Theft: 1 motorbike, 4 bicycles...

Just a day before I posted about God being our ultimate security, our neighbour's front yard / porch got broken into for the second time. The thieves took a total of 4 bicycles & 1 motorbike over two separate occasions, one week between each.

Our house is joined to theirs & we actually share the same front yard. So our motorbike could have well been stolen too if not for the fact that it was parked on the other end, blocked by both families' cars. It's likely that the thieves may not have seen our motorbike in the darkness of the night.

Side & main gate on the left are on our side of the house. The neighbours have identical gates & their bikes were parked on the their end of the front yard

The thieves had it easy the first time (as the gate was unlocked in the evening). But the second time, they had cut the padlock on the gate. They then hung the broken padlock over our neighbours's door to prevent them from getting out of the house to stop the thieves!

(Before adding the extra security features)

Side gate, view from the outside - there's a hole to allow securing of the padlock on the inside from the outside

(After adding the extra security features)

Side gate, view from outside: a metal piece that covers the hole, installed to prevent thieves from accessing the inside padlock

Side gate, view from the inside: a little latch on the metal piece that can be padlocked at night

Main gate, view from the inside: the black, badly soldered piece of metal prevents thieves from lifting the metal pole that anchors the gate to the ground

While we do thank God for our landlady who has been very prompt in installing extra security features on the gates, we're reminded again that our trust cannot be in these things, as much as we need them to some extent. God is still our ultimate security.

There'll be times when we will experience His miraculous covering and protection. Yet, at other times, He allows us, His children, to be victims of evil perpetrators. We're not immune to the effects of evil. It is part & puzzle of living in this fallen world.

So please pray that we continue to look to God for all things - security yes, but more so, to His enabling & keeping of our faith when bad things do happen.