Not So Good News

Well, tonight I guess one of my great big fears came true.

Eliezer's brother Etzer, who is about 20, took out the tap tap. We have done that a lot if a family member needs a bit of extra cash, it's a good way to let them get a few 1,000 goudes in an afternoon.

But by 8:30 P.M. we couldn't get him by phone. We got very worried that maybe something had happened.

Then the gate opened and he came in on foot. We knew right away something was wrong.

He had the car on Route Frere for anyone who knows Port au Prince. Right by the restaurant La Fouchet, it's in the vicinity of the American embassy, two bandits got in with guns. They hit him around a bit and pushed his neck into the dash. They were holding a gun on him the whole time. He had grabbed the key and was trying to talk to them, but he had to give it to them eventually obviously. Then they got in and drove off, saying they were going to look for a good place to shoot him.

Anyway, in the end they let him out. As he was running away they were shooting over his head. He saw some policemen and went over to them, waving his arms and telling them that those men had just stolen his car. But the police just said they couldn't do anything for him.

So Etzer had a very very long walk back to our house.

It was hard, taking him home. Dad in law as up on the balcony and mom in law was packaging diapers in sets to sell. They were happy to see us and asking how we were of course and then we had to tell them what happened. They were very shook up obviously.

I just hope Etzer can sleep and somehow get over this. He's really young and it was a terrible experience.

As for the tap tap, we don't really have hope of getting it back. We will go make a report to the police tomorrow but they have very little power. So we pray for grace to accept it and move on and faith that God has another plan to take care of us.

My head is full of what could have happened. We definitely were very worried that he had been kidnapped. And obviously we don't know what made them let him go, because as the gangs have risen in power they have started killing more and more easily. They have no fear.

I'm not trying to complain because God gave us the tap tap in the first place and we have tried to take care of it and help others with it. But it was God's, not ours. Haiti is just hard. We aren't the first or the last person that this will happen to. But I do feel like I need some extra prayers to get thru this.

Thanks for reading, and for your prayers and support!