Port:Harmac East
Crew:6 Filipino
Names of Ship Missionaries:Grant Sandeman-Allen
Result: Took 6 crew members shopping
I was still at work when Frank called to say that the captain of the Alaska phoned him and asked if we could take 6 crew shopping this evening. I checked for conflicting plans at home and then reported back to Frank that I could take them. I called the captain and explained that I had to finish work but that I could be there between 7 and 7:30. I also asked if the crew could meet me at the security gate to make things quicker. I actually arrived at security just before 7 and just as the crew were approaching, so we all checked in with security and went on our way.
Our first unexpected event happened only a few hundred meters from the security office when a deer bolted out of the bush and right in front of the van. My braking and it’s speed prevented an accident, but the whole trip could have been lost had things not timed out. Shortly after we all calmed down from that close call, the crew sitting next to me mentioned something about Walmart taking US funds. I had totally forgotten that they stopped taking US funds a while ago, so here was the second threat to our shopping trip. I called Frank up and asked if he would check with Walmart to see if they still don’t take US funds, and also to see about other options. The banks were all closed, but when Frank called back he said that there was a Money Mart on the outside of Woodgrove Mall. What a relief! So off we continued on with renewed hope that everything would work out.
Well, not so fast.
We got to Woodgrove Mall and there was no Money Mart to be seen. Frank mentioned one in Terminal Park Mall so I called them and they told me that they were the only one in Nanaimo. Going there would take at least 45 minutes in travel time and processing 6 crew members, so I went with another idea that Frank and I discussed; I deposit the US money into my bank account and take out Canadian for them to shop with. Well, that was strike three.
After a couple of unsuccessful tries to deposit a $5 US bill, I saw the notice for “no foreign funds.” Ok, what about Superstore? The guys could get their food there and maybe the other items somewhere else. I called and sure enough they would take US funds. So off we went and I took a victory picture in front of Superstore to celebrate one positive step forward in this trip.
While the guys were shopping I grabbed some oat milk and apple & cinnamon Cheerios for camping. I sat in the van, watched the sunset, and had Cheerios for dinner since I didn’t have time to eat after work. After a while three crew members came out with a few bags and I let them connect to Internet through my iPhone while we waited for the others. Then after another long while they came out with a cart piled high with shopping bags full of goodies.
While the first two were waiting with me they were asking if Walmart had Coleman coolers. I brought up the Walmart website and they were looking at getting some big ones. The only way it would work was for me to purchase the coolers and then they pay me back. They had some Canadian change from their purchases at Superstore, so I would just calculate the exchange on the balance in US. We drove to Walmart and found the coolers in the Sports section. To my surprise, two of them grabbed 100L coolers. They said that this cooler, at just over $100 Canadian, would be over $500 in the Philippines. One fellow was also looking at getting a collapsable wagon, but then his wife wanted Corelle dishes as they are also very expensive in the Philippines. So off went looking for Corelle dishes with them having FaceTime calls back home to show the available patterns.
Our next challenge was how to get all of this into my van. We ended up packing the coolers with as much as we could and then standing them on end behind the back seats. Thankfully the hatch closed and the rest of the bags were on laps for the ride home. I collected the money to pay my VISA and off we went for the ship.
We arrived at Harmac East after 10 pm and so after checking in with security I drove them right to the ship. They were all very thankful for the shopping trip and I was just happy that we made it through all of the obstacles. In the future, we’ll have to make sure that we go to Money Mart on the way to Walmart.
Report submitted by: Grant
