Count it All Joy

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have it's full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4

What a crazy week it has been for our family. Most of you who read this blog are likely aware of what's been going on with our minivan. For the sake of our remembering all of this nuttiness in the future, I'll record some of the details here.

Our Honda Odyssey was stolen from the front of our house during the middle of the night, or really the early hours of June 23rd. Several other car break-ins and one other car theft was reported in our neighborhood the very same evening. There was also a lot of theft activity in a nearby neighborhood (Fort Sumner), where police unsuccessfully pursued two black males (one with shoulder length dreadlocks) who were seen breaking into vehicles.

Our boys have not been phased by it at all. They were just SUPER excited that a police man was coming to OUR house! I didn't think to take a picture as they sat completely still, eyes as big as saucers while officer took the report, but I did grab this picture real quick as he was leaving (he even turned on the sirens for them).

So here is the second part of the story. Our car was found on Sunday in the Fort Sumner neighborhood. We were delighted to discover that there was no damage, but were baffled by how they were able to drive away with the car since there was no evidence of wiring, etc. After fingerprinting, the vehicle was released to us and we brought it home. We were so excited, but also a little nervous because it seemed the only logical way our car was stolen was with a key.

Within 45 MINUTES of having it back, it was stolen again. While I waited for the police to arrive (a very long time - super frustrating), Dave drove back over to the neighborhood where it was found to ask if they had seen anything over there. They had. Two black males (one with shoulder length dreadlocks), had been seen driving very slowly past where our car had been found several times. Eventually they sped off very quickly. So here's my theory- the stole our car Weds night, drove to the Fort Sumner neighborhood where they proceeded to break into several other vehicles, and eventually get chased off by the police. On Sunday, they decided to come back for our car, and when it wasn't there, decided to come steal it again from our house. Crazy, right? I realized the other night that it's possible I had a valet key stashed in one of my compartments. So if they broke into my car, and found it - that could explain how they were able to drive off easily, and why they would have incentive to return.

On Monday, we were becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of interest Montgomery County police was showing in getting the information we had on these suspects, and helping us in any way. So we (myself, and Ginnie OC - thank you!) started contacting local news stations to see if they'd be interested in running a story. Channel 9, the local CBS station was very interested. Their reporter, Matt Jablow, said it was one of the craziest things he's heard in his 20 years of doing news.

One of the interviews being taped out front.

The story aired last night during their 11:00 news, and again during the 5:00 broadcast today. We were hoping it would bring some attention to the need for more police action in our neighborhood, but they seemed to edit/gear the footage more towards helping us find our van - which was very nice. Matt (the reporter) got in touch with us again this afternoon, eager to know if the car had been found. They may want to do a follow up story if it shows up. Here's a link to the footage:

http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/156504/158/Chevy-Chase-Thieves-Steal-Car-Twice

So how are we? We know our God is good, that his hand is sovereign, and that he has seen fit to allow this. It's a sweet opportunity to get perspective (it really is JUST a car), to trust our Lord, to be refined as I have so many moments to see my sin (how I hold to the things of this world!), and hold more tightly to our Jehovah Jirah. There are many moments when my head knows all that is true, and my heart has to catch up (the first day especially, couldn't kick the anxiety as I felt so violated). But I truly am thankful. Amidst being totally rattled and frazzled, we are understanding more of what it means to count it all joy.