not cool

So, it's about 11:00pm here.

One hour ago, we had just finished watching The Two Towers. I was trying to convince Catherine to watch a few minutes of Return of the King and then headed downstairs for some pudding.

Just as I started down the steps, we heard a crash. We looked at each other and both tried to think of what glass dish, or something, could have fallen. I raced down to see the damage.

I found that one pane out of the kitchen window over the sink had been broken and glass was all over the sink and floor. The pane adjacent to it had been broken out a couple of months ago my some school kids on the other side of the fence throwing rocks. So, I figured someone had thrown another rock and we'd just have to deal with the mess.

Then the curtains started to move.

Usually, we leave the curtains to the side, but for some reason this night, Catherine decided to draw them.

I started shouting, 'Hey, hey, hey!' And sure enough the curtains fell back. I was stunned and afraid. What seemed like minutes, but was probably less than ten seconds passed. I went to the closet under the stairs and got a mop as Catherine ran to grab the machete. I grabbed a crowbar out of the closet instead. I approached the window and pulled back the curtains.

The window had been opened.

What I saw through the curtain was probably the criminal reaching through the broken glass to open the window.

Catherine came downstairs and handed me the machete. I took it and held onto the crowbar.

She saw the curtains move again and started screaming. I ran out the front door and around the house yelling. Moments before I was frozen with fear. Now anger and adrenaline made me ready to beat somebody up.

There was no one there. I came back in the house and Catherine, by that time, realized it was just the wind.

I went out to talk to the guard at the gate of the complex. Mind you, our fence sucks and there is a thoroughfare coming through the church grounds, passing right in front of our house, and then on to the hospital that many people use in the day. No one watches it at night. And there's been a big hole in the fence behind another missionary apartment building for months.

By the time the guard and I got back, the neighborhood had come to see what all the yelling was about.

Before long, Jerry came with a couple workers to board up our broken kitchen window.

As far as I know, it's the only window on the grounds that doesn't have bars. Whoever tried to break in knew how to find a weak spot.

And, in running around in the dark, I realized how poorly lit our apartment is.

So, please pray for us.

I'm going to track down getting bars on that window starting first thing tomorrow.

I would also like to take a moment point out that every other house I've seen in Georgetown has a fence. It may be a shanty on stilts, but they have a fence. How come we don't have a fence?

We thank the Lord that no one got hurt. And now, hopefully, all these lame problems will be fixed.