It was cold, with recent snow on the ground. I had just finished teaching an evening Bible class, in which we considered two of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shall not steal” and “Thou shall not kill.” My two teen members shared that “if everyone obeyed just those two commandments, we would be in heaven.”
It was already dark, and I was driving home a few of the members. I stopped for a young mother and her baby. I got out of the van to get her stroller. I had just opened the doors and was reaching for the stroller. I was immediately pushed headfirst into the cargo space.
A man said, as he put a cold gun to the back of my head, “Don’t turn around, or I will shoot you.” He searched my pockets, taking my wallet ($2, IDs, no credit cards), keys to the church and pastor’s house, and a cheap Timex watch. I was praying for our lives the whole time.
There were other guys with guns (I learned later) threatening us. There were loud voices: “Hurry up or I’ll shoot.” Finally, they got what they wanted and ran.