Robbers and Muggers

Not to dwell too much on safety issues here in Latin America, but they are VERY real. Too real! Everyday we remind ourselves that we trust in the Lord and not in the razor wires that blanket the entrance into our courtyard. And we certainly don't trust in the three dead bolted doors any thief would have to pick to ransack our house or the barred windows that would keep even the fire department out. And we don't trust in the mace we constantly carry with us or even in the sensible "street smarts" we think we are developing. Last week a guy was held up at gun-point at 5 p.m. in the park we walk through, twice a day, to go to and from school. He was unharmed, but his cell phone was stolen and the gun was fired several times - probably to scare him. A house on that same street was also robbed last week. On Sunday, we got a "prayer" e-mail about our Supervisor in Lima, Peru. His house was broken into and ransacked. He arrived to find his computers and electronic stuff swiped, a front door that needs to be replaced and a roughed up house. It could've been much worse. Or, it could've not happened at all. Praise God he was not home and his wife and daughter were in the states. This brother was out sharing Christ while this happened in broad daylight - as is common in Latin America. Most people just want your stuff (for money to eat or for their addictions) and usually don't want to hurt you. After we found out about this occurrence, we didn't sleep so well on Sunday evening. It's amazing how many strange sounds you hear when you're living in fear. On Monday, coincidentally, the topic for the day in barefooting class was "security." We spent the better part of today covering it, too. We were told that we probably should get to the place where we accept that we will get robbed at some point - as most everyone we have talked to here has been at one time or another in their life (some people multiple times - either on the street or their house burglarized). Can you imagine just accepting that this is going to happen to you? We also need to get to the point of total, utter trust in the Lord and the fact that His word says "He is our provider, protector and shelter and He will rescue us from our enemies." His word doesn't say this so we have something warm and fuzzy to read every now and then; it says this to comfort us in our time of need. Our time of need is now and we lift up our eyes knowing that our help comes from the Lord, maker of Heaven and Earth. Our safety is in His hands, not in the mace that has found a permanent home in our pockets. It is very easy to trust in the man-made protection we see all around, but God has gently reminded us to trust in what we cannot see as this is true faith and true protection.