We visited a super in Pocri, twin town to Aguadulce, and home of lots of drug addicts and therefore armed robbery. The owner had been there since 1992, and had seen the crime rate soar while safety and security plummet during the last twenty years. His super has a low ceiling, which made it easy for thieves and robbers to enter through the corrugated metal roof. But the most serious time involved two robbers entering through the front entrance.
The store is near a school, with a vacant field in between. Since the field was unattended, grass grew to 5 or 6 ft. tall, and people can hide in it without being detected. Two black drug addicts hid themselves in the tall grass and waited till closing time. When they observed that the store was vacant, they rushed out as the owner was about to pull the iron curtain shut. One pointed his gun at his forehead, the other grabbed his wife and pressed a sharp knife against her stomach.
The owner was not the type to be intimidated. He saw the red, half-crazed eyes of the gunman, and knew that they were high on drugs. So he started scolding them in Spanish, saying “You animals, my dog is better than you. I don’t have any money, but I have one life. Come and get it. If you touch my wife I’ll kill you.” I have no idea how he can shout at the robbers when a loaded gun was pointing at him! The robbers did not give up so easily. They felt his pant pockets to get his wallet, but found little cash in it. In desperation they took the heavy cash register and started running away on foot. One of the super’s client’s happened to drive by, and helped the owner chased down the robbers in his pickup truck. Finding that the truck was about to run over them, they threw the cash register down and disappeared into the tall grass.
Incidents like these are getting more and more frequent. Almost all supers have been robbed, some more than once. Why did the owners put their lives and the lives of their family at risk? The only thing I can think of is a distorted value system that places money above people. Mt 16:26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Mk 8:36, Lk 9:25. Such is the thinking of people without Christ. Pray that the gospel will get to them soon and turn their worldview around.
RayKLiu 