How God looked after me when my bag was stolen at the beach

Signs & Wonders in everyday life - Your stories of  God’s intervention

One Sunday in March this year I invited my granddaughter to come to the beach with me in Muizenberg, Cape Town (where we live). It was a beautiful day, and we parked the car and walked down to the beach. I put my beach bag and body board on the side below the walk-way, and leaned back on my body board, which covered my beach bag. We sat chatting for a good hour. The beach was very busy. I decided to go and feel the water to see if I would have a swim, and I stayed paddling in the shallows for a while. I decided not to swim, and, as it was now 4pm, I said to my granddaughter that we’d have to leave soon. I moved my body board to get my bag, and I realised it wasn’t there. If someone had stolen my bag and found my car keys, I needed to stay with my car so they didn’t drive off with it. We quickly went to the car and a young couple walked past. I approached them and they said they were from Norway doing a Bible course at Youth with a Mission (YWAM). I told them what had happened, and asked them to phone my daughter to get my spare keys from home. Then I realised I had forgotten her number! So the kind man offered to get an Uber to send me home for my keys. I did not want to leave the car, so I sent my teenage granddaughter.

I stood waiting while still only dressed in my swimming costume and beach cover. One guy on his bike asked if I was OK, then a mother and daughter offered to call the neighbourhood watch who could keep an eye on the car, so that nothing happened to it. He arrived, and stood with me. Then the Norwegian guy, Eric, who had phoned the Uber came back, to let me know my granddaughter had got home. He told me to go into the YWAM offices and they would look after me. As I was waiting I said to the Lord: “It was a wonderful church service this morning, about how big and majestic you are. We were worshipping you and I felt so filled with your Holy Spirit, and now this evil happens to me – why Lord?” I didn’t hear an answer straight away.