Personal safety is not something that we take for granted here in Brazil, and lately there has been a dramatic increase in the number of assaults among people we know personally.
The most prominent assault occurred two weeks ago when Bobby Dennis, one of my students at FA, was robbed after youth group on Saturday night. He had planned to spend the night at a friend’s house and the two were walking by themselves on a secluded road near the church. Two armed men pulled up on a motorcycle and took Bobby’s backpack, which had his laptop, his palm pilot, and his billfold; they took his friend Casio’s cell phone as well. It was definitely a successful robbery.
In some aspects, the two brought on their own misfortune. They shouldn’t have been walking on that road by themselves at that hour; but upon their return (via bus) from a youth outing, they decided to walk the rest of the way home instead of calling and waiting for someone to pick them up. At the same time, they could just as easily have been assaulted while waiting at the bus stop. Ironically, they were assaulted on the “safe part” of the road, after having passed through the more dangerous section.
It’s unfortunate, but robberies, especially with motorcycles, are becoming more and more common – and at all hours of the day. I’ve heard of four incidents in the last few months.
The first was the brother of recently returned Luis Coelho who serves under BMM with his wife Shari. (I believe they’ve presented at Faith.) Luis’s brother was struck in the face by a rock while driving his motorcycle by would-be assailants, another growing practice here. The robbers toss a rock in front of a motorcycle driver, often causing the driver to lose control and crash; then the robbers take his belongings and either kill the drive or leave him to die, if he has not already done so in the crash. In an amazing act of grace, God allowed Luis’s brother to maintain his balance in spite of the severity of the blow which hit him directly in the face (the assailants are well-practiced in tossing the rocks) and smashed every bone therein. Five minutes later, when he arrived at his destination, one eye was swollen shut with only a small slit through which to see on the other. I don’t know how many reconstructive surgeries he has had since then.
Another was Dona Edissa, the Portuguese teacher at FA. She visited the bank one afternoon with her sister who took out a large sum of money. As they were entering the front gate of Da. Edissa’s home, two men on a motorcycle pulled up, and one followed the two women into the front area where he pulled out a gun. The gunman didn’t ask Da. Edissa for her purse but only demanded that of her sister. When the sister refused, he shot the gun into the ground as a warning. Da. Edissa fainted and the sister gave the assailant her bag. Obviously, the two men had been tipped off, but the question remains by whom? It’s sad to think that it was most likely somebody at the bank.
The next was an attempted robbery that occurred a few weeks ago while Fred was waiting for a bus downtown. A motorcycle pulled up to a woman who was standing off from the group (perhaps waiting for a person to pick her up instead of the bus). He pulled out a gun and would have assaulted her, but her scream forced him to rapidly drive off.
Last month, Karen, a friend and pastor’s wife, was talking on her cell phone while standing on a median in the middle of the street. A motorcyclist drove by and snatched the phone out of her hand.
Many worry about our ministry in Edson Queiroz, a notoriously dangerous neighborhood, but the reality is that assaults and violence are a danger everywhere. We try to be responsible and minimize the risks we take; but at the same time, we recognize and trust in God’s sovereignty and control.
Today at lunch, I learned of two more recent assaults; one, unfortunately, was Da. Edissa who was robbed of her bus money by a teenage girl wielding a broken bottle as her weapon. The other was the father of one of my students at FA who, while sitting in a guarded recreational park, had some teenagers approach him with a gun. They initially robbed him of everything – including his shoes – and intended to kill him, but his calm manner and God-given wisdom to speak to them about God’s awareness of their actions pricked their conscience; and they eventually let him go, restoring all of his belongings but his money. Da. Edissa also spoke to her assailant about God’s awareness of the situation, but it did not have the same effect – yet more proof of God’s sovereignty.
Sometimes I wonder how I will respond when (not if) I am finally assaulted. As common as it is to be robbed, it is not an experience easily forgotten (so I am told). Pray for the faith of those robbed to continue to trust in God’s protection as well as His wisdom as to whether or not the stolen items are ever restored. Please pray also for wisdom in our daily interactions. In the last two robberies mentioned, the assailants first approached the victims with “innocent” intentions. Continue to pray for our daily personal safety, as well as those around us.
In spite of the dangers, I am thankful for how life in Brazil has taught me to devalue things. I know of no better description for seaside Fortaleza than in Matthew 6:19-21 where it says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The only thing I would add to that list is mold, especially during rainy season! So much more reason to look forward to heaven!