November 6, 2009

• Robbery

  Well, most of you know from Facebook, that Bethany was in the middle of a robbery Thursday afternoon. She works in a credit union, which is inside a grocery store. Nearly 2 weeks ago, another bank about a mile down the road, also in a grocery store, was robbed. I posted the pics of the guy on Facebook, so those who work with her would learn to recognize him.

  But this time it was a woman. It was around 1:00 Thursday afternoon, when she saw a woman who was not one of their customers (she gets to know her customers, both now, and when she worked at Walmart and CVS). This woman was wearing a hat and sunglasses, and talking on a cell phone. And she was acting nervous.

  Beth knew instinctively what was fixing to happen, so she started making a mental note of as much as she could about this woman. The woman put her purse down, and pulled out a note that said this was a robbery, and she had a gun, so not to do anything foolish.

  In robbery training (no...not training to be a robber...training on how to respond in a robbery), they are taught not to look the robber in the eye, and not to say anything that would be taken as questioning the person. The woman told her she wanted the cash in both the top and bottom drawers. She repeated the "bottom drawer, too," so Beth had to tell her she did not have a bottom drawer. The woman accepted that, which strikes me as a little odd. I would think a more experienced robber would not take that statement as fact without question. It's possible she was being coached on the phone, if she was actually talking to anyone at all.

  The woman did not show the gun, for which I am thankful. It would be much scarier to have a gun in your face. She left after taking the money. Beth told her supervisor and good friend, who was eating lunch in their back room, that they had just been robbed, and she began writing her statement immediately. It's better to write it down while the information is fresh in your mind.

  Police and FBI showed up. They reviewed the video and the detective told her she definitely knew she was fixing to be robbed, from her reaction. They also reviewed the videos from the store where the credit union is located. The woman had gone through the store, and exited by the registers, and then entered the credit union.

  Bethany is friends with one of the Vice-Presidents of this credit union, and her husband. She met him when she first worked at CVS, and she developed pictures he took. That's how she got this job. Thursday night, he sent her a message to see how she is, after finding out it was her that was robbed. His wife had called him at work to tell him what had happened. He told her how they all are of how she reacted, just as she had been taught, and that she was not injured. She's getting praise from the top people in her company.

  Every morning when all my family leaves for work (even Brandon and Rachael, who don't live here anymore), I pray for God to protect them, get them to work safely and get them home safely. Thursday morning when Beth left, I was at the computer, and I turned to look at her as she was going out the door. For some reason, I prayed, "God, please don't let her die." It just came to mind, but it's not normally a part of what I pray. Now I know why God brought that to my mind. He did keep her safe. She knew exactly how to react in the stressful situation, and He did not let her get shot. She doesn't always react calmly in a stressful situation, so I know God was keeping her calm.

  She has been saying for at least a couple of weeks, that she feels like God is preparing her for something. I've been thinking all kinds of possibilities...maybe He wants her to go on a particular missions trip, or maybe he is preparing her to meet her future husband. But today, I have to wonder if maybe He was preparing her for this robbery.

  We believe that God allows everything that happens to a Christian. It might not be what we would think of as a good thing. It certainly did not seem good to us when our daughter died, but I know that he was preparing me for that, because of the thoughts I kept having for 2 weeks before she was born, and then died within a few hours. Everything is for a reason, because there is no such thing as chance in a life that God controls.

  We might not ever know the reason, but God does. And He will get glory and honor in some way.

  This credit union branch does not have an armed police officer on duty, but they are discussing it now. I have said before that maybe I should go walk around near the door of the credit union, since I can legally carry a gun. I could be there if anything happened.

  So Thursday evening, I was in the kitchen making a new pitcher of iced tea, and thinking about it all. I thought, "Man...I might just have to go to work with her every day now." That's when I VERY clearly heard God tell me, "You don't have to. I'm with her." Tears rolled down my face. What better protector could she have than God?

  There have been many times I have definitely heard God tell me something...not, of course, in an audible voice, but as an instant thought in my mind, that would not be something I would normally think. And it's usually in the form of someone telling me something...someone speaking directly to me, as in a conversation. Several years ago, someone I loved very much, was sick in the hospital. I was praying for him, thinking that he would get well. That's when I clearly heard, "D---- isn't going to get well." I  remember my knees feeling weak, and my stomach feeling as if I would throw up. I instantly knew, although no person had told me, that he had a particular disease that is always fatal.

  I wonder how much we would hear from God if we really listened? Or if we were not afraid to tell people that He speaks to us. I am so surprised by the number of Christians who still will look at another Christian like they've lost their minds, if they say they heard God tell them something.

  John 10:27....My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. NIV

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