Friday, November 17, 2006

well a few weeks have passed since I wrote on my blog. There are a few different experiences I wish to share, so i'm going to make separate posts:) About a week and a half ago my purse was stolen. Kind of an assault or mugging if you want to call it that...but basically my purse was ripped off my shoulder. I was walking home with a friend from another friend's house- about a 12 minute walk. A walk I have walked many times before and neglected to think anything of walking in the dark- since I was walking WITH someone else, and I had a flashlight (which in the end i think may have aided in the whole situation). It was about 10 at night but usually if you walk with someone people say it is okay to walk. Well I won't be walking much in the dark anymore- unfortunately, but hey. So we are walking up the hill to treehouse and suddenly there is a huge tugging on my shoulder and I don't clue in until the guy is half way down the hill. We didn't hear him come up behind us AT ALL which is the scary part. When i finally discovered someone had actually had the GUTS to take my purse and not someone just trying to scare me (people like to scare me cuz i give a reaction so for some reason my first thought was that it was our gardener trying to scare me- who knows why- he would never do that) the guy was already half way down the hill. I RAN after him. Flaget said she was purty suprised and scared to- what would've happened if i did catch this guy?? But what the heck- I was mad- could this really be happening?? something BAD??? was my cell phone and money and purse actually in the hands of this one guy? what was I going to DO?? no mom or dad to yell for around here!! I ran and yelled until i couldn't see him any more. I yelled "thief thief thief"- although i forgot the swhahili word for it- which may be a good thing because around here if there is a thief and people are around and know it, they may well kill the person.
We found out the next morning while searching that people had heard someone yelling thief but they never saw the guy. Anyways I could go on forever, but long story short...my purse and some money, cell phone, nalgene bottle, a little book that i'd kept for sermon notes and language notes since I was in Haiti, and some other stuff is gone. the purse was also from Haiti so I'm a little crushed but I am working on taking this as a lesson to learn from rather than feeling sorry for myself.
I have discovered that if someone has not had a similar experience they cannot really empathize with the fear, anxiety and sadness felt. I am jumpy now! and look how 'little' of a thing this was. Flaget reminded me that I am so blessed to have grown up in a safe home- some kids feel the fear I felt every night of their lives- being scared that someone is after them, or scared of their parents.
The next morning we looked for my stuff- no luck. went to police station to report it- someone had found my credit card etc!! too bad it was already cancelled- but someone did get my bank cards and student ID card back to me. So there is some hope for justice.
I have received support from people around here, and much understanding, as similar things have happened to many missionary families around here. I am SO thankful that God is giving me what I stand in need of- it is forcing me to actually think about it instead of shoving it away and pretending nothing happened.
I am not an eloquent writer so this is probably boring to read already. So i am just going to share a few verses. It is important to realize that what we have is God's, and try to work on dedicating it to him and saying it outloud- "my purse is not mine" ""my" laptop is not mine"...but means to serve God. Who knows why people take things (besides the obvious poverty answer) but I hope that what was taken is used for something good, and that I won't always get so angry or sad about it when i think about it, and that I won't keep being so jumpy and alert. I was also told to imagine Jesus in the situation standing with me, and seeing what he would do, and trying to imagine a different end to the situation.

"Now there is great godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world..." 1 Timothy 6:1-10.

-from Our Daily Bread "J. Oswald Sanders, in his book facing lonelinessI wrote, "When Jeremy Taylor, the old Puritan, had his house burglarized, all his shoicest possessions taken, and his family turned out of doors, he knelt down and thanked God that his enimies had left him the sun and moon, a loving wife and many friends to pity and relieve, the providence of God, all the promises of the gospel, his faith, his hope of heaven, and his charity toward his enemies!" Sanders added, "With wealth such as this, no burglar could impoverish him."

"Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ..." 1 Peter 1:13

Lord please let me learn to not place so much value on my possessions, to show love to others, to stand up for what is right, and thank you so much that nothing worse happened to me. Please continue to place protection around each one of us...

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