Count your many blessings, count them one by one...

Yesterday, while we were gone to church and the grocery store, our house was broken into and we were robbed. We had both of our computers taken, all of the equipment that goes with them, our Ipod and speakers, all my jewelry and a few other assorted things that make no sense to steal if you're an American but were apparently attractive items to a Nicaraguan "ladron" (robber)...such as my brand new packages of deodorant, my alarm clock and my new sunglasses I brought back from the States.

There is a terrible sense of invasion and violation in dealing with such a situation. I'm not sure how others feel when they experience this kind of thing but I am discovering stages - some pleasant, others not so pleasant. Another learning process for us...we've never had our home broken in to before. This is new territory for us.

I am doing this blog on Susanna's computer as we are staying nights at her house until the landlord gets our backdoor secured. We found out this afternoon that won't happen until Thursday at the earliest. So, for now, Susanna is loaning us her night guard, our gardener is working extra day hours and we are spending our time (and spinning our wheels!) dealing with the local police who have no interest whatsoever in helping victimized, what they see as "wealthy", gringos. It is a frustrating process to say the least. And I might share our experience with them in a future blog but not tonight.

Tonight I am better than last night. Last night I couldn't sleep, even though I knew we were safely tucked in to Susanna's bed. I laid in bed, fighting lots of emotions - bobbing and weaving trying to avoid the sucker punches that this kind of thing can so easily bring with it...fear, anger, bitterness, shock. We lost our main source of communication. I lost years of memoriabilia in my jewelry bag. Every piece of jewelry Jim has ever given me save my wedding ring is gone. A sapphire ring and opal earrings that were gifts from my now-deceased mother are gone. A widow's mite necklace that Mandy had given me is gone. My ring from Eilat, Israel, gone. Things I can't go to the store and replace.

Last night, as I lay in bed, I felt empty and sick inside. I cried quietly, not wanting to wake Jim. He wasn't asleep, either. We told each other it was just stuff and it would be okay. Why didn't it feel that way? I hated the way I felt. I asked God to help me, to take my hand and guide me to a place where I would feel differently. And He responded by asking me what had been good about the day? I laid there and instead of trying to count sheep to take me to a place of rest, the Shepherd told me to count my blessings...and so I began making a mental list. Tonight, it gets more "body".

We had the most amazing sunrise and the sky was absolutely beautiful * We were invited to and attended the baptism of six young Nicaraguans who have come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior * The baptism took place in a scenic rural location north of Managua and we were surronded by mountains, volcanoes and a beautiful portion of the lake...it was all so breathtakingly beautiful * We were made to feel so welcome by about 50 warm and wonderful Nicaraguan brothers and sisters in Christ * Jim and I had a special time of sharing and reflecting during our lunch * While at the grocery store, there was the cutest little boy about two years old, totally oblivious to the jam packed aisle of shoppers, who was methodically taking all the cleaning products off the bottom shelf while his dad sat on the floor next to him, ready to put them back when he was done...the young father's attention and obvious adoration for his son was heart warming and when our eyes met, we exchanged smiles...he had a nice smile * We had three wonderful friends on our doorstep within 30 minutes of discovering the break-in * I discovered I could use my cell phone to call Mandy and I had enough minutes on it to take care of the immediate business at hand to protect us finanacially as much as possible and to hear a loving and concerned voice at a time I really needed to do so * We weren't at home during the break-in which we view as God's hand of protection on us * We had someone who was willing to stay outside our house all night long to make sure it was protected from any further intrusions * Freddy, our gardener, agreed to come early the next morning and stay as late as we needed him * We had friends here offer to help us by letting us use their credit card if necessary * Other friends offered us the use of their laptop if we had to have one for any emergency contacts * Susanna stepped in as interpreter with the authorities, chauffer, made calls, brought food, gave hugs, helped advise, made arrangements, provided shelter and emotional support (and has not left us to handle one thing on our own) * Not long after arriving at Susanna's to stay the night, Hector, a Nicaraguan young man with whom we're close, arrived to give us counsel and offer comfort * Our funds were still intact * Our remaining personal property was not destroyed nor vandalized * Miguel had given me two new flowers a few days before and they were blooming beautifully * The pictures of the grandkids were still safe and sound and so are we...and the list goes on and on.

Jim and I are not happy about what has happened and we all know it could have been worse - whether it occurred here or in the States, but what we are, is committed - to God and to the path He has put before us. It's true, we were robbed yesterday of some precious items but my goodness, we had a good day. I think I'll sleep better tonight.