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Hijacked and Kidnapped in the Night |
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Dear Brethren,
I have been asked to give a detailed account of the horrific events of November 3, 2010.
 On November 2nd my son John (18 years of age ) and I gathered our documents to go to the American Embassy in Nairobi to apply for his green card so he could start his education at David Lipscomb where he has been accepted. We had already missed the deadline for him to start school in August as we could not afford the high costs of his being accepted as a foreign student on a student visa which does not allow him to work in the States and does not allow him to apply for the various grants and scholarships afforded to Americans so we were applying for the Green card which he is entitled to as my adopted son through Homeland Security. With the green card he qualifies for anything and ordinary citizen is allowed as well as having a SS number and being the first step in getting his American Citizenship.
We had been to the American embassy in the morning and obtained an appointment for him for the 4th. I had also withdrawn $700 for visa application costs and other expenses which I still had in my pocket along with John’s and my passports. They took it all as well as the $25 John had in his pocket.
As we were going to photograph a new niece born to my brother-in-law James Karatu and his wife Jessica I had my professional camera along as well. It was my pride and joy, equivalent in cost to the Sony Alpa 500. We passed by the Photo lab to have several photos processed to prove that John had been with us for the past 18 years or at least two thereof and were in possession of them along with the flash drive they were stored on. Fortunately I had decided to leave my phone and the two knives I usually carried along with all metallic objects so as not set off the search wand at the Embassy.
We had supper with our daughter Noni and took her home about 9:00pm. Upon arrival at the gate of the Mennonite Guest house around 9:10pm we had to wait as the guard was not at his post to open immediately for us. A white land cruiser pulled up behind us and we turned our attention back to the gate as we thought it was another guest arriving.
Suddenly John said, “Dad look at your window.” I realized that a thug had already placed a gun at his throat and as I looked around at the pistol pecking at my window I knew that I had no choice but to cooperate for John’s safety. I opened the door and the Five thieves with two guns scuttled us into the back seat of our VX .
As they pulled away with one of the thieves as driver, and a good driver he was, it seemed a thousand hands were all over us not missing any pocket. I later realized that the seams of pants were ripped all the way down so violent was their searches.
Then a frantic, hysterical interruption began. The thief alarm was now cutting the car off and they were wild. Slowly I began to realize they were all yelling at me to turn off the alarm. I felt their guns in a hundred places as they screamed. When they couldn’t understand my instructions, they pulled me forward to do it myself. When I couldn’t reach the switch I told them to let me out of the car. They obliged but I was too late. The alarm killed the engine but miraculously when I punched the button that stops the system before the car dies, the car started again and it never cut off the car again as it should have. We didn’t need that panic again as they would have mistrusted me after that.
Now we were off down the road out of town to the bush. They went through my billfold taking out the credit cards. They were only interested in the Kenyan cards at first and began demanding the pin numbers. When we hesitated they cocked their guns and poked them into our mouth and ears or throat. One man’s favorite game was to bang me on the chest and say, ”I hate white men, I kill white men every day.” As they would get more and more loud, Johnnie would start talking to them to divert their attention. I gave up the Equity account to save Johnnie and they started in on us about the Barclays card. Unfortunately I don’t use the account much so I could not remember the pin. I only keep the account as a connection to my American account. They left and came back to the pin request hundreds of times. The slightest hesitation brought the loud cocking of guns and fierce yells form everywhere and over and over. We didn’t know if we would live or die the first two or three hours. The “big man kept saying, “White man gonna die for his money. White man will remember his pin when we reach the forest and we shoot him”. Finally they accepted that I had really forgotten the pin and became interested in the American Bank of America cards. They each had two or three phones and were constantly in touch with advisors and their girlfriends while they constantly smoked mirajuana and chewed miraa, a stimulant which keeps them awake. They called a consultant who told them they could use the Bank of America cards in Kenya and they now started in on us again for the pin numbers. Fortunately they had already mislaid two of the cards and only got the pin for my salary card. Things began to cool down at this point especially after finally getting my wedding ring off my finger. The talked of cutting my finger off but no one had a knife. Thank the Lord I had left my two in the guest house!
By now they had put John in the cargo section of the car with one of the thugs to finish frisking him. They took his phone and sent $30 airtime to one of their phones. Later at John’s request they returned his sim card.
It was time now to begin to make ourselves familiar to them as they had gotten all they expected to get from off our person. The Embassy had taught us that if they saw us as people rather than strangers it would be harder to shoot us. I prayed to the Lord, “ Lord if you have seen any of the things that I have done for you and how I have given my life in service to you please spare our lives, and please give me the right words to say to these men.” As the oldest of them had poked on my chest with the barrel of his gun and with gritting teeth said, “ I hate white men, I kill white men every day” I would ask him, why do you hate me? I have never harmed you”. He answered,” white men call us monkeys” to which I replied, ” There’s my son John there. Do I call him a monkey? I have been married to my wife Wangechi for 33 wonderful years, do I call her a monkey. No she is the mother of my children.”
