saturday morning, i woke up to my friend abby sitting up in our bed asking if i knew where our phones were. i’m like “abby, at the foot of our bed where we normally put them”, and then went to grab mine wondering why my alarm hadn’t gone off yet. but our phones weren’t there, and they hadn’t fallen off onto the ground either. our next thought was that someone was playing a prank on us so we went to see if haley had her phone-she was still asleep but her phone was there. looking around the room i noticed that my wallet was gone and abby noticed her backpack and computer were gone.
that was when we realized we needed to acknowledge the fact that our stuff was actually gone and not misplaced. we woke up our squad leaders and gel noticed that another teammate, abigail’s backpack was on the front lawn. the three of us went down to get it and inside it we found passports, drivers licenses, notes that had been taken out of the inside of our phone cases, medicine, and insurance cards. all belonging to the six of us staying in that room.
my phone, credit card, and about $120 cash were not in there though. along with 3 computers, 2 other phones, $250 more in cash, and 2 backpacks.
im usually a very emotional person, but that entire morning i felt nothing. i felt so empty inside.
that afternoon i began to feel sad. but not for my possessions, for the people who broke into our room. my heart still hurts for them, for the emptiness and brokenness that they must feel to do something like this.
later i began to feel fear. i didn’t sleep much (if at all) that next night, and haven’t slept great since then. and i’m also realizing that its okay. because waking up and realizing that while we were asleep, there were people that climbed up onto our second floor balcony, walked through our room and came within feet of me is unsettling. it’s okay to not feel great about that situation. however, God literally provides a blanket of peace and comfort over us through the Holy Spirit. He provides us with safety and forgiveness, He gives us everything we need even with nothing. each night since, members of the local church have sat outside the hostel all night to make sure we are safe. during the day other people from the church have come to keep watch and protect us. the police are investigating and were very present that first morning.
am i sad that my money and phone were taken? yeah. was i planning to have to find a few hundred dollars to buy a new phone anytime soon? no. is it going to take a little bit to fully process? yeah. but will it be okay in the end? definitely.
the morning before this happened, i wrote the following in my journal:
“Lord, i pray that you teach me to slow down and rest in your presence. i want to be satisfied in you and you alone. i don’t want there to be a moment in my life that i need to remind myself to turn to you-instead i want that to be the very first thing i do. always. Father, i want to sing your praises all my life, not just the happy moments but even in the dark, because you are my protector forever. you are my teacher, my friend, my safeguard. in you i fear no evil, for you never let go”
today and forever, i sing praises that our God is good. our God does not punish or tease us. He provides, protects, and loves us. im thankful that while we are all light sleepers, God kept us asleep during the incident. im thankful for time to be satisfied in Him and Him alone. with no worldly distractions or desires.
my prayer is that during this time with nothing, i can learn what satisfaction in the Lord looks like. i pray for the hearts of the people who took our stuff, i pray that they can learn to know and experiences God’s love whether its through the actions or words of others. i pray, Lord, for continued unity within our squad, that together we can continue to dive headfirst into the scary and the new. that we can together experience the uncomfortable while finding satisfaction and peace in your presence.
much love,
julia
*i will be off the grid a little more than i have been since i do not have a phone, but i will continue to post blogs and be in contact when possible. know that my team and i are safe and praising God even in the dark. we are headed back to quito on tuesday afternoon and will there start the last month and a half of our time in ecuador*
