Two teachers saved ‘by the grace of God’

By The Nation

 

Youssry (left) and Pradeep wait at the Addis Ababa Airport to catch their flight to Kenya.

 

Two teachers from the Asia Pacific International University (AIU) in Saraburi, Pradeep Tudu and Yourssry Guirguis, arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport on March 9 to board a flight to Kenya. 

 

Their itinerary included a stopover at Addis Ababa, where they were to board Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 on March 10 to Nairobi. However, they missed this connection because their flight from Bangkok was delayed. 

 

Though initially frustrated, the two later counted their blessings because flight ET302 crashed shortly after taking off, killing all 157 people on board. 

 

The teachers recently returned from Kenya to share their story. Tudu’s wife Nola, and friend Joy Kuttappan relate their story for Nation Online readers: 

 

When Tudu and Guirguis were planning a university promotion trip to Kenya, they never suspected that a “miracle of grace” awaited them. 

 

Indian national Tudu is the AIU’s vice president for finance and development, while Egypt’s Guirguis is a lecturer in AIU’s Faculty of Religious Studies. 

 

Their journey began from Suvarnabhumi Airport at 1.15am on March 10, when they boarded an Ethiopian Airline flight to Addis Ababa. From Addis Ababa, they were scheduled to take flight ET302 at 8.15am to Nairobi, Kenya.

 

However, their plans did not go as expected. On March 9, Tudu received a message on his phone from Ethiopian Airlines saying: “Dear customer, your Ethiopian flight ET0629, from Bangkok to Addis Ababa on March 10 at 1.15am has changed. The flight will now depart at 3.45am on March 10.”

 

Upon receiving this message, Tudu and Guirguis felt a frustrated at the prospect of missing their morning flight at Addis Ababa. Tudu said: “We tried to call the airline office, but were not able to make any contact. We did not know if there was another flight and we did not want to be stranded in Addis Ababa.” 

 

When they arrived at Suvarnabhumi, they looked for an Ethiopian Airlines office but were unsuccessful. They called the head office in Bangkok, but it was closed. 

 

“The answering machine gave us a few numbers that work 24 hours a day. Each time we tried to call a number, it lacked a digit. We were unable to get through. We wondered why the numbers were not working. All of these attempts were to make sure that we would not miss the Ethiopian flight ET302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi,” Guirguis said.

 

The flight from Bangkok took off at 4am and by 9am they were flying in circles over Ethiopia for an hour before the flight could land. 

 

“We thought that the pilot was showing us the country,” Guirguis laughed. 

 

Tudu and Guirguis landed in Addis Ababa at 10.30am on March 10 and were disappointed to find they had missed their flight. 

 

They boarded their flight to Kenya at 1pm and were surprised at the commotion on the plane. When they inquired, they were told that Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 had crashed six minutes after takeoff. That was the very plane the two teachers were scheduled to board, but had missed it due to their twohour delay. 

 

 “The fact that the plane crashed shortly after leaving the Ethiopian capital, killing all 157 people on board, left us in a state of shock,” Guirguis recounted. 

 

“We were experiencing grief and counting our blessings at the same time. Instead of wasting time to grasp the reality, we prayed and tried to comfort the crew members who were weeping over the loss of eight of their colleagues,” Guirguis said.

 

The 25 passengers on their flight to Nairobi were asked to disembark. It took two hours for them to find their bags, and as a result the flight was further delayed. 

 

At that time, their families and colleagues in Thailand and elsewhere, as well as those waiting to welcome them at the Adventist University of Africa in Kenya, had no idea if they were alive or not. 

 

Finally, after completing their work in Kenya, Tudu and Guirguis returned to Thailand safely on March 25. Now, Tudu said, people always say “God saved your life” when they see him and his fellow teacher.

 

Guirguis’s son, Benjamin, a grade 5 student, said: “If my father was on the plan that crashed, I would not have been able to take a flight for ages.”

 

However, his father still asks: “Why did God spare our lives? Why did God delay the flight from Bangkok to Addis Ababa? What is so special about us?”  So far, the only conclusion is they were saved by a miracle. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30367487

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-10

as Spock would say, "Random chance has operated in their favor."

10 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

as Spock would say, "Random chance has operated in their favor."

No No No.  God is in control of all things mechanical and electronic.

29 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

However, they missed this connection because their flight from Bangkok was delayed. 

So it was by grace of god I just about caught my connecting flight, after  a delay leaving Bangkok, but my luggage didn't.

 

Here's me thinking it was the airline/airports fault.

2 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

That Islamic prayer before takeoff on Malaysia Airlines that thanks Allah for inventing the airplane that allows us to fly.

Yep, turn your plow sheares into wings etc, or am I going off track here.

23 minutes ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

That Islamic prayer before takeoff on Malaysia Airlines that thanks Allah for inventing the airplane that allows us to fly.

