Tree Trimming and Neighborhood Watching

After we got home from church, I went in and changed my clothes, so I could go outside and mow the lawn and trim some trees. The front lawn was covered with leaves from our Birch tree, and there are a couple of Japanese Maples on the side of the house that needed to be trimmed so bad that we couldn't see out the side windows from the second story. We live on a corner lot, and the Maples are on the side with the street.

So, as I was trimming away, swinging the hedge-trimmers around like a lightsaber (my wife's words), I noticed a Red Volkswagen Rabbit, pull around the corner, down the side street and park near the trailhead of a little green belt. I often see people park there and walk in on the trail to a little thicket I call the "Pot Pit."

Three husky, early-twenties, males exit the car and belch and chat their way into the greenbelt, on the trail. I had my suspicions of what was going on, so I went into the garage and grabbed a handful of Million Dollar Bill Gospel tracts and headed for the trail. At first, I thought, maybe they are headed for the house where I suspect drugs are being dealt. But, not so, I came upon them at the "Pot Pit".

I went directly down the little trail into the thicket and they addressed me with "Hey, what can we do for you?" I responded, "what can I do for you, here's a million dollar bill." I gave each of them one, and said, "that's for you to never come back here again or I'll call the cops!"

They said, "Okay, and I escorted them to their car and saw them drive away.
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There have been several incidents like this over the past few years. This situation of drugs and delinquency was the motivation for me to begin sharing the Gospel with people in earnest almost two years ago. I felt I had to do something, but I'm anti-violence, and the police never seem to come when you call them.

I can't say I've seen a dramatic improvement in our neighborhood. Just the other evening, there was the guy in a blue Celica, who stopped in front of our house, finished drinking his beer and threw the empty beer bottle into my yard. I whistled at him, and he sped off.

The LORD will protect us, and vindicate us (a story about that later.)

God bless...