Thank You God

On the night of October 22, 1989 Jacob Wetterling was abducted just blocks from his home. You've all heard the story, but for some of us...Jacob Wetterling is more than a name, more than a story. To my husband, he was a friend. To me, he was Trevor's brother...someone I met years after the abduction. To Aaron, a friend of ours, Jacob was his best friend. Aaron and Trevor were both there that night, almost 20 years ago, and they will never forget the occurrences of that evening. They would tell you that it happened so fast...when they least expected it.

The irony of this is that several area newspapers printed an article today about Aaron and his hopes for a happy ending...and tonight, I got a phone call from my mother with panic in her voice. I knew something had happened.

Tonight, while my brother was sweeping his garage, my almost 6-year-old nephew was taking the garbage to the street and a strange car--an old, green Pontiac Bonneville with a loud muffler, to be exact--drove by. Ordinarily, this wouldn't have alarmed my brother, but it did because he had seen the same car earlier and at that time, the driver and group of people were screwing around and driving fast through the neighborhood. With a gut feeling, my brother raced to the front of his house to find a man (a young Somali man) crossing the street from the parked car and moving toward my nephew. When the man saw my brother, he ran back to the car and drove off with 2-3 others in it.

What exactly was that man going to do? What were the intentions of this group of men in the car? Why were they yelling "Hurry up!"? Thank God my nephew is safe at home in his bed tonight.

Please watch your children. If you don't have children, remind someone who does. Abductions HAPPEN and they happen in towns and neighborhoods just like OURS...just ask me about my long time friend who was kidnapped--yes kidnapped--right out of her home when we were in 6th grade. The reason she is with us today is because she was brave enough to jump out of a moving car that was speeding down a highway just miles from her home. She was not going to let that man with a gun get away with her. (Katie, I'm so glad you were so brave).

It is not my intentions to scare you, but to warn you that it can happen when you least expect it. Please be aware. Know your surroundings, know your neighbors, and pay close attention to unfamiliar people and cars. And watch your neighbors' children...we are all responsible.

So tonight, my family is praying a little harder and thanking God for my nephew's safety. Personally, I am praying that the Worthington police officers find the car, and the men, and figure out what those bastards were up to!