Some may call it serendipity, others divine intervention. Either way, circumstances prevented two families from boarding doomed AirAsia Flight QZ8501. In one case, it was missed emails. In another, an illness in the family. As a result, 15 people – seven of them children – are alive and well.

Truly a miracle

It was no stroke of luck but an act of God that her father caught hepatitis, said Inge Goreti Ferdiningsih, because it made her family cancel their tickets on the AirAsia flight a day before it took off.

“We are extremely grateful, and God is really great,” she said. “I believe that God is saving and protecting us, and this is truly a miracle.”

Inge booked the family vacation nine months earlier. Her father wasn’t booked on the trip, and her younger sister was staying by his side. So, she could still have gone, with her husband and three children.

Feeling in my heart

The bags stood packed and ready, and the family was full of anticipation for the Singapore vacation. Christopher 10, Nadine, 7, and Felix, 5, were very excited about taking a local ship cruise, splashing at a water park and watching animals perform at Sea World.

But then Inge Goreti’s sister called from a hospital, where she had taken their father after he complained of stomach pains. The diagnosis: hepatitis. The news shocked her. “I had this feeling in my heart that I wanted to be with my dad,” Inge Goreti said. So, she called off the trip on Saturday, a day before the flight.

‘Christopher had a hard time accepting it. He was so looking forward to the trip and became very upset, she said.

We were late

Not listening to phone messages may have spared another family.

Christianawati was going to celebrate the New Year in Singapore with her family and her brother’s family, she told a French news agency. Ten were to travel in all.

Her brother forgot to check messages from AirAsia telling them that the flight was leaving two hours before the original departure time.

“They emailed and called us on December 15 and 16 to inform us, but we missed those calls,” Christianawati told Agence France-Presse.

“So we arrived at the airport to check in for the 7:30 a.m. flight but were told our flights had been rescheduled to 5:30 a.m., and we were late. Of course we were angry,” she said. They just missed the flight.

Then they heard the news.

“Maybe it is all God’s plan that my family and I were not on the flight,” Christianawati said. “It was a blessing in disguise.”

Broke down and cried

Early Sunday, at Inge Goreti’s home, the phone rang — a few times.

“We received calls from relatives regarding the plane that lost contact,” Inge Goreti said. “We all broke down and cried.”

Sunday evening, the family went to church to give thanks. But mixed with Inge Goreti’s tears of relief have been tears of sadness. She recognized names on Flight QZ8501’s passenger list, she said. Friends and colleagues were on board.

Replace the words with ones from the text that mean the same:

Unfortunately, the concert was cancelled.

They changed the day of the party because of his illness.

He had doubts about the truth of what he heard on the radio.

They were saved in the accident because of their safety belts.

We took a pleasure trip by ship on the sea.

She was unhappy because her wallet had been stolen.

The boys weren’t looking for the treasure, it was just a stroke of luck that they found it.

I’m really thankful for all the help I received from my friends.

The passengers are getting on the plane now, it will take off in a few minutes.

She was really looking forward to seeing the ocean for the first time.

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Key:

Unfortunately, the concert was called off.

They rescheduled the party because of his illness.

He had doubts regarding the truth of what he heard on the radio.

They were spared in the accident because of their safety belts.

We took a cruise on the sea.

She was upset because her wallet had been stolen.

The boys weren’t looking for the treasure, it was just serendipity that they found it.

I’m really grateful for all the help I received from my friends.

The passengers are boarding the plane now, it will take off in a few minutes.

She was full of anticipation for seeing the ocean for the first time.