Purse Stolen, Purse Returned

We went to Beira this past week for team meetings. Three of our year-long colleagues, participants in MCC's SALT and YAMEN programs ended their terms, so we had a going away party for them and attached team meetings to it.

Joel, Nadia and I risked the bus again, fortunately this time it took the normal amount of time instead of 26 hours like the last time. Our country rep picked us up from the bus terminal. Nadia and I took our carry-on luggage to Melanie's truck while Joel waited to pick up our suitcases from the underside compartment. We loaded everything into the truck. Just as I was about to strap Nadia into her car seat, some guy who must have been watching our movements and lurking in the shadows, swiftly grabbed my purse from my hands and took off through an abandoned field hidden from view by a tin roofing fence on three sides. I yelled my surprise: "That guy stole my purse!" Joel, ever the gentleman, tried to run after the guy, but the thief had the advantage of surprise and night. Joel and I looked all over the field, hoping to see my purse; we talked with several guards of business establishments bordering the abandoned field. But to our dismay, no one had seen anyone running with the purse.

Melanie took us to the police station who told us we needed to go to a different precinct. Upon arriving at the proper precinct, a police officer took the information he needed: Name, daughter of, place of birth, nationality, and finally asked, "What documents were stolen?" He dutifully wrote down what documents I lost and then considered the case closed until we pressed him on the additional items missing.

Documents in Mozambique are notoriously difficulty to get--very time consuming and for foriegners, the immigration processes are not always very efficient. In my purse, I had my residency document, Nadia's residency document, my Pennsylvania driver's license and my international drivers license. All important documents. While Melanie worried about the loss of my documents, Joel and I worried about a more important item--Nadia's beloved Bunny. She loves her Bunny. She would take Bunny everywhere with her if we would allow her. She wakes up in the morning and Bunny is the first thing she plays with; she sleeps with Bunny; she gets hurt and first wants to be comforted by me then wants Bunny; she converses with Bunny: "Como esta, Bunny? Como esta, Nadia? Estou bem" Bunny is Important in our family.

When it came to going to bed, Nadia must have sensed our apprehensive mood and reacted to a new place. She didn't go easily. We told her that someone had taken Bunny. All night long, I worried about losing Bunny. I pictured Bunny like the Velveteen Rabbit, left alone, cold and lonely, abandoned on some random street. I prayed that God would miraculously return Bunny (and my documents).

At 6:30 AM, both Joel and I received a phone call from the same number. I quickly called it back, hoping to hear something about my purse. It was a guard from the Catholic Cathedral School. He said that at 22:00 hours the night before "banditos" left a purse with documents and glasses (my prescription sunglasses). Thank you God! Joel went and picked up the purse from the honest guards. Everything was in the purse, except for the money (about $15.00 USD) and two flash drives. We had Bunny again!

I talked with a Mozambican colleague about how the purse was left in front of the church school. He said that banditos often do that. His wife had the same thing happen. They steal purses, take the money and leave the purse in front of a church or police station, as if they know people need the other things they keep in the purse. Seems they could generate income in less violent ways.