~STOLEN~

Okay, so to finish off with were I left off in my last post...oh darn-it-all-to-heck...I just realized I'm posting in order, but it will all be in reverse order to you.  I always forget to post what happened last first and then first last.  Oh well, most of you already know where I'm going with this post anyway...

So after we were done at the St. Louis Arch, Jason and I had told our group to let us go get both of the trucks, as it was very cold, and we would meet them outside the arch to pick them up.  We had only been parked there for just under two hours when it was all said and done.  We had paid for our parking as we entered the garage and knew we were fine with our time limit being parked.  But when we walked to where our trucks were parked OUR TRUCK WAS GONE GONE GONE!  My parent's was still there, but ours was not and there was another truck parked in the spot where ours had been. 
Jason stopped dead in his tracks and said, "where is our truck?  Where is our truck?"  I was stunned.  It was GONE!  I walked over to the parking booth and told the attendant that our truck was GONE!  He was eating his dinner at the time and came out of the booth to help us look.  As he walked the several levels of the parking garage I dialed 911!  Jason took my parents truck up to pick the family up and bring them back to the scene of the crime, as that was just what it was.  One the police officer, Officer Hendricks, showed up we were busy making phone calls to our bank, insurance agency and every place else that required notice of what had just happened. 
The officer started asking questions, and asked the booth attendant where he had been to not notice the truck being taken.  He "said" he had phone his dinner order in to a place just up the street a block, ran up to pick up his order and was right back in the booth eating it when we showed up to get our truck.  He knew the owner of the truck that had parked where ours was and said that owner had only been parked there for about 30 minutes as she worked in the area.  He told the officer that he "thought we had just left, or something" when his friend parked there. 
The rest was kind of a blurr of craziness as we passed all of our information off to the officer and got the parking Lot's information.  Jason was on the phone for much of that time while my mom was with me and the officer.  My dad and Littles were busy trying to move luggage and bags from their back seat to the very back as to make room for us all to go with them.  All I could do was sort of laugh out loud and say silly things like, "Wow, I just can't believe this has happened.  This is so crazy.  Why would someone do this?  I hope it's someone who needs our stuff more then we do.  Maybe they'll find someone who needs it more then us or them and give it to them.  Wow, this is just crazy and I can't believe this is really happening."  All the while, my oldest Kadin, was passing out his money and gift cards to his little brothers and sister and to Jason and I.  Lilly and Mason's wallets were in the truck with all of their hard earned and saved cash from good grades and allowances.  My purse and wallet was gone as well.  My mom said something to the effect of the booth attendant having something to do with it and I jumped all over her for even thinking that.  He was, after all, being so helpful and seemed to feel so sorry for us.  The officer agreed with my mom and said she was going to have to check out his "story" and follow up on him in better detail.  She agreed that he seemed to have been gone at just the right moment for this to all have gone down right next to his booth.  The officer said she'd keep us posted on things but that it could take up to two days to find our truck, at it's earliest, and to stick around town till then.  We all stuffed ourselves, all 8 of us into my parents 5 seater truck, and drove up the hill to a near by hotel for the night. 

Once we were able to find a hotel with rooms available, most were booked in the area, we settled into our rooms.  Throughout this, the hotel found out our story and gave us a carton of the best cookies to eat, a free in-room movie for the kids, extra breakfast passes for the morning and lot and lots of kindness.  Once the kids were safe with Grandma and Grandpa, Jason and I were headed next door to a convince store for tooth brushes and a few other necessities when we got the call.  Officer Hendricks was coming to pick us up...THEY HAD FOUND OUR TRUCK!  She said it was way too far away and in an area that would be difficult to find on our own.  We called my parents up in the room to tell them and that we'd be back later.  She arrived, picked us up and we started to explain how our truck was found so fast.  She told us that usually when something like this happens, it's reported, sent out over the police radios and put on a list of stolen vehicles.  She said that's about all that happens and it's rare that they are found before two days if at all. 

