Why am I talking about fear? Because about two weeks ago, I was robbed again! That makes five times since being in Central America! Once at Chili's in Tegucigalpa, once at the church in Costa Rica, once at my other house here in Valle, and two times in this house. I decided that I must be a very popular person. How crazy! But how do you know you're not scared unless something happens?
When my house was robbed here in March, I was at a meeting at church. So I just saw the effects of the robbery. After that happened, my landlord had razor wire installed on the cement block wall that surrounds my house. It feels like a prison, because you can't see outside the wall unless you open the little or big gates used to enter and leave my property. I do have a doorbell on the outside wall. At most homes here you just holler "Buenos" or "Hola". There have been times where somebody will ring it as they're walking by. So unless I see somebody through the grate, I don't go to the gate. So on this particular night, it rang and I didn't see anybody. After a while, it was rang two more times with nobody there. The fourth time, it was nonstop. So I decided to open my door to say something to whomever. Well, I opened by wooden door, and then I unlocked the security door. And when I had opened it a few inches, a man grabbed my hands and shoved me, gently, back into my house. He had a nice long butcher knife pointed at me. I was startled when someone grabbed my hands, and I thought-well, so much for the razor wire. The young man demanded my money. So I gave him what was in my wallet. There was a little more than $150 because I had gone to the ATM earlier that day. He just kept pointing that knife at me. I had no fear. I was very clam, and I kept thinking what kind of pain was I going to have if he used it on me. And would he use it only one time or more. He told me to sit down on a dining room chair. Ok. But he was really nervous. And then I thought that maybe I would be going to go see my son that had passed away in September. No fear there. He took my cell phone and then picked up my computer. I told him in Spanish to please don't take my computer because I needed it for my job and to communicate with my kids in the states. PTL, he set it back down and went outside. He told me to close the door and don't call the police. I obeyed!! I walked around my yard the next morning and sure enough, he had opened a place in the razor wire in one of the corners in my back yard. I called my pastor who was in Tegus.The police arrived later with a brother from the church. They couldn't do anything. However, they came by several times in the following days to check on me. My landlord and my pastor both told me that I needed to move. My landlord's wife said it was just an idea but I could move to the house that they just finished building two doors down. When I asked what was the difference, both my pastor and landlord said that there would be neighbors on three sides of me, whereas now there is only one. I know that everybody in Valle knows who I am and where I live. I'm the gringa that teaches English and have lived here for eight years. And with walls around all, who's going to hear or see anything? And of course, there were actually two guys involved in this last robbery. One at the gate ringing the bell, and the other right outside my door. I don't like the thought of moving again but will wait and see.
Why didn't I have fear? Because Jesus told me that he would never leave me or forsake me. He is with me by his Holy Spirit all the time! People look a little embarrassed when I say that he is with me when I go to bed, when I go to town, when I go to the bathroom, when I take a shower, etc. He is with me everywhere all the time. A year or so ago, Cristofer, a teacher at the school, asked me what was my favorite verse in the Bible. I said all of them! I asked for his and he gave me Phil.4:13 that says I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. But that night I got to thinking about his question to me. Mine is that he, Jesus, will never leave me nor forsake me, Heb.13:5. That promise is repeated in several places in the scriptures. So what do I have to fear? Nothing can happen to me without God's express permission. And when it's my time to die, I'm going to die and I won't be alone. He will be with me, Ps.23.
So why did it happen? I don't have a clue. Maybe to reinforce my faith in him being always with me. I don't know and that's ok because I know that he knows. And as long as I know that, ALL is well.
Grace and peace.
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