It had been nearly two weeks since my phone broke, and I had a replacement phone sent to me from the insurance company. I don’t know about you, but I save my usernames on my phone. I don’t have to remember them. I forgot my Capital One username, so I couldn’t sign into my account. I couldn’t remember my password and consequently froze my account, so praise the Lord that fraud protection works.

I waited on hold for a few moments before a man named Jay answered the phone and began taking my personal information. He quickly unlocked my account and told me my new username. Jay asked me to sign in to verify that my username worked then he asked me to make new security questions & answers.

Throughout the call, I began making small talk, asking him how his night is going. He responded by saying, “It is early in the morning. I am in the Philippines talking to you.” I automatically got excited and began telling him, “I have a dream of going to the Philippians to work with an organization called, ‘Wipe Every Tear’ in Manila.” We began laughing, asking about each other’s lives, and just carrying on a conversation like an old friends. He continued to tell me more about the Philippians and how I should come visit. We laughed about the crazy drivers in Manila, and I told him about the crazy drivers in India. As we said goodbye, I thanked him probably a thousand times (alright, maybe like three times) for all of his help and told him that I hoped he would have a wonderful day.

About a week ago, my mom sent me a text message asking me if I ordered a book about the Philippines. I responded “no”. She said, “There isn’t anything on the package that said who it was from.” I was shocked. She forwarded the book down to Georgia. I opened the book today and searched through it for any clues about who it could be from. Tucked away in one of the back few pages, I received a note from Amazon saying, “It was a pleasure speaking with you! I wanted to send you something to give you some great ideas, so you’ll be able to experience all the Philippines has to offer. If you ever decide to visit! Sincerely, Jay, Capital One”

In this photo you can see the note that Jay sent with the book. 

I am still in shock that a man I met through a simple conversation from the other side of the world was thoughtful enough to send me a book about the Philippines. I am blown away how a simple, genuine conversation, sharing love, my heart, and my dreams could be given back to me in such a meaningful way. I get it. Hopefully very soon I’ll be able to visit the Philippines.