Last night I didn't wash my sandy hair, because I wanted to wash my hair in warm water. This morning I woke up, climbed out of bed to wash my hair and no water again... Two days in a row with a bucket bath and you can imagine I was not in a very good mood. Not because there was no water, BUT because someone didn't do their job and therefore there was no water.
After noon came and went and still no water by 3:00 PM I was starting to smell myself.... bucket baths just don't do the job like a good shower does.
The dog needed to go outside to potty and when she went, one of the construction workers across the street whistled for the very last time! He is always molesting all the women around here and he is an incessant jerk. He is 20 years old and thinks he is God's gift to women. Well today was his day! He whistled one too many times. Understand it is not just the whistling, it is the sexual comments, the undressing the women as they walk to their car, or walk to visit the neighbor. But today was "HIS DAY".
I tore into him like a lioness with new cubs. I told him I was tired of him whistling and making sexual remarks to me and others like all of the women in the neighborhood are prostitutes or dogs. I screamed so loud that people heard me a block away. All of his work companions gathered up the street and watched as I told him just how pathetic he was. Then I took photos. He put his hands in front of the camera and screaming I said, "But you were so brave when you were whistling and making sexual remarks, why are you so shy now?"
He kept turning around and I shouted, "I am paying attention to you now, jerk! That is what you wanted isn't it?" He was embarrassed because a woman was giving him what he deserved. And in front of all his friends. Then I went to his boss and I told him... "All the women in the neighborhood are tired of this abusiveness. You will fire him or I will bring the police and have him arrested tomorrow morning."
Soon after "Mr. Whistle", "Mr. Sexual Predator" left with his tail between his legs. I posted a poster on the front of the building across from where he was working with his photos and I wrote... "This man is abusive with women." All of his co-workers stopped and looked at it when they got into their company truck to leave today after work. All of them hung their heads and didn't even look at me as they left. I'll just bet NOT ONE of them will mess with us anymore.
There are times in ones life when everything aligns to the point that you finally do what you should have done a long time ago. Today was one of those days. My fuse was short (no shower 2 days in a row) and he was abusive again. Several women dropped by to congratulate me. Just another day in the life of a missionary in Honduras. Christians need to stand up for themselves.
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Good for you!!
ReplyDeleteAnd your behaviour was Christ-like how?
ReplyDeleteThis morning I looked at my emails and found this comment from “Anonymous” regarding this BLOG. "And your behaviour was Christ-like how?" The British, South African, New Zealand spelling of “behavior” is Anonymous’ spelling not mine. I tried to post the comment, but so far it has not shown up. I suppose Anonymous’ question is a valid question which others might ask so I will respond.
ReplyDeleteAbout 20 years ago I wrote a book which I never published. It is called The Mercy of God. At the time I was doing a study on the mercy of God and was intrigued that many people believed that they could do whatever they wanted and then ask for forgiveness and that God would just forgive them and that there would be no consequences for their actions.
In Evangelical circles this is known as “Greasy Grace”. Do what you want to do and then ask for forgiveness later. In Catholic circles this is known as the mafia mentality of go kill someone, go to confession, say “Hail Mary” 20 times, put a few bucks in the collection box and go about life as though nothing has happened. Much of this false doctrine is the foundation of the “666” movement now beginning to be prevalent in the USA.
The entire basis of my book came as a result of a sermon which I sat through in which a preacher talked about the unconditional mercy of God and yet didn’t speak a word about the vengeance of God. He didn’t speak a word about sowing and reaping. He only spoke about mercy, mercy, mercy. And in case you are wondering, YES I believe that God is merciful. I also believe that God gave us a brain and that we should use it and that we should not tempt God. There are consequences for sin and one of those consequences is payment in full, unless we go on our knees to the only Savior, Jesus Christ, and ask for forgiveness.
Many people talk about being merciful towards people, turning the other cheek, etc. and all of this is fine, but there is also a time to rebuke people. This doctrine is clearly shown in:
1 Timothy 5:20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
And in:
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
My neighborhood women and I suffered with this imbecile for several months and we were all very long suffering with him and his sexual comments, which by the way were made publically in front of all his male coworkers. We tried to be kind, but it was a fruitless endeavor. Then we all ignored him and hoped it would go away. But it didn’t. We were all tired of his insistence that we “go to bed with him” but he used not so polite words. The time came to “rebuke him before all” and so I did. If you were offended by my post Anonymous then I ask you to forgive me. The last thing which I would want to do is to offend someone unintentionally. But I will not be accused of being un-Christ-like because I stood up for my rights and the rights of other women. I rebuked the man and he deserved it. Furthermore, I would do it again. The other option was to call the police and have him arrested. I think he came out ahead and perhaps learned a lesson. I hope his friends learned a lesson; to stand by and watch other people suffer as people treat others wickedly is not Christ. He threw over the money changers tables in the synagogue, because they were doing wrong. He told the men about to cast stones at the woman caught in adultery to cast the first stone as he wrote their sins in the sand. There are times when someone needs a good rebuke.
Bravo Teresam, y muchas gracias por esa ayuda en mi pais Bravo!!!!!!!! God Bless you.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate very much your efforts to help people. Since you prefer that people not post anonymously, and I wish to remain anonymous, I won't comment further than to say that you might have handled this situation differently given the vulnerable mentality of those amongst whom you minister. That same mentality ought be considered too, in your appraisal of Roman Catholicism; just as with any other denomination including your own.
ReplyDeleteTreating people with kid gloves is what has caused many of the problems in this country and in others. It is time to speak the truth! There are times when we must tell the truth. The vulnerable mentality which you mention was only exhibited by one man. Not by the other 40 working at the job sight. I would think that even someone with only partial insight would realize that they were the only one making rude remarks to the women. The other 39 men didn't say rude things. Their vulnerable mentality must not have come to work with them for the last few months as it did with the man whom I put in his rightful place. Hopefully he learned from the experience.
ReplyDeleteI hope you noticed that I slammed the "greasy grace" Evangelical Christian attitude as well as the Roman Catholic. (I am an Evangelical Christian so I fussed at myself and those with whom I am associated also.) I am not one to hold back on speaking the truth. And sometimes that means the truth is against some practices of the Evangelical Church also.