Stolen by Design
It was nearly one year ago that we woke up one morning on our way to church and found that three of our windows had been shot out of our mini-van. I wrote about it in a blog last year called “Shattered by Design“. I have debated whether or not to publish this blog or to keep it private. My desire is not to draw attention to my family or us, but to magnify God in our circumstance, in this hope alone I share with your our circumstances.
Before I begin, let me tell you that it will be six years in July that we have lived in the North East of Kansas City. We moved here that long ago for several reasons. The chief motives at the time were for discipleship, I was moving nearer to the person that was teaching me and caring for my soul spiritually. The next motive was to purchase a home for a lesser value than the one we were previously living in, out in Independence. The third reason at the time was to move into the city to minister to the nations. I have a degree in Spanish and in my employment I use it little, however in my neighborhood I have much opportunity. As we have stayed in the City I have seen the more desperate need for Christians to move back into the city because it is one of the most unchurched, or unsoundly churched populations in the United States of America. Most of the congregations which have sound doctrine have moved out to the suburbs. This not to say all churches in the city have little doctrine but there are few. Where there are not churches there are mosque’ and Buddhist temples, kingdom halls, many cults have infiltrated the cities yet many or most of the “Christians” are not represented in the city.
We moved here in spite of safety concerns, trusting God would be our provider, and He has provided each step of the way. We did not move down here because the sole purpose was cheaper housing, we did not move down to the city because it was in the center of town and we could get to places more easily, we moved down to both be discipled and to make more disciples.
We had a rough beginning in the city when we went through a church “plant/split/shipwrecking” however, it was an amazing time of growth. God saw fit to bring us toward FCC where we have never been more blessed by sound preaching and teaching then at any one time in our life. However our mindset in the city has been to become like missionaries in this city. Most people, told us we were crazy, out of our minds. Between friends and family members you would have thought we had just purchased a ticket to the loony bin, we saw it as an opportunity to be obedient to God’s word and not live for this life, at least as much of not living for this life at the time, which God had revealed to us.
This was where we are to plant our feet, and make disciples, yet we have been attending our church at FCC in the suburbs. It’s been difficult in attempting to figure out how to minister to people in the city and yet attend a church in the suburbs. It’s hard to bridge the gap at times, although God is able at all times in all ways to do these things. When we first arrived to the church people would ask us where we were from and why we were living down there. It’s hard to say we’re living in the city to minister to the people, without feeling as if you’re sounding self-righteous. Somehow it seems honorable if you go abroad but for whatever reason if you are living as a missionary/tent maker in the city, you’re a little radical, or a little out there. Perhaps is our American Seek ye Comfort of Culture first ideology, I am unsure.
Regardless we’ve been at our church for a few years now, we have held back yard bible clubs, held out reaches from our home, yet nothing really has brought our neighborhood together, until the past two weeks. God has answered our prayers in ways that we or really (I) had not anticipated. We have been praying for opportunities to get in closer with our neighbors. To begin to bring light into the darkness. Yet God does things in ways I do not quite understand, I thank Him that His ways are higher than my ways.
It all began the night that Richard Owens Roberts Preached at FCC, I came home and even though under some great conviction about prayerlessness, we made it to sleep. We had our fan on and the window cracked. My wife woke up to look outside at 1:30-ish am as it was lightening and raining, and our Blue Mini-Van had been stolen… It was simply GONE. Yes right out in front of our home.
Let me put this in perspective a little bit, our car windows have been broken out of our mini-van , we think, eleven times now in almost six years, many of those were attempts at auto-theft, and this morning our new van had been stolen. You can enlarge the pictures below by clicking on them.
I’m not showing all of the pictures, the lining out of the top of the van was ripped, the dvd player was ripped out and the wiring for the dvd player. they ripped the seats, and then drew a picture of a demon or a devil on the dashboard.
This devastated my family, my children, each time it is difficult for them to understand how the heart of deceitfully wicked people could be so wicked. We are one of the few people on our street that do not have off street parking. Had we known better we would not have purchased a home without one down here, but God knows what we need better than we do, and thus had these lessons in mind for our family before the foundations of the world!
We prayed for the people which stole our car, it appeared to be a gang initiation, and we were also aware that this was extremely spiritual as well. I confess I have not prayed enough, for them, and as I write this blog post, I am convicted that I must pray more for them. We were able to get a rental and we had made a decision that this time we were not going to be hasty and go purchase a vehicle but stop and save for a vehicle or perhaps wait on the Lord to provide one in time. We had one more mini-van, and our school year is over this Friday so we thought we will just make it one more week with the rental and we will be just fine. God will provide.
Saturday morning at 4:30 am we hear our door bell ringing and ringing. we quickly dress and run down to the bottom of our stairs and there are two neighbors standing outside. They said that two kids just hopped into our van and took off down the street.
We were nearly in shock and dumbfounded that our other car had been stolen less than two weeks from the last one. It’s been so heart breaking and we hadn’t even gotten the other one settled yet before this one had been stolen out from underneath us. Our neighbor from across the street rushed over and said she had heard a crash right after it happened. Some other neighbors looked down the block and saw our van wrapped around a telephone pole only a half a block away. The police officer said when they broke the ignition they probably messed up the steering and when they drove off so fast to get away the probably lost control of the van because the steering was affected by the ignition break and they hit driver-side into the telephone pole.
After much devastation, and being completely amazed that we have now had 11 car windows crashed in almost 6 years and 2 stolen vehicles in two weeks, after we had gotten through all of the thoughts of “Are we being targeted by someone”. and or we know that Satan is attempting to steal our faith, and our joy, I sat back and asked God why? I mean another $5oo deductible lord? How am I going to get from place to place now? I must provide for my family? How Lord does this work? It caused me to ponder all of these things over and over again, asking God why?
Then in church today really before church started and I was thinking over the previous day and all of its problems I remembered several things. I remembered that all of my neighbors later on in the morning were gathering outside of our home. They are all watching how we handle this tragedy, we were able to talk about Jesus slightly with some men in the neighborhood, and our neighbor across the street is ready for us to begin a monthly prayer meeting in our home for the neighborhood. And then I realized….
God answered our prayer, he’s bringing our neighborhood together, He’s magnifying His name! He’s humbling me and my family…. He’s providing, He’s rebuilding! He’s restoring! He’s opening doors with these people I would not have otherwise. And then I realize my own failure, and my lack of faith, and my foolishness and I realize God is faithful, and good, and wise, and sovereign. I’m sure the further away we get from the incident the more we will be able to see God’s grace, and God calls this sanctification and says that it’s purpose is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ.
I look forward to sharing these things with my family, after having written them out to solidify them. He is a good God. Please pray that our neighbors would come to know Christ, that Christ would call them to Himself! May God be glorified in this trial.
And I thank him for all his blessings and trials because in spite of my faithlessness he is God who is always faithful.
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? -1 Peter 4:12-17
Popularity: 40% [?]
I am keeping you guys in my prayers. The Lord is there, and I am glad you can see that. It must be frustrating and overwhelming. I don’t know if it was God’s will for something so horrible to happen, but I do know he can use such things to his glory. I do know that he works all things to good for them that love him. You are an encouragement for me just to read this post.
[...] a few weeks ago we had our second mini-van stolen. Look here to see the blog on this ! God has been gracious in providing us transportation and two vehicles. The first vehicle was a [...]
[...] the windows, or the car crashes, but I’ve already done that, (shattered windows)here, (stolen)here, the final word here [...]