I hope all of you are doing well on this Thanksgiving week. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for. I am currently in Dallas, finishing up the last few days of my recruiting trip, seeking potential teachers for Nicaragua Christian Academy. At an ACSI teacher convention this morning, we listened to Babbie Mason sing a song about trusting God always, even when it is hard to see the good in things. This song was very appropriate to our situation.
Yesterday afternoon, Jessica and the boys left home for just over an hour. When they returned, they found that our house had been broken into and our laptop computer, personal safe, money, passports and credit cards were stolen. The thieves forced open the front door with a crowbar and also destroyed the furniture that our safe was bolted to.
The material things are just possessions, and we know they can be replaced. It will be an added nuisance to deal with replacing passports, getting new credit cards and changing our locks. The biggest loss is all of our digital pictures that were on the laptop; we had not backed them up for about 1 year, so probably most of our photos of Caleb and Judah during the past year are gone forever. This is hard for us as parents. Probably the hardest part of dealing with this for all of us is that I am still in the States and cannot be with my wife and kids as they cope with this. I won’t be returning until Wednesday.
It is also disturbing to me that the theft happened on a Sunday afternoon when Jessica and the boys left for only a short time. They never leave on Sunday afternoons; normally I go to play Ultimate Frisbee at that time. Either the thieves were watching Jessica’s moves very carefully, or they expected to find Jessica at home when they came to rob the house. Both of these alternatives are very disturbing.
So as I sat praying and trying to find God’s hand in this, I realized that it is not always easy to understand. Maybe I’ll never completely understand why God allows things like this to happen. But I know that He has promised that He will never leave us (Deut. 31:6), and that in all things, He works for our good (Rom. 8:28). Jesus also told us that in this world we will have trouble, but that He has overcome the world (John 16:33).
I can also be very thankful for the following:
- No one was hurt; we’re all safe and unharmed
- They only stole these things, but could have taken more
- Jessica is not alone; we have an awesome, supportive community of Nicaraguan and missionary friends that have surrounded our family during these days
- I am going back in 2 days (it could have happened at the beginning of my 10-day trip)
- Our real treasures are stored in heaven, “where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt. 6:20).
Thank you for your prayers for our family during this difficult time and as we rebuild our sense of peace and security at home. I know that you are praying for us and we recognize plainly that we would not be serving in Nicaragua if it were not for our love, prayers and faithful support and partnership in God’s work through Nicaragua Christian Academy. May this event serve as one more testimony to God’s love and power! And may those responsible come to know who Jesus is – a God of mercy and grace, needed by all of us!
Blessings in Christ,
Liam and Jessica Starkenburg, Caleb and Judah
