I served my mission in Raleigh, North Carolina. During the course of my mission I had the chance to serve in a lot of different areas that had dramatically different feels to them. I spent a lot of time on the coast, where the people are usually rich and well to do and the neighborhoods are nice. One of my areas was not like those areas at all, it was in Southeast Raleigh, or “the ghetto.” You can get the feel for the area if you watch the “Rise Up by Peetey Pablo” Music Video on Youtube… Rather, how do you say, interesting?
One week, we took our area map to the police officers at our church and had them mark a couple areas on the map that we should avoid if possible, they marked our apartment complex. I sat there and stared at the officer with that, “you’ve got to be kidding me” look on my face. They were serious.
Later that week we went to the store to get some food towards the end of the day. The store that we were going to was called Food Lion and it was right across the road from where we lived. While we were walking out of the store with out food, a man came up to us and mumbled something that we didn’t quite hear. I looked at my companion and he had the same confusion that I had so I asked him what he said. Now let me stop and say that I am 6’1” and 215 pounds and my companion is three inches taller and forty pounds heavier than I am. This guy is about 5’6” and maybe 150 pounds if he had swallowed lead that morning. Anyways, back to the story. He looked up at me, dead in the eye and said, “Give me your dollars.”
I sat there in shock and looked back, chuckled a little bit and said, “Um… No…” and that was that.
When he repeated the sentence again, I informed him that I didn’t have any money and didn’t carry cash on me (especially in that area). I did tell him that instead of money I had a card for our church. That must have caught his interest because his next comment was, “Well what church do you go to?”“The church down on Aversboro Road, across the street from Aversboro Baptist,” I continued, “you should join us sometime.”
He sat there and took the car and thought for a second and said, “I will have to drop by sometime!”
“Great!” I replied. “Is there anything that we can do for you, sir?” I asked.
“No,” he responded, “that should be all.” And with that last remark, he turned around and walked along his way and we booked it back to our apartment.
Now, I do not know if we had divine intervention on our side, which I am sure we did, but I like to think of this experience as the time that we tricked a potential robber with a pass-a-long card. We never did see the man again and the problems that we had in that area were limited and we were actually protected by the people of the hood on more than one occasion. It almost makes me miss that on-edge feeling that comes with walking around a dangerous area at night
One week, we took our area map to the police officers at our church and had them mark a couple areas on the map that we should avoid if possible, they marked our apartment complex. I sat there and stared at the officer with that, “you’ve got to be kidding me” look on my face. They were serious.
Later that week we went to the store to get some food towards the end of the day. The store that we were going to was called Food Lion and it was right across the road from where we lived. While we were walking out of the store with out food, a man came up to us and mumbled something that we didn’t quite hear. I looked at my companion and he had the same confusion that I had so I asked him what he said. Now let me stop and say that I am 6’1” and 215 pounds and my companion is three inches taller and forty pounds heavier than I am. This guy is about 5’6” and maybe 150 pounds if he had swallowed lead that morning. Anyways, back to the story. He looked up at me, dead in the eye and said, “Give me your dollars.”
I sat there in shock and looked back, chuckled a little bit and said, “Um… No…” and that was that.
When he repeated the sentence again, I informed him that I didn’t have any money and didn’t carry cash on me (especially in that area). I did tell him that instead of money I had a card for our church. That must have caught his interest because his next comment was, “Well what church do you go to?”“The church down on Aversboro Road, across the street from Aversboro Baptist,” I continued, “you should join us sometime.”
He sat there and took the car and thought for a second and said, “I will have to drop by sometime!”
“Great!” I replied. “Is there anything that we can do for you, sir?” I asked.
“No,” he responded, “that should be all.” And with that last remark, he turned around and walked along his way and we booked it back to our apartment.
Now, I do not know if we had divine intervention on our side, which I am sure we did, but I like to think of this experience as the time that we tricked a potential robber with a pass-a-long card. We never did see the man again and the problems that we had in that area were limited and we were actually protected by the people of the hood on more than one occasion. It almost makes me miss that on-edge feeling that comes with walking around a dangerous area at night
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