ask and you shall receive

Since the robbery that occurred less than two weeks ago people have been praying for me in lots of different ways . . . that I would be able to sleep, that I wouldn't be overwhelmed with feelings of fear, that my stolen items would somehow be restored to me . . . Those first two things have definitely been answered in a very real way. I have still managed to get 7-8 hours of good sleep each night without interruptions of nightmares or flashbacks. I have also felt any feelings of fear subside each day to the point that I really don't feel them at all anymore (although I am still more jumpy than normal, so don't sneak up behind me as a joke and expect to get a laugh out of me). And now even that third thing people have been praying for has been answered as well!

A few days ago I received an email that gave me a bit of a shock, it was from the person who was at that time in possession of my computer. I had to read it several times and have other people read it as well before I could actually comprehend what it was saying. It was from a man who wondered if the used mac he recently bought had been stolen. When he started to use it he discovered all of my personal documents and photographs. He realized that someone who intended to sell a computer would not have left these things on the hard drive. He searched for an email address and contacted me. I don't know how many hands it passed through before this man bought it but I know that God put it in the hands of this honest man.

After emailing back a forth a few times with this man and getting lots of advice from people I trusted, I felt that he was trustworthy and arranged a meeting. It was strange to have the computer in my hands again. I looked quickly over the files and it looks like nothing has been deleted or lost! What an answer to prayer! The things that were irreplaceable (most importantly, the thousands of photos that I have taken of this past year) have now been restored to me. Its still hard for me to comprehend at times, I have to pinch myself and remind myself that it really is true!

We still have not come to a final arrangement of how I can compensate him for his kind and courageous act, but the important thing is that I have my files, photos, music (everything!) back in my possession and already backed up on an external hard drive. The rest will fall into place.