A tragic event on the Avenida.

It is not very often that you can thank God that you were ill but half way through last week I realised that it was probably good that my family and I were in our apartment at tea-time last Saturday and it was because I was feeling unwell.

We had planned to visit some friends and have a meal together but I had felt very flu-ey since Thursday and by Saturday morning I just couldn't get out of bed. So, reluctantly P phoned and cancelled. I slept until 4:30pm and P and A went to the market. They were back by 5;00pm and I joined them to watch a DVD. I prayed that I would feel well enough on Sunday to go to church because I had lots of people to talk to and the new Bible Study groups were going to have their first session.

When I woke up on Sunday I still felt unwell but all the flu-ey symptoms had disappeared and I felt well enough to go to the hall. During the morning meeting the Sergeant Major spoke to me. He told me that on Saturday evening the father of the man who lives in the house next to the hall had been shot and killed on the Avenida. When I had the time I googled the news story to find out the details and it was true. The 68 year old business man had left his Auto Parts shop at 6:30pm on Saturday and got into his Corsa. As he drove up to the traffic lights a man on a motorbike stopped and shot at him through the glass of the back seat window. The shot killed him. This happened on the Avenida, very close to where we live. If we had visited our friends that day we would probably have been arriving home at that time.

I cannot say if God saved us from witnessing or being involved in this tragedy but I do know that because I was ill we were all safe in our apartment at the time that it happened and for that I can thank God.

How can a person cope with the sudden, traumatic death of a loved one? The man who was killed had lived in Sao Miguel for 38 years and was well known in this area. His son, daughter in law and 7 year old grandson live in the house next to our church. I prayed that God would open the door so that I would have the opportunity to offer some love and support. My first few attempts bore no fruit but on Sunday I asked G to come with me and together we rang the bell. The son came to the gate and opened it to us and we talked together at the entrance to the house. He gladly received the card and plant that I offered to him on behalf of the church members and he said that he would give them to his mother who is 64 years old. As I struggled to speak in Portuguese he told me that he could speak some English and so the door was open for me to bring words of support and comfort to him.

We don't know why this tragedy has happened and why the man on the motorcycle would want to kill a 68 year old businessman but we do know that we do not want it to happen again. So, not only are we praying for the family who are bereaved, but we are also praying that God will bring peace and safety to this neighbourhood.