The Assault

Here follows a story of vandalism, drunkenness, and physical assault. Every word, every paragraph, every comma of it is true.


Why? 


Because it happened to my dad.

The Assault

            Early one morning I was out for my 5 kilometer run.  My mind was filled with thoughts about our week of teaching on spiritual warfare and rejoicing for the freedom that was being experienced by our students.  Then I saw up the road from me a man taking something and throwing it off to the side of the road.  I also heard a loud bang.  He proceeded to walk toward me and our paths crossed about 100 feet from the bang.  I greeted him with my normal “Good Morning.”  He gave me no response. 

I came to the place where the bang came from, I heard this crackling sound.  I discovered that he had thrown a rock through the back of a mini van window.  This occurred at the Kona Islanders Inn, so I went into the Inn and wrote a note saying, “I witnessed the smashing of the back window of the mini van parked out front.”  I signed it and left my phone number. 

  A number of thoughts were going through my mind.  “That is someone else’s problem and let them deal with it.  I have enough going on.  If I report it, then I will have to be a witness in court and courts can be a waste of time.”  Another voice spoke to me saying “Would if that was my van, wouldn’t I want someone else to be looking out for me?”  The teaching from Dave Bryan on spiritual warfare flowed through my mind too.  In God’s kingdom we love our neighbors as ourselves and we are our brother’s keeper.  In Satan’s kingdom, the focus is on self and doing what you want.  David taught us that we have a choice to align our will with God or with Satan.  God calls us to obedience to Him while Satan calls us to exercise our will. 

          

            I decided I was going to look out for my neighbor.  I came out of the Inn and saw the man still walking down the road.  He was Hawaiian about 5 feet 5 inches.  He weighed about 200 lbs.  He was wearing a straw hat and had a guitar case over his back.  He was cursing and appeared to be intoxicated.  I prayed against the work of hell in his life.  I also prayed that a police car would come by so that I would leave it with them.  I did not have a phone so I was unable to call the police.  He went to the McDonalds and jumped into a car with three guys in it as it was coming up to the drive through window. 

I was concerned that there was going to be more vandalism and McDonalds would have some smashed windows.  I went to the place where you order the food and asked if they could call the police because the man on the side of the building just smashed a minivan window.  The young man in McDonalds asked me to come to the window.  In the mean time he talked to his supervisor.  She told him that because it did not happen on McDonald’s property, they would not call the police.  He advised me to call the police myself from the pay phone.  I told him that I did not have any money.  He told me to call 911 does cost anything.  I tried to call 911 but the call would not go through unless I deposited 50 cents.  I returned to the place where food can be ordered and told him that 911 did not work from the pay phone and I would leave it in their hands. 

            I walked out of the McDonald’s driveway and waited a few minutes on the road.  The man was standing in front of McDonalds waiting for his food order.  A woman came out of McDonalds with his order and hugged him. 

            I decided to walk up to him and engage him in conversation.  He offered me some of his French Fries.  I said “Thanks, I will pass.”  He asked me if I had some cocaine.  I said “No.”  We had some small talk.  Then I asked his name.   It was then that he got angry with me.  I told him “Jesus loves you.”  He said to me “You are Satan.”  I thought Jesus was accused of that too, so I was in good company.  I was determined not to be intimidated by him and stood up to him.  He threatened me.  The next thing I knew it, he slapped me across the face as the McDonald’s staff were watching in the parking lot.
  

            I had enough of engaging an intoxicated man and of being assaulted.  I walked out to the road and my prayer offered earlier was answered, a security car was going past.  I waved him down. He drove into the McDonalds and called for back up.  Within a few minutes another security car showed up.  I pointed the man out and the two security officers walked around and met the man.  They knew who he was.  They called the police.  We waited a ½ hour for the police to arrive.  In the mean time, the man left. 

Two police officers arrived in separate cars.  I explained what had happened and they wrote up a report.  The security officer shared who it was, but the police did not know the man.   They asked for specific details of what took place and then the two police and myself went to the vandalized van.  They took pictures and told me I could go home. 

I arrived at home at 4:00 AM and was hoping to get a little sleep.  I was grieved for the young man who was in the grip of alcohol and experiencing the destruction and violence that comes with that spirit.  I compare that spirit with the Spirit of God that I was witnessing on campus and the joy He brings.  My prayer is that the young man will experience a conversion from a spirit of destruction to a spirit of life and joy.