49 by 29: July 4 - Traveling mercies

Coffee:
-Gas station brew from some gas station somewhere in Tennessee circa 4:30 a.m.

-Half breakfast blend, half hazelnut at Panera Bread in Nashville, Tennessee

From the journal:
Author's note: The journal entry for this day is a little too gritty to be appropriate for general audiences. What follows is actually my recounting of the story, via email, to one of my best friends. The journalist in me wants to tell it "as is," but then I wonder what quoting a few F-words and derogatory terms would really add to the tale. What happened, happened. The most important thing now is to let God teach me through what happened and to give Him all the glory for his great love and protection.

***

We got robbed in southwest Tennessee.

On July 3, in an area about 50 miles southeast of Memphis, we tried to find some folks grilling or working outside to ask if we could pitch our tent in their yard. It was something Jeremy had always wanted to try. No one was out and about, so we knocked on a few doors. No one was home. It was getting dark and we were tired; there were no campgrounds nearby, and no Walmarts in which to park our minivan. So, we found a piece of state land that serves as a bird dog training ground, parked in a truck pullout a couple miles from the main highway, and set up our tent. We figured we could at least claim state land if the cops came, but we'd only seen a few cars on the entire road as we were driving and figured no one would even notice us.

At about 1:15 a.m. July 4, a white truck pulled next to our van, stopped momentarily, and pulled away. I woke up and thought it was odd but went back to sleep. It was a truck pullout, after all.

At 1:30 a.m., the same truck pulled about four feet from the front of our tent and shone its headlights straight in. (We didn't have our rain fly on.) Four big guys jumped out, swinging crowbars, and yelling for us to give them all our money. They used a lot rougher language than that, but you get the idea.

I stayed flat on my stomach because I knew if they knew there was a girl in the tent, we'd be in even more trouble. Jeremy sat up, so they came over and started pawing at the wall of the tent near his head. He said we weren't there to hurt anybody, and even asked if we could help them somehow. They answered by threatening to blow our brains out.

Jeremy had a little cash in the tent with him, so he opened his door and handed it out. It wasn't enough. They started screaming at him to get out of the tent and give them more money. 

Jeremy got out, saying he had more cash in the van. Three of the guys shoved him to the van, but when he got there he realized the key was in my pocket. I had to sit up to hand it out to him. The three guys pushed him to the van again and made him open the door. They scattered the contents of the glove compartment to get the money out.

Meanwhile, the fourth guy pulled me out of the tent, threatening to rape me. As I was getting out, however, I was able to grab my coin purse, which had about $150 in it. The guy stood behind me, touching me where he shouldn't, while I watched the other guys get rougher and rougher with Jeremy. I was so scared they were going to start beating him.

After what was probably just seconds but felt like forever, God helped me muster some words. I turned to the guy behind me and said, "If I give you all my money will you leave?" He was moaning and enjoying himself too much to hear me the first time, so I repeated the question. He thought about it for a while and finally said, "Yes." I handed him my coin purse, and he stepped away. All four guys jumped into their truck and peeled out, threatening to return for more.

Jer and I started taking down the tent but realized we had to get out of there fast. So we left everything and drove the opposite direction. I called the cops and we spent the next three hours with the officers and a private investigator describing the events and attackers in as much detail as we could remember. They took us back to gather our tent and snap a few photos, and then Jer and I just started driving.

We drove across the entire state of Tennessee, swinging up to Nashville then down to Chattanooga, where Jeremy's good friend, Joel, lives. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Joel followed by watching Fourth of July fireworks over the Tennessee River. All in all, we were up for about 25 hours straight. Adrenaline sure does funky things to your body.

Though terrifying, I know God protected us from what could have been a lot worse situation. They got away with about $300 is all. That is NOTHING compared to what could have happened. Jer and I were mentally and emotionally shaken but physically unharmed. I did not get raped. They did not beat Jeremy. We are alive!

What's funny is that Jer and I had listened to a sermon that Sunday by Timothy Keller about Godly attitudes toward money. It is not ours; it is God's. We must hold all that we have with open hands. (I suppose the robbery was the object lesson...) As Jer put it: "Little did they know they were soliciting prayers." He and I (and our friends and family) can now pray for these four guys, which is way more than they were probably bargaining for. These guys are part of our lives now, and we are granted the privilege of praying for them. That's way more justice than can ever be worked in our human court system.

***

"Little did they know they were soliciting prayers."
~Jeremy

The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes to all who call on him in truth. He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.
~Psalm 145:18-19

 Our camp site southeast of Memphis. As night fell, fireflies danced in the trees. I wish Wyoming had fireflies.

Ramen dinner.

 Rendezvous with authorities in the wee hours of July 4.

 Driving across Tennessee into the sunrise.

Great brewery in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

 Bison burger, sweet potato fries, oatmeal stout. Happy 4th, indeed!

 Jeremy's friend, Joel, introduced us to The Terminal Brewhouse. He is headed to the Ukraine this fall to be a missionary. Isn't that cool? Check out his blog here.

 Theater and opera house in Chattanooga.

 Cool fountain in a cool park in Chattanooga. I fell in LOVE with this city.

 Tennessee River at night.

 Winding walkway as seen from a pedestrian bridge over the Tennessee River.

 City park with fountain and carousel as seen from pedestrian bridge.

 Enjoying Fourth of July fireworks over the Tennessee River in Chattanooga.