ELMER'S POST ON ROADSIDE STEALING

Marilyn called me to post and asked if there is a great deal of theft at our roadside stands.  It seems to be a problem in her area.  It is here.

Recently I made a wooden box for our roadside stand.  When I made it, I planned to put a lock on it, but Anna told me not too - so people could make change if they had too.  Anna was talking to Jean and Jean said that would be nice to have at her stand - so I made one for her.  When I brought it to Jean, David, her husband, saw it and said I could have made that.  Jean just rolled her eyes.  Seems she had asked David to make one for her and he kept saying that he would but never did.  It would replace the glass jar that they had at their stand.

The day after I brought it to her, Jean called me and asked if I could make her another one.  I said sure.  I thought it was for someone else who might have seen hers.  Nope  Someone had stolen Jean's  Everyone was in the house or in the fields and didn't see who took it - in broad daylight. When they went down to check on it - it was gone.  She could understand them taking the money, but the box, too!

So this time, when I got there, David and I figured out how to screw the box to one of the wooden boards in Jean's stand.  If someone steals, they will be able to take the money, but not the box.  David came home with me and we hooked ours into the boards too.

One night while Anna and I had just got settled in bed for the night, we heard a crash.  I jumped out of bed, Anna said to stay inside.  I looked out all the front windows and couldn't see anything, but I could hear an engine gunning loud.  Finally, I went on our front porch as a car went tearing by.  Took at walk to the end of the driveway and couldn't see anything. 

Anna's sister and brother-in-law live next door and they were out looking, too.  We didn't see anything so we all went back to bed.  In the morning one of our Englisher neighbors came over to our house.  His roadside stand was hit by a car  - that's what we heard.  The stand is in pieces.  He believes it was hit on purpose. 

We Amish and local Mennonites don't report money stolen from our stands.  Our belief that it is God's will.  He allows it for a reason.  We feel that maybe someone who stole the money really needed it and this was the only way to get it - so we don't call the police.

So, when I was telling Bishop Eli about this,  it shocked me when he told me if that happens to call the Police.  He said, too many are happening and after that one where than ran it down could be dangerous.  What if they had hit someone with the car.  Taking the money is one thing.  Running the stand down is something else.

So every night before we go to bed, we remove anything we have for sale in our stand.  Also, we take all the money out of our box.  In the morning, we put all our vegetables, flowers, etc back out in the stand and put some money in the box in case someone has to make change.  We try to keep an eye on it when we are home.  If we are gone, we put it in God's trust and wisdom.

Also, I do not want Anna going out to the stand alone when someone is there.  Jean's house is the same way.  We don't want our ladies out there, unless it is someone we know personally.  It's sad to say, but you can't trust people like we use to. 

Trust God's Wisdom,
Elmer