We’ve Been Robbed!

When I was seven years old we lived in Hayward, California. I was born in Dillingham, Alaska, but then I’m not sure where my parents went, but by the time I started school we were living in California. When I was seven, I had to get my tonsils out. I went to school that day, but my mom was going to pick me up early to take me to the hospital. I was waiting for the teacher to tell me when to go. I didn’t know my mom was already outside in the car, waiting for me to come out. She waited and waited, while I didn’t come out. Finally, I did, and my mom was a little perturbed at me. We drove home.

When we got to our front porch, something was wrong. I can’t remember what my mom saw, but she said something about things being wrong. When we got into the house, it felt weird. Mom immediately ran to her bedroom and things were really wrong. Her closet door was forced open. Things were tossed about. Her pillowcases were missing on her pillows. I went to my room and my raggedy Ann plastic penny bank was torn open and all the money gone! We had been robbed!

Mom called the police and they came over right away. They talked to our neighbor who did see them rob our house. She said they had just left, before we got there. The policeman was writing down things we were missing and mom mentioned guns. The police looked at my mom and said she was really lucky. He didn’t know how many people interrupt a robbery and get shot with their own guns. That stood out in my little head. We could’ve been shot?!? But I was late getting out of class, so we weren’t shot. God was looking out for us.

Our house got robbed two more times after that. The robbers got brave and left a note the last time they robbed us, saying they would be back. I was never the same after the robbery. I was scared all the time. Especially, in the back room where my sister and I slept. We didn’t want to go in there anymore, because that is where the robbers came in and out.

Because of the robberies, Dad decided to move back to Alaska. He said he was going to a place where you didn’t need to lock your door at night. So we made the move to Dillingham, Alaska. I was used to the land of sidewalks and freeways. Now we were in a town with no street lights or paved roads. It rained all the time. I remember stopping in Anchorage, before moving to Dillingham. We were down in my aunt’s basement playing. My dad interrupted our play to have us taste something. It was powdered milk. “Here try this,” he said. I took a quick sip and said it tasted great because I wanted to go back and play. It was the nastiest stuff I’ve ever tasted. I didn’t know that was going to be our milk in Dillingham.

There were so many changes that year. But a good change was going to Community Baptist Church in Dillingham and hearing the preaching of a great preacher named Harlan Willis. I got saved under his preaching.

Romans 8:28 “And we know God causes all things to work for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

God took a bad situation, getting robbed three times, to bring us to Dillingham, Alaska. I heard the gospel message over and over, so clearly, through Harlan Willis. When I was nine years old, Harlan showed us the movie, “A Thief in the Night,” and that scared me into salvation. I accepted the Lord, right there in my room. It was the most important decision I ever made and I credit Harlan Willis for teaching me that. Our house got robbed three times, so Dad packed us up to move us to Dillingham. Our whole lives changed. But through it all, God caused all things to work for good. I am so thankful to my parents taking me to church and having me listen to Harlan Willis over and over again.