The plan had been that Prairie would write up the story of the robbery and then I would sent it on also. Well, our day in Bonito ran out of time. Prairie sent off her report just as we were leaving the internet place.

Here is her report, so lovers of details, enjoy.

"Much of the busyness and stress of the last month has been due to the fact that we were robbed. The afternoon of Wednesday, November 7, we returned from our trip to Tegucigalpa and La Ceibita to find the doors and windows of the house wide open. Beth and I had discussed in the past the possibility that we might get robbed someday, and so we guessed that someone had taken the opportunity during our absence. They'd busted the latch on the door and gone through all our stuff, undoubtedly searching for cash. Fortunately, we had all our money and documents in our moneybelts. Chito had given us a ride to the monastery that day, so we went back to the road to see if we could catch him and tell him what had happened, but there was no sign of him. We figured we were on our own, and returned to the house.

"Then came the surprise: the robbers were still around! There were three young men (all within a few years of 20, by my estimate), including one with a revolver. One of them took me by the hands into the house, while Beth tried to stay outside with the gunman, though they soon came in as well. At first, Beth and I tried friendly tactics, introducing ourselves to them and chatting. The guy with me asked me if I was scared and I said no. Then I asked him if he believed in God, and he said he didn't. I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I just started praying silently. Then Beth said it was time for our afternoon prayers, and so we started singing hymns. As we sang, two of the guys started tugging at my clothes and removed my glasses, saying they wanted to "make love" to me. The other one went around closing the window shutters and doors, but Beth followed him and opened them back up.

"At one point, I tried to escape out the back door, but they pulled me back in. The back of my legs scraped on a bench, which later formed bruises. One of the guys pulled at the ties on my dress and it ripped. When the gunman/leader heard that sound, he indicated for them to stop. Beth and I ran out of songs we could remember, and now I was starting to get scared and imagine the worst, as they were using more force to get me towards a bed. The gunman had put his arm around Beth's neck to stop her from moving around, and put the pistol to her head. She ignored it, however, and says she's sure he wasn't interested in using it.

"Just at that moment, there was a cry from outside--it was Chito!--and the three robbers and would-be rapists fled. He had returned because earlier, two young boys had helped carry some boxes to our house, and when they saw it open, they went to find Chito; he'd gone to see if Lencho, our sometime neighbor, was in. God works wonders--I had truly thought we were alone on the mountain, but God heard our prayers and we were saved. I have a new understanding of God as my savior.

"So, we grabbed our still-packed backpacks and left with Chito. He gave us a ride into town, and we stayed with our friend Gloria for a week as we recovered. In the end, the robbers took our two machetes and a few small tools, as well as my money belt with about $130 in it. At first we thought they'd gotten my passport as well, but happily, it turned out to be in with Beth's things. They had also taken the guitar (probably our possession of greatest monetary value besides books), a bedsheet and mosquito net. But, the next day when we returned to put a new lock on the door, one of the people who came along found the items stashed in the brush near the path. I was happy to have the guitar back, undamaged except for a little rust on the strings.

"Chito had called the police when he returned for us; there are two officers stationed in Limon. They got a ride out to our place (as they don't have a vehicle), but weren't inclined to search for the men as it was getting dark. One of them fired a few shots into the air as a warning. The justice system here in Honduras is quite a contrast to the US. It took us a week before we learned how to make a report to the police. We were told that the way to get the men arrested is to find out their names and report them to the Justice of the Peace. We were rather shocked that the burden seemed to be on the victim to investigate. But, as Chito had seen the robbers run off, he recognized them: two brothers whose parents live in La Fortuna and their cousin from Limon. Living in a small community, people know each other, and we learned a lot by word of mouth. After about four weeks, we had learned all their names."

"In that time, Beth and I have discussed a lot about what we should do, and have been given lots of advice. What we really want to do is follow God's lead and make peace. Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek, love our enemies, and forgive. And so we have spent a lot of time in prayer and discernment. I think about these young men whose lives are going down a bad path, and also about the safety of others in the community. We seem to have the power to get the robbers arrested and likely jailed for a long time. Moreover, people have heard the rumors about them, and around here, sometimes they will take justice into their own hands. I don't wish death on these young men; I have hope in God's grace and the possibility of them turning their lives around.

"On Monday, Beth and I sent each of the young men and their parents an invitation to meet us in the open air in Limon this Friday. We don't know if any of them will show up, or what exactly will result, but we trust in God's love and ability to perform miracles. Please keep us, the young men and their families, and the whole community here in your prayers. That is the greatest help and support you can give.

"Our current update on the topic:

"No one showed up to our meeting. We weren't terribly surprised.

"We learned just this morning that the gun was a loaned gun. Also, everybody, but everybody, in LaFortuna knows what happened and who did it. Our friend, Mateo (who built the monastery buildings), has told the gun owner what happened and has advised him not to loan his gun without lots of care. This is helpful to know. I have not been comfortable with that young man having a gun. Everyone reassures us that these guys will not be bothering us again.

"This morning, we sent a verbal message through Mateo to the father of the boys that we want our stuff back and that we want to forgive, but we are struggling with that. So, time will tell.

"Justice in Honduras, like in the United States, is focused on punishment, not on restoration of damage done or reconciliation. Here, as US citizens, we supposedly have greater "protection" from the law. This protection takes the form of actually arresting and prosecuting offenders against us. The same crime against Honduran women would not attract much interest in the local justice of the peace or the police officers.

"So, time will tell."

Merry Christmas!! We had a quiet, peaceful day and lots of special food. We are now in Tocoa, visiting our friends in Ceibita. We may even go on to El Pino to visit more friends. We're sort of vacationing. By that I mean that we have no functional goal in visiting. We still keep our monastic schedule, of course.

be well,

beth