No Pics, But Worth Telling

A young lady (Rosemarie) who is in charge of community outreach at our church called me last month to tell me she met a woman (Gertrude) at the food shelter. Rosemarie said Gertrude was the sweetest old lady, and after talking for a while found out she could use a little help clearing out a large amount of garbage from her home in East Palo Alto. So, a few weeks later my dad, Rosemarie and myself worked for couple of hours filling up my dump trailer with all kinds of crap. Additionally, we cut down Gertrude's weeds, raked and cleaned off the walkway and patio. It was a solid two hours of productivity, turning the backyard from a dump to being useable, safe, and clean.

We were pumped getting back into my truck, excited about how well it went and how happy Gertrude was to have her yard cleaned up. Then things went downhill. Rosemarie asked if she brought her purse and I told her that I saw it on the floor in the back seat of my truck. When she couldn't find it, I immediately looked for my wallet in the door of my truck, and it was gone as well. I knew they had been stolen, and I was surprised because I made a point to lock the truck since the neighborhood was really sketchy. Rosemarie had her car keys (no spare), a new makeup bag (which I've been told from multiple women is very expensive), cell phone and a wallet in her purse. In my wallet, in addition to my credit cards, I kept a card of paper with my bank account numbers on it (dumb!).

Rosemarie went in to tell Gertrude what had happened, and her grandchildren said it was probably the teenagers across the street as "they are always stealing". Well, there wasn't much that could be done, so we left. I was surprised by how well I was dealing with the theft. I've had other things stolen in the past and it always infuriated me. This time, the only thing I was mad about was the amount of time I would spend at the DMV waiting in line trying to get a new license. I started to ponder why I wasn't so furious and the following thoughts came to my mind...

I was in a bad neighborhood and I left my truck unlocked: stupid. Even though I was being a "Good Christian" by helping someone less fortunate, that didn't make me immune to my surroundings. In fact it makes me a bigger target as I'm not as aware or prepared in a foreign setting. My wife and I support some missionaries in Africa. I can think of two accounts they have shared where a group of thugs have attacked their community specifically targeting them and have almost beaten to death innocent people. If they wanted to stay out of harm's way they wouldn't be missionaries in Africa. It is easy to prevent these types of situations by avoiding dangerous areas, but when one feels compelled to help others, safety becomes a lessor priority. The same can be said for those who serve in the military, Red Cross, etc.

It has been a couple weeks since my wallet was stolen. It was a hassle to go to the DMV, cancel credit cards, and monitor accounts, but I'm glad I went to help Gertrude. She was very appreciative and I know it made life easier for her and her grandchildren. Next time I'll make sure to lock my doors!