Robbed!

Well, something happened to me this week that I was just waiting for. Theft is pretty common around here, and sooner or later pretty much every missionary has something stolen. My parents were here in April, and during their visit my mom and I were in town. As we got into our truck, a man came to my window and gestured frantically toward the back, and someone thumped on the back bumper. This is a ploy to get you to exit your vehicle hurridly, leaving your valuables open to theft in the front seat of the car (usually your purse). Having heard about this from other missionaries, and having already had it tried on me twice before, I simply smiled at him and yelled "thief!". He gave me a disgusted look and walked away, and as we drove away, I commented to my mom: "Well, we didn't "get it" this time, but one of these days I am going to make a mistake and let down my guard, and I am going to 'get it'."

This was my week. I left my purse on the floor of the front seat on a quiet street in town while I ran in for just a minute to pick up Ben from preschool. While I was coming out, we heard the alarm going off, but didn't see anything. As we entered the car, I noticed that the back door on the other side of the car was unlocked and saw that my purse was gone from the front. They had smashed the small window in the back, put an arm in to unlock the door, jumped in and grabbed the bag. I pushed Ben into the truck, and jumped in the driver's seat, and we took off to find the perpetrator! Of course, he was long gone and we drove up and down the streets in vain. Ben thought it was all very exciting.

In my purse was my driver's licenses (International and New York), credit card (now canceled), bank cards, my identification document with my Mozambique visa (critical for a foreigner in Moz), my wallet, cell phone and house keys. All of those things are replaceable, for which I am very grateful. There was less than $10 in the purse, so there was no great financial loss. There will be the costs and hassle of replacing all those documents, and we'd appreciate prayers that it all comes through before we leave for Malawi on December 5th. The cell phone was a cheapie, but it is a pain to lose all my numbers! It is the house keys that worry me the most. We've changed the outside padlocks, but it is harder and much more expensive to replace all the interior locks and outside door locks. Lost my Leatherman utility knife too. :-(

Of course, there is that icky feeling one gets when one has been a victim of a crime. Your personal effects are now in the hands of a "bad guy" and your dear family photos from your wallet are thrown in a garbage can somewhere. He has your organ donor card and your name and photo on your driver's license. It is is not a pleasant feeling. However, I don't have that feeling of anger and helplessness that I expected I would feel. Maybe because I figured it would happen sooner or later, and I'm thankful that I didn't have a bunch of cash, my PDA, or anything dear to me in that bag!

I spent the afternoon at two different police stations, which really did a number on my back. I've been having back problems and finally feeling a bit better, but three hours of sitting on wooden chairs has set me back quite a bit. The police were quite friendly and pleasant, however, though one asked quite pointedly if I were married and if I live with my husband and wanted me to teach him English. Sorry buddy, not interested. Reports were filled out in longhand, to the tune of an hour per report (3 reports). I was given a paper to show that my documents were stolen, to help procuring new ones (no help for USA documents, since it is in Portuguese! And I was told to report to the police investigations unit on Tuesday to see what they've found. I have no hope of seeing my bag again, though I do hope that somehow my documents will be recovered and maybe even the house keys. There is so much petty crime here, though, that the police are completely overwhelmed and unless a bribe is paid, usually nothing is done. So, we'll begin the process of replacing everything.

I am so grateful that if I was going to "get it",it ws in this manner. No violence, no fear, nothing irreplaceable taken. Enjoy your new Leatherman knife, Mr. Criminal. - C