truth #14: I am fine

I am fine.


I have repeated this to myself hundreds of times since 6:30pm. I think I can honestly say now, I am ok. This morning I asked God to speak His truth into my life, little did I know how that would come about.

I am not afraid.

Today at 6:30pm, I was robbed.

I was just walking home as always, maybe a little bit later but that was only because I had a meeting in the office that lasted longer than I thought it would. On my way home I passed my friend Lennart, who was going grocery shopping in the little tienda (shop) down the street. I said hello and asked him what he was cooking for dinner. Then I turned the corner onto my street. The street where I have lived for almost 8 months now, the street that feels a little like home now. Sitting on the curb were two guys. One had his pant leg rolled up and what hanging on to his knee like it was scraped and hurting. His friend leaned over him very concerned. In the back of my mind I thought how weird it was that he got hurt there as there was nothing to trip over. I just figured he must be a clutz like me. I just ignored them as I tend to to do all ecuadorian guys on the street. But as soon as I walked past them, just five steps from my front gate, the guy jumped up and ran up behind me. He stuck something in the small of my back like a gun and grabbed at the strap of my mini backpack. I had just taken the keys out of my bag to unlock my gate so only one strap of my backpack was on. I knew as soon as the guys got up that they were robbers but it was too late. I was rather clear headed and had absolutely no fear... but then again these two scrawny guys didn't really have what it takes to strike fear into the hearts of people. So I just pushed the guy behind me away and turned to face him and take my backpack away from him. I saw that he had something in his hand but it was not a gun like he hoped I would think. It was one of the folded knives with other gagets on it, and it was folded not opened. I kept asking them to just let me take my identification papers out, I just wanted my id card! But they wouldn't listen to me. I eventually let go of my backpack when he began to open the knife and the voice of reason won in my head. So off they ran with my little backpack, my cell phone, my wallet with my id papers and the huge sum of money ($10), my pin drive, my sunglasses that are falling apart, my favorite lipgloss and.... most depressing.... my camera.

One friend said to me "Tabitha you are suppose to be trying to stay safe." I immediately replied " I was being safe because I didn't follow my immediate desire to kick him in the.. shins and then break his nose." But I didn't do that only because there were two of them and I was one. They really were scrawny... After they ran off, I walked to the little store where Lennart was buying some potatoes. He was ready to tear off after them but they had already gone, he was a policeman in Holland before becoming a missionary in Ecuador. My field leader sent a text message to the stolen cell phone saying something like "Shame on you, you stole from a missionary!" The funny thing is that someone replied! We don't know if guy who replied really is an innocent bystander who just happened to find the sim card of a cell phone on a well traveled bridge after dark or if he is the robber who actually felt bad for stealing the stuff of a missionary OR if he is the robber who wants to find out where I am and steal more or worse.. He ended up calling my house phone but I said that he would need to talk with and meet with Roberto to give back the stuff because I was trying to be cautious. Whew. I guess we will see what happens.

At the beginning of my blog I said that I had prayed that God would speak truth into my life. Here is the truth that He has taught me if you haven't already guessed it.. I am fine. What happens to me doesn't matter, I am His responsibility. I don't belong to me. I don't have to worry or be afraid, even when bad things happen because He is still there, He always will be. I just need to look to His face always, nothing else matters. I think that we normally use another word for this concept:

Trust

I am fine.

I am not afriad.