"Be quiet or I'll shoot you!"
"Be quiet or I'll shoot you!" (This happened a few years ago!)
These were the words that I heard from the dark figure at 4 a.m. in the morning. I was in an unfamiliar bed, house, city, and country, waiting for the Africa Mercy to arrive. Was this a dream? A moment earlier I had heard a noise in the bathroom. When I tried to turn on the light next to my bed it did not come on, so I grabbed my trusty Mercy Ships water bottle and went to investigate (I'm not sure what I was thinking, but the water bottle was my best foggy-headed attempt at self-defense!).
As I entered the bathroom, I saw two men with flashlights. One was climbing between the security bars and in through the window. His first foot was on the floor. The second was outside the window assisting the first. I yelled at the two men and cried out for help. Everything seemed to be in slow motion; my distress call sounded distorted. Surely this was a dream. Was this real? What was I to do?
The intruder had only one way out. He had to get past me. He threatened me as he approached and began to push. We scuffled for a minute or so before he broke free and ran out of the house, breaking right through a sliding glass door. By this time, my house-mates were up and reassuring me that my cries for help were being heard. "Good timing," I thought! The lights were still out and everyone was grabbing their flashlights and trying to make sense of what had happened. The next thing I heard was, "Brian, you are bleeding. Your back has a huge cut
on it and you are bleeding!" The first thought that went through my mind was to take a picture of the wound so that I could show my wife and others so they would believe my story. I also thought, "This will make a good post on Facebook." The police finally arrived and took our statements. They told us that this type of break-in happens often and that it could have been worse. I was also asked not to post the story on Facebook! Why do I share this story? In the past 20 years we have served with Mercy Ships, the Lord has been faithful to us. Whether living onboard ship, in Africa or in our home country of the US, the Lord protects us and provides for us in every situation. I choose to trust Him in every and all circumstances. And how I respond to what happens to me make a big difference in the outcome - especially when I do not understand. Trust Him! He is faithful!
Proverbs 3:5-6
" Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight."
