The Morning I got Robbed at the Cross…
I was so happy to be back in Antigua, Guatemala! A place that I lived in and deeply loved. My friends from O squad and I were there for the weekend and I was loving taking them to my favorite restaurants and showing them all of my favorite places to go around town. One of my favorite places to show people and go to myself was the cross on top of the hill which overlooks the entire city. I used to go up there all the time when I lived here and often would jog up there, work out there, and just go there to think and pray. I have been there more times than I could even count and I couldn’t wait to share it with people that I loved!
So we decided to head up there for an early morning sunrise to do some worship and pray together. In the past I have heard it is not safe to be up there when it was dark out, but even though it was 5:30 in the morning, it was light out and I didn’t think twice about it being dangerous. So the four of us headed up to the cross around 5:15 am and arrived around 5:30 am. We were sitting on a bench in front of the cross taking in the view and watching the beautiful sun light shine on the volcano and the city that was at the center of our view.
Kevin was just getting his guitar out as we were exited to start our day with worship and prayer thanking God for the gift to be alive! As Kevin began to gently strum the guitar and I was just about to close my eyes to pray, I suddenly noticed something out of the corner of my eye and instantly jumped up and starting yelling, “No, No, No!” There were three men with bandanna’s covering their faces up to their eyes holding large jagged rocks and sticks who snuck up behind us about a foot away. Instantly fear took over and all I could think about was being stoned and having the rocks thrown at us. I yelled to the others to run and started to run away to lead us away from the danger. Once I got a couple feet away I turned around to make sure the girls and Kevin were safely behind me. As the girls ran past me one of the men ran up to me with the rock and pushed me down the stairs near the cross. He then began to go towards Andie, one of the girls from my squad that was with us. As he got closer and closer to her she yelled at him and said, “Stop, I rebuke you in Jesus’ name.” He stood a couple feet away from her looking at her but did not touch her. When I got up from being pushed down I saw one of the men attacking Kevin with a large stick and Kevin was fighting back with his guitar (that’s some worship warfare if you ask me lol).
As my mind went to the girls and could only think of the worst of what these guys might try doing to them, I ran towards Andie and the robber ran away. I then looked at Andie and Meg and told them to run down the mountain as fast as they could. Once they left to head down the mountain and I knew they were safe, I went to help Kevin but by that time the robbers had taken most of his stuff and ran away. Yet he still had his guitar and besides each of our legs being a little scraped up we were not harmed. Kevin and I then ran down the mountain to get to safety and look for the girls.
We both were really shaken up, and even though the robbery probably only lasted 30 seconds or so, it felt very intense and was something that really impacted us both. When we got down the mountain we could not find the girls. Then something hit me and God’s courage and love started to overcome my fear. I told Kevin that we must go back up and find the girls. He said, “Ryan, we can’t, what if there still up there waiting for us?” I looked at him and said, “Kevin, we have to go back up there! What if they caught the girls, we cannot let them hurt them!” Then I turned and started running up the stairs to the cross up the mountain as fast as I could and Kevin instantly followed with no hesitation.
As I ran up the mountain I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but as I prayed God prepared my mind to defend the girls at all cost and to do whatever was needed to protect my family in Christ. I was scared and didn’t know what would happen, but God filled Kevin and I with courage in the midst of our fear. We got back up close to the cross and started running through the woods yelling their names looking for them. Yet we couldn’t find them. We ran through the woods down the mountain where I saw them run. Kevin ran without shoes because his sandals fell off when the robbers attacked us. We climbed over walls and finally made it back to the street, but still could not find Meg or Andie anywhere.
Then suddenly when we were about to start losing hope of where they went or where they could be, we saw them down the street. They had circled around and was standing at the bottom of the stairs and were screaming our names and looking for us. We ran towards each other and hugged each other rejoicing that everyone was safe!
We then made it back to our hostel safely and then went to the police station reporting the incident. It has been about two weeks since the robbery happened and I just got back from testifying today about what happened.
The last couple of weeks we all have been on edge. I have been jumpy and have became nervous when people snuck up on me or have approached me suddenly. Yet we have pushed through the fear and are declaring that this incident will not control us nor define our thoughts or feelings about Guatemala. We are all planning on going back up to the cross soon again (not at 5:30 am this time, but during the daylight when police are there) to do what we originally went to do, to worship and pray together. We are going to go back to the place that we got attacked and robbed at and are going to celebrate that the Lord protected us and helped us.
After the attack I felt somewhat hurt by God. We had things stolen, and I asked God why he didn’t protect us and where He was at when we got robbed? But then He spoke to me, and showed me that the robbers were sneaking up behind us to hurt us, but that He protected us by helping us see them which prevented us from being harmed. We may have had things stolen, but the girls were not touched and besides a couple scrapes on our legs, Kevin and I were not harmed either.
So I felt led to share this blog not to say that Antigua, Guatemala is a dangerous place or to prevent people from going up to the cross. I’m sharing this blog to share God’s faithfulness and how The Lord protected us and helped us. I feel closer to God now because of this and have learned and experienced a deeper aspect of God, my Father’s heart, character. and love.
I also have learned a lot about what the true essence of having courage in the midst of fear is like. I will admit for the first 10-15 seconds, fear took over. But I have learned and am continuing to learn that there is no such thing as a “fearless leader.” Yet there are people who have fear but then choose to face them. I had fear that day, for myself, and even more so for the girls that I was with. But through my fear the Lord gave myself and Kevin courage to face our fears and to head back up that mountain to protect our friends and family.
I’m learning that is what true courage is, not the absence of fear, but the essence of choosing to face and overcome your fears in the midst of having them.”
When Jesus carried the cross up the hill, He could have had thousands of angels from heaven come and rescue him at any second, yet he chose not to fight back but to face the fear of death and He conquered it with Love. He conquered sin and death on the cross with the true Love from and for His Father in heaven and the true love for all of His people (us.)!
Perfect love overcomes fear and thats where the essence of true courage comes from (1 John 4:18).
I know in life things happen and that fear is a powerful force that can paralyze us. In more ways than I would like to admit, I struggle with fear. I’m not saying that If I got robbed again that I wouldn’t have fear, I know I would. But I hope and pray that through God’s love, I would have the courage in the midst of fear to face my fears and do what God has called me to do…to protect and love!
So wherever you are at today and whatever you are going through, trust that you are not alone and that through God’s love, your faith, and the courage of Christ that lives within you by the power and life of His Holy Spirit, that you can overcome your fears in the midst of the storm.
“Through Him, who strengthens us we are more than conqueres…and nothing, NOTHING can seperate us from HIS LOVE!”
Being fearless isn’t the absence of having fear, but it’s letting love and courage fill you up with the strength to face your fears to help, protect, and love others!
“Have I not commanded you to be Strong and Courageous, do not be afraid or discouraged;
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
A couple of days after I wrote this blog my friends and I went back to the cross where we were robbed. We went back to take back ground in our hearts that the enemy had stolen and to replace the bad memories with memories of God’s love, provision, and protection. We went back to the cross to do what we originally went to do, to worship, pray, and spend time in God’s living presence!
