Security

Grace & Uncle Matt at the park

It’s 6:45am and the house alarm starts going off.  Not really thinking about it, I jump out of bed and turn off the alarm, but then Megan says, “Wait a minute,what set it off?”  Looking at the system it says there has been some movement in the garage.  Immediately all sorts of thoughts zoom through my head.  Could this be a break-in?  Someone trying to steal the car?  What do we do?  Is it safe to move through the house?  How do we know what’s going on in the garage?  We can’t see anything from here.  If there is an armed man in the garage and we open the door to take a peek, we could be getting ourselves into more danger.  What do we do?  Call the security company…

In a few minutes the security company arrives, with a guard out front we open the garage door and then open the door to take a look around.  There’s nothing, nothing out of place, nothing to be seen, except for a small lizard.  “It could have been this guy,” the guard explains. “If he runs over the motion detector it can set it off.”  So much for our armed robber.

Peter at the Bunny Park

But the incident highlights the reality of life in Johannesburg--a place where crime is rampant and dangers are real.  As the owner of the house gave us instructions, he was very thorough in explaining all the different sorts of ways one needs to be diligent.  At first we thought, perhaps he is a little bit paranoid, but then as he pointed out the 3 neighbors and two family friends who had been affected by armed robbery, his precautions seemed warranted.
 
Africa is a vast continent and each part is different and unique.  It’s only natural to find ourselves comparing South Africa with the islands.  In South Africa, we are enjoying-- hot showers,malls, fast food, bacon, one-stop shopping, playgrounds, going to church, and privacy--we come and go and no one really knows who we are, where we are going, or when we’ll be back.  This is unheard of, nigh impossible on the islands.  There, everyone sees our comings and goings.  Having a leisurely lunch outside on the back porch (like we did today after church) would begin a neighborhood gathering in the islands.

On the other hand, on a family walk through the neighborhood in South Africa, we couldn’t help notice the razor wire, electric fences, guard dogs, and other security measures that surround every single home.  The price of privacy has resulted in each home being a small castle complete with fortifications.  On the islands, our neighbors are our protection.  Anyone trying to break into our house would be noticed by our neighbors and I really believe they would jump to defend us.  Added to this, everyone knows everyone on the islands so the anonymity that aids criminals in Joburg is nearly impossible.  Finally, on the islands violent crime is very rare and weapons are greatly limited.  We know of almost no islanders who own firearms except for the occasional soldier or police officer.  

David at the Bunny Park

Ultimately good community is good security.  On the islands we aren’t worried, and the next time I go walking alone late at night on island streets without the least bit of concern, I hope to remember to be thankful for one of the beautiful things about the islands. We may not have all the comforts and luxuries but people look after one another.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We have heard that our team is doing well in Kenya. We had a wonderful time with Uncle Matt! He was a great help and the kids loved playing with him. He is on his way back to the States as we type. We continue to be thankful for the excellent timing of this trip where we could have a house and car available to us (as friends are away from SA for the month). The kids are doing well. We were able to have doctor’s check-ups and dentist visits. 


PRAYERS REQUESTED
Continue to pray for Megan’s back (the main reason we’re in South Africa). She is going to PT twice a week and has been given exercises to do every two hours during the day. These aren’t always pleasant but we’re hoping it pays off. We’ve also been reminded today of our true Healer and so we pray for miraculous improvement as well. We just realized that Tom’s US driver’s license has expired and they won’t let him renew it overseas-- this means Megan has to do all the driving (which is something she is supposed to be limiting with her back)-- pray that this doesn’t have any negative effects and that Tom can get some kind of Island driver’s license so he can legally drive somewhere. Tom’s parents arrive this coming week- pray for their safe travels. Tomorrow should be the big holiday on the islands- pray that we would be able to make contact with our island friends tomorrow and maintain those relationships and encouraging brothers and sisters there.