Every once in a while when I find an interesting article in a Colombian newspaper I like to share it with people who either don't know much about the culture or who would take a particular interest in the information presented. The previous post dealt with people peeing in public.
This letter to the editor is a little more serious and highlights an aspect of living in poverty-stricken areas we probably don't consider or think about. If you are planning on going out of the country to a poorer area of the world, you should always think about keeping yourself safe.
Please pray for Colombia's economic well-being, but also for those who lack riches toward God, that many would come to know Him and the glorious riches of His grace.
MAN TELLS OF BEING ROBBED IN HIS CAR FOR NOT SECURING [LOCKING] IT
On Thursday June 23 I left home in my truck. It was about 6:30 p.m. and I went down one of the streets below [Highway] 15; I stopped at 90th Street and looked westward a moment to see if I could go.
Suddenly a man opened the car door, got in and intimidated me with a knife he carried in his hand.
He forced me to drive to the Bahía Mall. There he waited for his buddy who helped him while they made me get out of the car to take me to an alley behind the mall.
They looked over all my cards and took my cell phone, iPod and debit card.
One of the robbers went to the ATM while the other stayed with me to ensure that the PIN I had given them was correct.
As we talked I asked if he had children. The man replied yes but that his problem was that he could not find work, that he had sent out many resumes and nothing had come of it.
Then they took the important things I had in my car—even a briefcase.
Someone called one of the criminals’ cell phone to ask him, apparently, what they could bring him. After the guy who answered the phone did a kind of inventory, he told his partner that my clothes were a low quality[1] brand and not worth it.
After almost two hours had passed, the robbers told me they left the car keys on the seat, they did not steal [the car].
The truth is I consider myself lucky because they did not hurt me, and they left me the most important papers.
However, I have a recommendation for those who are reading this right now: secure [lock] the car as soon as you get in it, before you even start the engine, so what happened to me does not happen to you.
CITIZEN REPORTER
[1] Literally “Bird brand.”
No comments:
Post a Comment