<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It was Friday, July 12, 2013. My husband, Eddie, was outside mowing our grass, and I was on the phone with mom talking about what I was going to make her for dinner that night. (I often prepare meals for her and then take them across the street to her house, since she is almost 82 years-old now and doesn\u2019t do a lot of cooking anymore.)<\/p>\n
We were talking about different recipes when I heard a beep coming over the phone. (It alerted me to the fact that I had a call coming in.) So I told mom good-bye and switched over to take the other call. But only after I answered it and said, \u201cHello\u201d, did I realize that the number on my caller ID was the same one from which I had received a threatening phone call (on my cell phone) only 5 days earlier. UGH!!<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did I answer that?\u201d I thought to myself. But it was already too late; I had not only answered it, but had spoken to the caller as well.<\/p>\n
And before I could think fast enough to hang up the phone, a very polite, young man said, \u201cHello.\u201d So I said, \u201cHello,\u201d back to him. (Then I started thinking, \u201cThis cannot be the same man who called me on Monday night, because he is not being rude to me. But it is the same number, and his voice sounds just like the other man.\u201d)<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cHello\u201d, again and then started to talk non-stop, as the man had done the last time that he had called me from that number. \u201cI am your neighbor. I live two doors down from you, and I am sorry to bother you, but I have an emergency going on here and I need your help. I know that you are busy, and I hate to bother you on a Friday night, but I have a REAL emergency here and I really need help. Right now\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Well, I knew better than that, because I had looked his number up on the Internet the last time that he had called me, and it didn\u2019t belong to any of our neighbors. It came from a town nearby. And, besides, I KNOW most of our neighbors and they would not do something like this to my husband and me.<\/p>\n
So I nicely asked him what his name was, telling him that I knew that he was not one of our neighbors. BUT- just as he had done the last time he called me, he talked continuously and didn\u2019t hear anything that I was saying.<\/p>\n
So I tried to over talk him, telling him that I knew that he was not a neighbor of ours, and asking him what he wanted.<\/p>\n
But he continued talking (and ignoring me), finally asking me, \u201cDo you have any toilet paper?\u201d<\/p>\n
And THAT was when I hung up the phone and immediately went on the Internet, (as I had done the last time that he had called me), and filed a written complaint about him.<\/p>\n
Then I called the police.<\/p>\n
The officer with whom I spoke was very pleasant. I apologized for bothering her, but told her that since this was the second time that he had called me in only 5 days, and that since he was now calling on our house phone, (and not our cell phone), that I wanted to file a complaint- even though he had not threatened me this time. She told me that harassing phone calls are against the law, regardless of the content of the call, and told me that she was glad that I had called to report his number yet again.<\/p>\n
She then suggested that since this person has both of our phone numbers, he might be someone who knows us- or at least knows OF us; or perhaps he is an acquaintance of a neighbor; or perhaps he is a former prison or jail inmate; or perhaps he may know us through an inmate; or perhaps he is\u2026blah, blah, blah! (I could have spent all night trying to figure out how\/or if he knows us, but I chose not to bother.)<\/p>\n
The officer then proceeded to ask me some questions. \u201cIs there anyone whom you can think of who might be angry with you, or who would want to harm you? Do you have dead bolts on your doors? Can you think of anyone who might have both of your phone numbers?\u201d<\/p>\n
WOW!!! I just listened to her and could not believe what I was hearing. Dead bolts on my doors! I don\u2019t even LOCK my doors- except when I go to bed at night!<\/p>\n
And of course there are people have both of our phone numbers; we are ministers who are in the public eye- a lot!<\/p>\n
I am also sure that there are probably people who are angry with us. We have been in prison\/jail ministry for over 9 years now, and we know a few inmates who have gotten angry with us over the years for one reason or another.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, when you take a stand for Jesus, and live according to the principals listed in God\u2019s Word, of course people are going to be angry with you!<\/p>\n
Look at this scripture as just one example.<\/p>\n
2 Timothy 3:12<\/span><\/em> Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n The devil hates God\u2019s children, and he will use anyone that he can against them.<\/p>\n Oh, well. I do admit that this time the caller reduced me to tears, but only out of frustration, NOT out of fear. I simply could not believe that someone would harass people like my husband and me. We try to be good people and to get along with everyone. We don\u2019t complain about anything in the neighborhood; we mind our own business; and we never play loud music or have parties.<\/p>\n We also help out whoever needs help, (and WHEN they need it!), regardless of the time of day- or night! THAT is what our little ministry is all about- helping those in need.<\/p>\n So who would want to harass us? The more I thought about that question, the more I realized that I know exactly who it is. Someone the devil is using, that\u2019s who!<\/p>\n And I\u2019m telling you that this prank phone caller is in real trouble now, and I honestly mean that. Why?<\/p>\n I\u2019m glad you asked!<\/p>\n Because NOW we are praying for him; and I mean praying really hard! We are praying for his salvation and we are asking God to bless him.<\/p>\n And just in case you are NOW thinking that we are completely crazy, let me explain to you why we are doing this.<\/p>\n Because Jesus tells us to in the following passage of scripture:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Matthew 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n We, Eddie and Gail, try very hard to live according to God\u2019s Word, and that means ALL of God\u2019s Word- not just the parts that are warm and fuzzy! And if Jesus tells us to bless them that curse you<\/em> and to pray for them which \u2026 persecute you;<\/em> then we are going to do it!<\/p>\n Please agree with us in prayer that God will save this man\u2019s soul and will bless him.<\/p>\n Thank-you.<\/p>\n May God richly bless His faithful servants!<\/p>\n P.S. I told my husband that it really doesn\u2019t matter who this guy is since he only has our phone number and not our address, thank God. Then I had a thought, so I went on the Internet and typed in our home phone number on Google, and I couldn\u2019t believe my eyes! THERE was our name and address- AND- a map to get to our house! Praise God for His divine protection!<\/p>\n \n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It was Friday, July 12, 2013. My husband, Eddie, was outside mowing our grass, and I was on the phone with mom talking about what I was going to make her for dinner that night. (I often prepare meals for … Continue reading