A Frightening Event
Honestly, it is hard to write this month’s family update. I want to say that everything is okay, and give you updates on all the new things the kids are doing. But that is not our reality now, since our lives were interrupted with a very frightening event on the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving.
Around dinnertime, Sarah was driving home from getting her hair cut when she noticed a man in front of our house holding a handgun. When he saw Sarah in our car he advanced, pointing the gun at her and yelling for her to get out of the car. He then pulled Sarah out of the car at gunpoint as neighbors on the street pleaded for him not to shoot.
Sarah managed to drop all of her things and slip out of her coat to get away. She was able to run up to our house and get inside safely thanks to our third floor neighbor Debbie who saw what was going on and opened the front door.
Almost immediately, the police were on the scene. As they sought to talk the man down, he jumped in a police cruiser and raced away. A chase ensued which tragically ended in a standoff where he was shot and later died from his wounds.
We would later learn that this man was our neighbor, a husband and a father of five, and that his weapon was a realistic-looking pellet gun. For reasons still not known, he had been acting erratically and threatening other neighbors before Sarah even drove onto our street. Sarah, not an intended target, entered into an already heated situation.
We do recognize that God protected Sarah and our family in many ways. Thankfully, Joseph and Timothy were safe eating dinner with me and did not see or hear anything that happened. Joseph, however, was frightened when Sarah and Debbie came running in, and responded by cocooning himself in his bed for about thirty minutes. We continue to pray for God to protect Joseph’s heart and mind from fear that would result from this.
Right now, the night is still very fresh in our minds, and our emotions feel raw and thin. We know that it will take some time for us to come to grips with all that happened. Sarah is physically and emotionally still dealing with the stress that this trauma caused. We are seeking professional counseling for her, but she needs your prayers. We are glad that Sarah is safe, but our hearts also go out to our neighbor’s family whose father will not come home.
We want to thank all of you who have already shown care to us through your calls, emails, cards, and prayers. Please feel free to get in touch with us if you would like – we appreciate your support, and are more than willing to share with you.
