅典，这里是民主和现代文明的发源地。在雅典期间，我们参观了许多古代考古遗址、废墟、博物馆，并品尝了许多地道的当地美食，特别是希腊酸奶和烤肉串。这是一次奇妙而令人兴奋的旅程。

然而，在我们的旅行最后一天，即2023年5月1日，我们的计划突然中止了。劳动节抗议活动导致我们打算乘坐的地铁站关闭，附近的道路也被封锁了。在困惑中，我们匆忙赶往机场，拖着行李在路上时，被扒手偷走了钱包和护照。这发生在瞬间。幸运的是，我们能够返回我们的Airbnb，在那里被允许多待几天。

我们急忙的通知了我们的孩子和陈忆赐神父我们的情况，并采取了必要的措施，封锁了我们的信用卡，并向警方报案护照的丢失。我们的堂区Michael Chua蔡锦华神父警急联络上了执事Sherman Kuek，后者立刻联系了他在雅典的希腊朋友Katerina。她慷慨及热情的答应帮助我们处理旅行文件和其他紧急需求。一个马耳他-希腊-马来西亚的安全联络渠道接通了。赞美主。

我们都知道，要获得新旅行文件的过程非常耗时。马来西亚在希腊没有大使馆，只有领事。所有申请文件都必须程上雅典领事馆转交到罗马尼亚布加勒斯特的马来西亚大使馆审查。在获得批准后，大使馆将通过快递送回雅典的领事馆。

五月二日，Katerina带我们前往领事馆提交我们的申请。提交后，除了等待和祈祷，我们无能为力。许多知道我们困境的各地神父们，包括我们的两位副堂区神父，Philip Chua神父和Bonaventure神父，也为我们热切祈祷。

陈忆赐神父特别鼓励我们更加努力地祈求奇迹，希望有人找到护照并将其交到警察局。奇迹确实发生了，但不是我们所要般或想象的那样。

在我们提交申请的第三天（星期四，五月四日），我们接到Katerina的电话，告知我们的新旅行证件已经收到，可以在领事馆领取！这真的很超现实，但它是真实的。我们在周五早上领取了紧急旅行文件（Emergency Certificate)，订了周日晚上的航班，8/5 周一下午4:45抵达吉隆坡国际机场。阿利路亚！这是奇迹！

在雅典等待的空闲时间里，我们仔细思考了整个事件。作为有经验的旅行者，我们思考了它是如何以及为什么发生。多年来，我和太太一直都独自旅行（自由行），都会祈求天主在每次旅程中给予指引和保护。在雅典，我们经历了失去护照和财物的痛苦，但也经历了社区的爱、仁慈、帮助和支持，包括我们的Airbnb主人、外国朋友和我们的教会。

总结来说，我们的马耳他和希腊的旅程是一次充满美丽、兴奋和惊喜的难忘历险，其中包括意外失去护照和紧急证明书的奇迹般快速发放。尽管存在困难，我们感谢上主给予我们的所有美好经历和知识，以及我们旅途中遇到的人们。在这一切之外，我们见到了天主的临在。

我们感恩希腊的Katerina 姐妹， Sherman 执事，蔡锦华神父，陈忆赐神父，及其他许多的其他神父及教友，给与我们的相帮与支持，祈祷及鼓励。永远会记得你们，愿天主赐予你们更多的恩赐与慈爱。

我们将在天主的恩典护佑下，继续的旅行。阿们。

（华语由Chatgpt Ai 翻译，人工轻微修改）