She then told us that when she arrived at the parking garage to help us, she was surprised that we weren't yelling at her or the attendant and were somewhat cheerful.  She said that at first by our reaction, she wondered of we had been pranked by someone we may have known, or something else much lighter then stolen.  After helping us, she left to check out the attendants story, and then sent the PB out all over the police radios in MO and across the river in Ill.  She told her captain that she wanted to "FIND THIS FAMILY THEIR TRUCK AT ALL COST!"  She told us that she was talking with those officers she works with and telling them about our family and about "calm" we were and not taking it out on her.  She was the reason they found the truck.  She asked that it be put out across the police radios every few minutes as a reminder for other officers to be on the look out.  She just felt that she needed our truck to be found for our sakes.  We listened to her and felt such kindness and genuine help coming from her doing her job.  We couldn't imagine someone taking this out on the officer who came to help them.  I mean, REALLY?  We were so grateful and couldn't stop telling her that. 

Our truck was almost to another county in an industrial factory part of town.  Kind of a scary part of town off the beaten path you could say.  It was down a road that was not out in the open.  They found the truck running with it's lights and hazards on.  It was popped up on a curb facing the main road that passed by.  It was almost like whoever took it, once it got dark, WANTED it to be found. 

 

Drove up to meet the other officer who was waiting with our truck, got out and saw that ALL OF OUR BAGS, LUGGAGE, ELECTRONICS, PURSES, ETC. was GONE!  They had emptied it out and didn't drop a thing on the ground.  They must have had another car there to load out stuff into before leaving the truck behind,  They had cut the OnStar cable, popped a hole in the driver side door to get in and had gone through EVERY LAST INCH of the truck looking for anything to take.  I mean, they went through areas that I didn't even realize you could get to in the truck.  They had trash all over the place and had left our dirty laundry in our hotel laundry bags for the few days being on the road.  Dang, I wished I had put everything in a dirty clothes bag at that point. 

We talked with the two officers while we waited for the forensic van to show up to dust for prints.  I was very surprised they even wanted to go through the trouble, but was thrilled to see how much care they had put into our situation. 

Finally, it was all done and ready for us to get into to drive back to the hotel where our family was waiting for us.  I couldn't stop hugging Officer Hendricks and thanking her over and over again.  She wanted to make sure we knew that it was because of the way we handled the situation with grace, kindness towards those who had wronged us, patience and respect that she put such effort and others, into finding us our truck.  What a lesson that was to all of us that others are watching us at all times and in all things and in all places. 

To add to that...there a piece of us that feels like the booth attendant WAS part of this.  That he saw our out of state plates, our luggage in the back as we pulled warmer clothing out before walking to the arch, and left at just the right time when it happened.  We also feel that due to the way it was handled at that moment, with our laughing, Kadin handing out his hard earned money to us with such love, that HE had a little to do with our truck being left in such a place and in such a way to BE FOUND.  That just maybe there was a tinge of kindness and mercy felt in his heart, to help us at least get our way home back when we did. 

We are still working on the insurance side of this story and will never get back the value of things taken, but we came home all together, safe and sound, to a house full of more stuff.  We felt and saw our Heavenly Father's hand in that whole experience.  We will be writing letters of thanks and gratitude to all those helped us, even the parking booth attendant. 

The next morning after we had our truck back, checked out of the hotel and were driving out of downtown St.Louis, we drove past a homeless man looking in a trash can on the side of the road.  We all had the very same thought at the very same time.  I don't remember who voiced it out loud, but someone in our group looked at that man and said, "maybe the person who took our stuff was a person in need like that homeless man."  After that in all of the prayers that were said, we all asked that our things be used for those in need and that the people who took our stuff might come across something that might touch them and soften their hearts.   We were so blessed to have had my parents there to help and support us through that as well.  Thanks Dad and Mom!