Does that prayer only apply to First and Business Class and Premium Economy or is it for all passengers?

Yes a random miracle. I hope I can experience the same , hate to die. 

So God saved 2 but allowed 157 to die.

Not a great record is it?

Next headline two teachers run over by out of control taxi whilst leaving airport as the driver was in a hurry to return the 1m left on the back seat???? 

Those who practice mid East religions like "Grace of God". Here it is amulets. Same same but different.

"There but for the grace of inept incompetent airline staff go I" more appropriate in this case?

43 minutes ago, Emdog said:

Those who practice mid East religions like "Grace of God". Here it is amulets. Same same but different.

"There but for the grace of inept incompetent airline staff go I" more appropriate in this case?

I believe Christianity is also a mid eastern religion. 

There are definitely some winning lottery numbers in those flight numbers and the number of dead people. 

Just now, sonos99 said:

I believe Christianity is also a mid eastern religion. 

Judaism is a heresy of the polytheistic religions of the Middle East. Christianity is a heresy of Judaism. Islam is a heresy of Christianity (it's Arianism, very prevalent at the time - don't believe me, google it)

hallalluya brother, amen !!  almighty be jesus save the grace oh lord it's hard to be humble. ! 

15 hours ago, balo said:

Yes a random miracle. I hope I can experience the same , hate to die. 

I don't think you do really... even a near miss of such a tragedy is painful.

At the age of 20 in 1979 I was working in Chicago... I missed the

American Airlines Flight 191 which crashed during take-off.

In a similar fashion I was working at the airport, a problem had delayed my finish time & I was racing across the airport to get to the flight in time.

I ran like hell to the check-in but it had closed 30 minutes earlier... although the flight had not been called for boarding.

I begged & begged to get me on the flight but staff said sorry they couldn't get me on as the information had been sent through & calculations for the flight had been made, they booked me on the next mornings flight, I went outside, got in a taxi & returned to the perimeter hotel...

Next thing I know is all hell is breaking loose, emergency services within the airport & outside arriving...

I asked the hotel desk what was going on, they said a plane had just crashed... I went up to my room, got a beer out of the fridge & switched on the news.

It was my flight !!!!

40 years later it still gives me shudders !

I wasn't  on the Titanic  either. Oh  Thank  God!????

16 hours ago, overherebc said:

No No No.  God is in control of all things mechanical and electronic.

And financial control, as it's on the US dollar note, "In God we trust".  Just about sums it up really.

I've always enjoyed listening to the Album 

'God Shuffled His Feet' by 

The Crash Test Dummies.

4 hours ago, sonos99 said:

5 hours ago, Emdog said:

Those who practice mid East religions like "Grace of God". Here it is amulets. Same same but different.

"There but for the grace of inept incompetent airline staff go I" more appropriate in this case?

I believe Christianity is also a mid eastern religion. 

Yes, that is why I said "mid east religions". Sorry if that wasn't apparent

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is good and gracious.

19 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

So it was by grace of god I just about caught my connecting flight, after  a delay leaving Bangkok, but my luggage didn't.

 

Here's me thinking it was the airline/airports fault.

Did you know if your luggage never appears again it's because god moves it to the rings of saturn. Not Sathorn, Saturn.

The last straw. or the straw that broke the camel's back. phrase. If an event is the last straw or the straw that broke the camel's back, it is the latest in a series of unpleasant or undesirable events, and makes you feel that you cannot tolerate a situation any longer.

 

When a human being is happy and contended, he feels very confident of himself and gets on a very high pedestal (height depends on his confidence) and is blind to what happens 'below'. But, the same being, due to some unforeseen circumstance looses ALL his earthly possessions, maybe his health and family, will behave entirely in a different manner - that super feeling confidence will just fly-out of the window!

 

Just for an example, ever observed a 'rich' man behaving in front/amongst a crowd of poor people?

(there are always exceptions, of course)

 

This is where the 'unknown factor' was brought in by our ancestors, who exploited this human trait to control and gain power to themselves. It still happens, everywhere!

 

 

The way people think is often so bizarre.  So apparently God is in charge and a plane kills 57 people but two people are okay so God saved them but bears no responsibility for the crash?

Just now, losworld said:

The way people think is often so bizarre.  So apparently God is in charge and a plane kills 57 people but two people are okay so God saved them but bears no responsibility for the crash?

Even better, we "remember the families of the victims in our prayers"

Just now, losworld said:

The way people think is often so bizarre.  So apparently God is in charge and a plane kills 57 people but two people are okay so God saved them but bears no responsibility for the crash?

Believe in God, never question him. He works according to his plan and time. ????

Ah so 157 were  killed by God?

Some troll posts and replies have been removed. 

7 hours ago, BobBKK said:

Ah so 157 were  killed by God?

Yes , they were supposed to die according to some. Believe it if you wish.