Shock in Paradise – it’s not all rainbows & butterflies…

Talofa everyone. I’ve been slacking on this, so sorry. It’s been a blur these last 2 weeks in lockdown. We’ve been battling sickness and the cabin fever started to hit as we have not left our home since forever it feels. Regardless of what level we are at in terms of lockdown, children under 12 are to stay home anyway so until they are allowed out, we will be safe at home 🏠 Kopo is our designated grocery shopper and do anything in town person & has seen children out and about, but I actually like being home, even if I am longing for a beach day 🏝

Kopo’s uncle died a few weeks ago, we had seen him a while back at a family get together. He was only in his 50s so that was sad of course. He was able to attend the funeral last week & the girls and i streamed it online. While it was a time of sorrow, it was also a time that Kopo got to see many family members he hadn’t seen in a long time, some since he left in 1995! Funerals always remind me that life is short, tomorrow is never promised and to reconnect with others and love on the people you have now bc they won’t be around forever.

This weekend we had a very unfortunate incident where someone snuck onto our property and stole Tishy’s bike from right in front of our house. It was 2:15pm and we were in the living room, we did not see or hear anything. It wasn’t until Tishy went outside to ride again (she had come in for a water break that turned into a talking laughing watching videos of her baby self break) that she said her bike was gone. I was shocked and completely sideswiped, what do you mean gone? We live on a completely fenced property at the end of a small unpaved street, our property is up against the valley so one whole side of the property is completely neighbor-free.

We started looking around immediately bc it just didn’t make sense that someone could steal it. I’m not sure why we were walking around searching for it under bushes and random places, initial shock and denial I suppose. I contacted our next door neighbor who lives on the property with us, I wanted to inform him in case he had anything missing. I also contacted our landlord who called the police immediately. The police were at our place within 30min and since our landlords have had issues (unbeknownst to us) with back neighbors that’s the part of the fence where the police checked first. And 5min later they came back with the bike. It was taken apart as you can see below.

Turns out it was a teenage neighbor who waited for the right opportunity to take it. They found an area of the fence where he has used to climb over several times. They think he had been scoping out the place and our stuff for a while and had hidden and watched for the right time – which is so creepy. I thought the bike could be put together but alas he had bent the metal in many places & it is broken beyond what we can repair. We may try and see if we can get someone to fix it but it isn’t likely 😔 This bike my mum had sent from the US & Tishy rode all day every day, we are super bummed. I am thankful that he did not try to take it from her while she was riding it and that he didn’t try and take anything else. It still was so unsettling and something we are still processing through. More so the violation of our privacy and the safety we felt at home. We don’t feel comfortable letting the girls play outside while I do dishes or something else inside, and we are much more careful about what we have outside. There’s still more to be done to be sure this family and their son will be held accountable, things that the village council will deal with. And for us, our hope is that this is a turning point for him. If he continues down the path he’s on, it will only end up badly for him. So maybe this is a wake up call for him. Perhaps this will spark something in his family. I’m not sure but my prayer is that this will be his last time stealing from anyone and that other families will not have to deal with this behavior from anyone in the family.

And that’s the latest in the life of the Tapelus. Still seeking the Lord on clarity in the next season. Still waiting. Still doing our best not to lean on our own understanding. We can get antsy at times, wanting to know what to do where to go and what is next, but ultimately we trust in the Lord. We trust in His timing and His plan. We remember His goodness when we’re tempted to give in to self pity and frustration. Yes it happens, we get discouraged and confused, we do our best not to lean on our own understanding but we do and then confess when we have. He is good and faithful regardless of our circumstance & He carries us & sustains us when we don’t feel like continuing on the path He has for us ❤️

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations‬ ‭3:21-24‬ ‭ESV‬‬