An encounter with the "ah-long"kind

We had an encounter with the “ah long” kind (loan sharks) last weekend.
Now, before you get any ideas, it was not our fault at all… we were simply the innocent bystanders. We woke up one morning to find our porch and beloved car painted partially in red!

Looking back we should have suspected something. The neighbor was gone (in a hurry & without a word) for almost a week. People came looking for them, yet , we did not suspect anything amiss…we were quite "blur", thinking it was perhaps just a domestic feud , or some unsettled business with friends. Then it got worse. Two days earlier, they threw a flower pot into the porch. Then, they chained the gates. And, finally the following morning, the infamous red paint! Only then did it hit us that these people were the “ah-longs” out to claim their money from our neighbour!

But the aftermath of it!!! Who could have imagined that it was so darn tough to remove the red paint (hmm, wonder what kind of paint they used?? )… sort of like a sticky, gummy paint and it took us one whole day to scrap it off, and yet the job’s not 100% completed yet. Still the walls and floors of the porch are stained with red paint. Let me tell you, it was not a pleasing experience at all, squatting on the floor in the hot afternoon and scrubbing the floors with your hands soaked in thinner and kerosene…..phew!

We don’t know what’s gonna happen now. We have done and are doing the necessary – lodged a police report , exercise more caution, be more on the lookout on who's around our neighbourhood, and pray for God's covering on our home and our lives. Of course, we hope that our neighbours can come home quickly to solve the problem,too. Please think about us, your neighbours. When things like this happen, we are very much affected as you are- our daily lives, materials, home and loved ones are precious to us and we dont want them falling in harm's way.

So, we learnt:
- Be cautious. Once a neighbour is away for more than 3 days without telling anyone their whereabouts, be on the look out. Be prepared to call the police and report any disturbances.

- Be a busy body - in a good way. Make it a point to know what's going on with your neighbours.

- Pray and trust God for His protection and providence. We can only do so much, but God can do much more.

And, to the ah longs, please, please, puhleez..... aim properly before throwing the red paint!