ALTHOUGH A BIT SHAKEN . . . WE'RE OKAY

It was a dark and dreary night . . . but Heavenly Father was watching over us!

We had just returned from a missionary appointment to the parking lot of our apartment complex. It was just a few minutes before 9:00 pm. The front door was less than 75 feet away as we locked the car and walked steadily towards the entrance. We saw a lone man walking in our direction on the sidewalk but didn't particularly think anything about it. As he came closer, I cheerfully said, "Good evening."

And then, we both saw him slowly begin to raise a large handgun from his side as he said, "Give me everything you've got, or I'll blow your heads off!"

"We're missionaries and don't carry much money," Sister Lindsay replied as she handed him a few dollars. He then made a second demand for me to give him all that I had repeating his intention to blow my ____ head off if I refused to comply. Recognizing that life is worth much more than money, I turned over what limited cash I had in my wallet. Without touching us physically or requiring us to turn over credit cards and car keys, the armed robber turned away from us and strode purposely at a brisk walking pace across the parking lot towards the main road.

Baltimore County Police K-9 Unit at the crime scene

As soon as we were safely inside our apartment, we called 911 to report what had happened. In less than 5 minutes, the Baltimore County Police Department responded with at least 6 police cruisers and 2 special K-9 units. Just a few moments later, a police helicopter with a strong searchlight was circling overhead. We met with two uniformed officers and provided them with as much information as possible regarding what had happened together with a description of the armed assailant.

In spite of their best efforts working with their two K-9 dogs and the helicopter, the thief was able to get away. Later, the policemen told us that this was a random armed robbery, probably someone wanting money for drugs; and we were the first ones that the thief spotted as he walked through our apartment complex. I thanked them for their prompt assistance and kindness and said that we appreciated the efforts of their dogs, too. The K-9 officer smiled and said, "My dog had a wonderful time in the woods." And then these men told me that they were very sorry that we had to go through this ordeal tonight.

Sister Lindsay and I are thankful that Heavenly Father provided the protection that we needed to escape with our lives tonight. Without his loving support, this encounter might have had a very different ending. After things had settled down, I called our mission president to report what had happened to us. He was stunned by what I told him but also grateful that we were not harmed.

We live in a degenerate world with lots of desperate people. But still, the gospel of Jesus Christ will ultimately prevail. Meanwhile, good and evil exist side by side in the place where we have been called to serve the Lord. When we submitted our mission applications, we promised that we would go where He wants us to go. So here we will stay unless and until He calls us elsewhere!