My PhD research is cross-comparative and during my fieldwork, I conducted more than 50 interviews with Pentecostal women in two countries.  I conducted the New Zealand Phase of my cross-comparative research from September, 2012 to July, 2013 when I then returned to the USA.  From my return until my departure in mid-February, 2014, I was based at Washington University in St. Louis while conducting the Missouri (USA) Phase of my research.  I then returned to Dunedin, New Zealand and the University of Otago to write it all up. 

On Tuesday, 17 September 2013, while returning to my office at Washington University in St. Louis from a meeting on the other side of the city, I lost my phone on the Metrolink (otherwise known as the subway).  I had only disembarked about 10 minutes beforehand and was walking through Forest Park on the way to my office, enjoying the lovely walking paths, water fountains, and golf courses of the country’s 2nd largest inter-city park.  While walking, I reached for my phone to check the time.  Putting my hand in the pocket of my bag where I usually keep it, I was mildly surprised to find my phone wasn’t there.  I reached into the bag itself, my hand floundering around the various books inside.  No phone.  I looked in the other bag that held the purchases I had just made at a bookstore.  Nada.  Now I sat down next to a huge, gorgeous waterfall in front of the Art Museum and did a thorough and painstaking search through both of the bags I was carrying.  While I still managed to notice the ducks waddling up to the human infant in a stroller or swimming on the water and the fountain leaping heavenward, I noticed most of all that my phone was gone.

I didn’t panic exactly but I tried not to think about all the phone numbers I was going to have to replace.  As smart phones go, I have a dumb phone.  It has no bells or whistles and I pay as I go to talk and text.  But I’m a researcher and conducting research between two countries is not as simple as it may seem.  The numbers in that phone were more valuable to me than the phone itself.   Well, almost.  I had just paid the bill a few days previous, a cool fifty dollars to enjoy another month of staying connected.  Being on such a strict student budget, I tried not to think too much about that.

Oddly enough though, I felt peace.   I had an assurance I couldn’t explain that I would see my phone again and that before the day was out, I would know where it was.  I hurried on my way and when I got to the office, used my colleague’s office phone to call my cell.  It rang, which was promising, meaning no one had turned it off and kept it.  Still, I went to voicemail.  I hung up.  Almost instantly, the office phone rang.  Still, I gathered my things to go.  When numbers are called from the University, they usually register on caller ID as as ‘Private Number.’  I had no reason to believe this phone call was for me.  But my colleague who answered it, gestured for me to wait.  Handing me the receiver, I heard a voice on the other end who said her name was Peggy and that she’d picked up my phone in the Metro Link.  Quickly, I thanked her and we set up a time to meet the next day.

I was so grateful!  But it didn’t stop there.  Filled with relief, I gathered my things, bade my colleague adieu, and went to my office.  There I checked my email to find a note from my mother with a message in the subject line saying that my phone had been found.  How did my mother know my phone was missing?  Wow, moms really do know everything!  Then I realized the person who had found my phone had obviously called my mother and the email confirmed that not only had she called my mom but my Dad too.  Her kind efforts to reach me left me feeling quite touched and I wanted to give her some kind of a reward.  I decided to engage in a little irony: I bought Peggy a gift card to Subway since she had after all, found my phone on the subway.

My Good Samaritan and I reunited two days after my phone was found and she returned it to me.  The phone was now backless since it had gone flying from my lap in three different pieces.  This was easily remedied with a piece of packaging tape to hold the battery.  It looked pretty Podunk but the phone still worked – yay!  The kindness of strangers makes paying it forward a task worth looking forward to!