Then I introduced myself. “Njetagwo Jim Scudder kana Murathi.” (My name is Jim Scudder or the Shooter{Kikuyu}) Mutumia wakwa ni Wangechi, Nii ndi mundu wa mucii.” (My wife is Wangechi, I am a man of the village.” They laughed, “White man speaks our language!” I saw I was getting through so I continued, “ I have eaten the breast!” Its like saying I have gone through the blood brother ceremony and am therefore part of the tribe. What happened next surprised me. They started introducing themselves. I’m James Mwangi, I’m Geofrey Wainaini etc. My first thoughts were that we were in trouble for sure now and definitely would be shot for we knew their names but quiet to the contrary, they began to warm up to us. One next to me put my glasses he had taken, carefully into my now empty shirt pocket as he said, “ so they would not get broken.” The cruel one then said, “Don’t worry we are not going to shoot you if you cooperate. All we want is money. We don’t even want your car! It was beyond me as to how anyone could live for money. It produced a very strong feeling of regret for their misguided life so I asked, “Why do you do this, why do you get money this way.” They said in unison, “To get rich. We will get rich and then we will stop!” I said, “what about joy. You know you don’t have any joy. You will get a little pleasure from what you have taken from us but no joy. I said, “look at John and I. We have joy even with all you are doing to us. We are not happy with what you have done but still you see we have joy! Do you want to know why? It is because we have a covenant with the Lord Jesus in which he promises us Joy and Peace and Salvation and all that we ever need. It is a covenant promise for the New Covenant is a real Covenant!” The harsh one said, “I pray every day and this is just our job. We are just doing our job. And when we do it well every day is a pay day.” The Kikuyu have a proberb which says, “A thief has only 40 days.” I refered to it by saying, “you know you will be dead in 40 days, and since we don’t know when that 40 days started, then I will begin to pray for you.” The fellow next to me said, “ Yes, please pray for us for this is not a good job. I then replied in all their hearing, “I promise you that if you leave this life and turn to Him, the Lord will give you joy and peace and all you need including forgiveness if you too will enter His covenant.”
They continued to drive around for hours and received updates from the one they let out at the bank with my credit cards. When he said that he had made the first withdrawals they now stalked and robbed another man. (I learned later that they withdrew $833 including the $212 I now have to pay Bank of America for overdraft and services. They also drew from my Kenya account about $700 They withdrew both before midnight and after midnight which explains why they kept us so long. )They decided to continue in our car and left his car in the road bundling him in with John after beating him brutally.
After driving around more they received a call that my bank accounts had been tapped again and now they began to look for a get-away car. On seeing a man pulling into an apartment complex with a late model car they followed him leaving a gunmen with the guard and driving all the way in blocking the man’s car. Our driver then parked our car and, leaving the door open, ran to help his colleague. The last young man left with us began to leave and I opened the door behind. He turned and said, “No, No, Wait, you might get shot.” He joined the others as I felt John’s hand on my shoulder as he said, “ Dad stay, they are leaving us.” I kept looking at the open door and the thieves preoccupation with their new victim but finally decided not to make the move as if they began to shot John could be hit. It was then the driver came back and took the keys. As he turned to walk away he looked into my eyes in all seriousness and said, “You promised to pray for us and please do cause this is really not a good job!
They drove off rapidly but when the gunman got out to open the gate the new victim jumped out behind him and ran toward us passing us into the building where he hit the alarm. The thieves kept going. They victim’s car was found a few kilometers at Dagoretti Corner with my keys in it just as we found the keys of the car before us in our car. I was nor the owner was informed until Sunday night. I have learned that there are more than one kind of thief. There are the ones who live up to the profession in every way and then there are those who hide behind legitimate business and pretend they are good people. Before I recovered my key and since my car was now in public with the window down, the guesthouse host called a mechanic they all use. He agreed to make 2 keys, since I only had one before thus no spare. He would not tell me the price and the Guest House had agreed to pay the cost for me to repay later. Though he works with late model cars he pretended that he did not know that my key had a computer chip in it. He bought blanks and cut the keys but of course they would not work. I could not refuse when he required payment as it was the friends at the guest house handling the bill. His charge was $400 to be added to the extended stay cost of $400 plus the $150 that I had borrowed to get around. I commented later that I still felt kidnapped even after release! Seeing my MP4 go and the other electronics for charging and computer etc were a bit easier to accept than seeing people take advantage afterwards with a smile. But after all we now have our lives and the memories are a bit like staring in an action movie only they took the camera after the filming!
We had no idea that people literally from around the world were praying for us. People from three states called the White House and the next morning at the American Embassy welcomed us with open arms as the alert from the White House had set them in motion to rescue us.
We would like to thank all of you at Pleasant Valley for your prayers and continued support during and after the gruesome incident. We are healing. Also there are our wonderful children who not only prayed but called their friends and churches to pray also. Special thanks to Argosy University where daughter Anna teaches who stopped class to pray and called others to pray and even comforted Anna and Sam by offering to scrape up the money in case the thieves called for a ransom! What love and support from people of other faiths. The Lord saw what all of you did and saved us. Thank you.
This past Sunday, Mama Anna’s brothers and Sisters and cousins came to say sorry. They all attended church with us and were asked to “greet” the church, a tradition here, and then at home Mama cooked for them a meal fit for a King. In the process of reminiscing and encouraging us her brother Karatu who teaches a class in criminology at the University of Nairobi told us that his police friends had informed him that these 5 criminal young men had their 40 days to expire only three days after the incident. God knew their time was up and I suppose now had sent John and I to give them one more chance to repent. They did not take that opportunity. They are all now dead. I should feel elated but I don’t. I had hoped for at least one success story to tell you. Unfortunately none repented although I imagine that every one of them went down with my words of God’s love on their minds along with the warning- 40 days.
In His service,
Jim and John with Mama Anna and Kiemo.
(Our missionary family in Kenya, East Africa ... the letter from Jim's daughter was published in this minister's article from the church bulletin, HeartLight.)
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