With a Machete at My
Throat: Life looks a little different
I write this account of what happened to me 24 hrs ago to
bring glory to our God; for He has delivered me from the hands of evil and
spared my life. He is a God who loves me and has never forsaken me. He is the
mighty protector and redeemer. Here it is my story…
It was Monday, July 19th… 5 days after team Seven
was robbed at gunpoint in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. I have been with team 7 from the day the robbery took place;
praying peace over them, for joy to return, holding them as they cry and
sharing precious moments of laughter together. As I poured my heart out to them, I cried out to God to help
me understand, to truly feel their pain, and to understand their heart with raw
and true empathy.
On this Monday, we were set out to truly relax and find
peace after such a traumatic incident.
We were located at a beach resort that looked like it was from a picture
in a Caribbean cruise magazine, it was beautiful & peaceful. I hadn’t taken
a moment alone for myself in months, so I set out to run along the waterfront
so I could worship God and thank Him for sparing the lives of my
teammates. Moments after I began
my run I noticed a man walking along the beach behind me, but I refused to be
filled with fear so I continued onward…..The second time I turned the man was
in a full speed run towards me.
My heart sank with fear and I realized that I had nowhere to
run, no one to run to, no shelter, no weapon, just faith in the Lord and the
power of prayer. The man grabbed me from behind and started to frantically grab
and hit at my chest; in that moment I assumed the worst…..that robbing me
wasn’t his motivation. As I stopped in my panic I found a large rusted machete
at my neck and face. I screamed
“Oh God please, please don’t kill me…take anything that you want… Take it
all….� My eyes were fixated on the
large blade that was threatening my life in a way that disabled my basic motor
skills. He continued to pursue and hit at my chest, at which point I sobered
up enough to realize that my i-pod was in his hands and that my headphones were
caught up in my shirt. After he successfully retrieved my ipod he continued frantically yelling at me in Swahili; he wanted the watch from my wrist. With weak hands I took my watch off as
quickly as possible and the man immediately took his machete and ran away.
I turned and ran back to the resort as quick as my legs
could move me, barefoot and sobbing.
A local man on the shore who witnessed the whole thing, and refused to
come to my rescue yelled out to me and wave, “Good Afternoon Miss.!� He said this with a crooked smile and
laughed as if I was his entertainment for the afternoon….his deceivious tone
chilled my bones, and in that moment, the only words that I could muster was “Mugu
Akubarikiâ€� – Swahili for “God
Bless You.�
I praise God that I wasn’t hurt, and that an i-pod and watch
was all that was taken from me. I praise God that he answered my prayers and
now I know every emotion team 7 must have gone through. I praise God that he
relentlessly blesses my life with amazing people and amazing experiences. I
praise God with every ounce of my being for the grace and love he pours over us
daily. I praise Him for every
waking moment I get to serve Him and love others in the nations. I thank him for each life on the N squad….Thank you for your continued protection, as not a single one of us has been hurt in these incidents. Daily He is showing me to live vibrantly, live joyously and without fear. Thank you Jesus.
Psalm 27:1-4
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation-
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the
stronghold of my life-
of whom shall I be
afraid?
2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my
flesh,
when my enemies
and my foes attack me,
they will stumble
and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not
fear;
though war break
out against me,
even then will I
be confident.
4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I
seek:
that I may dwell
in the house of the LORD
all the days of my
life,
to gaze upon the
beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in
his temple.
