To Catch A Thief

(Photos: The crowd gathers—it grew to twice this size; Our kids say goodbye to our teammates)

We’ve gotten used to fidjo or drama/excitement on our street. It is not uncommon for us to hear raised voices and to step outside to see a small crowd gathered to witness a dispute or someone venting their frustrations at the top of their lungs.

Unfortunately it has also been common for the commotion to be about a theft. One house in particular has had problems with thieves coming in the night and stealing the merchandise they have for selling in the market.

We found out this week that they had paid a religious leader to put a curse on whoever has been stealing from them. This week a thief was caught.

We have told you before about the disturbing scene of seeing a thief chased down and beaten in front of us, but in those cases it was a fast, adrenaline-filled scene. This week it was different and more disturbing.

We saw a crowd down the street gathering in front of the raised porch of an unfinished house. It served as a stage for the excited audience. It didn’t take much effort to find out that they had caught a thief. From our house I couldn’t see the “show”, I could only see the crowd. But I saw men, women and children gathered to watch whatever was being done to the thief. I saw young men coming down the street smacking their fists into their palms, excited about the chance to get into the action. An older man walked by carrying a thick heavy belt ready to be used as a switch. Tom saw a mother pick up a rock with a happy look. Everyone was looking forward to getting a chance to give the thief his payback.

I didn’t go down and join the crowds. I could only imagine what was happening as the crowd gave up shouts of approval and glee. My one consolation was that undoubtedly the police would be here soon and put an end to all this. The father of the offended family walked by our door and I took the chance to hear the full story of the thief’s capture. I was stunned to find out that he had been caught around 4 or 5am. It was now almost 9am! They had been torturing this poor man for hours! I quickly asked if the police were coming. He shrugged it off and said, “There are no police.” At that moment a neighbor told him that the police had been called. The father was upset. What I had mistaken for the slow response of the police was actually the family’s desire to take justice into their own hands. They hadn’t called the police. They were having their fun, their revenge, and didn’t want it stopped.

Thankfully the police came quickly and took the man away. A crowd of shouting neighbors surrounded the car as it went to the main road and even succeeded in pulling the thief from the police car for one more beating.

I know people can do brutal things to other people, especially when fueled by a sense of revenge or when in a mob, but it is still disturbing to see it played out in front of you. The absolute glee and joy on people’s faces as they watched and participated. Only one grandmother told us that she had to go away because she didn’t like watching. “So much blood,” she said. It’s a harsh reminder. Our neighbors are generally “good people”, but like all people, good or bad, there is darkness in their hearts. And so we continue to ask for the light to come and penetrate the darkness and dispel it.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Two of our teammates left the islands and are in East Africa visiting friends. We are thankful for their safe travels. Our short-termers continue to adjust to island life and work at the hospital. It seems like that transition is going well. We are all healthy. This past week two of our island friends went for a very special swim! We rejoice with them in their choice to take this important step.

PRAYERS REQUESTED

We are still praying for the group of islander brothers to find a place to meet. Please continue to lift this up with us, as it is extremely important. Pray for unity and trust to increase among them. We prayed for our new sister with an evil spirit. We do not yet know if she is free of the problem, but we are continuing to pray for her.