Robbed by Monkeys

Hey Mom, just got robbed by monkeys.

{What Roberto did for me that day is the definition of selflessness… He thought of retrieving my phone back, instead of worrying if the monkeys would bite him. His first instinct was to help.}

“How was your trip to Andalucía?” asked my mom over Skype. I smiled and said, “Oh it was good! Haha got robbed by monkeys.” “What? Monkeys??!” my mom exclaimed.

During the school’s trip to Andalucía  this past October, we had a chance to visit Gibraltar, a British overseas territory. I felt like I walked into London when I first saw the city. There were red call boxes and British flags along the streets and I heard people speaking English! After wandering around for a bit, we rode the Gondola up the mountain. I never imagined what would happen when we arrived at the top: a unique encounter with two evil monkeys.

My friends and I loaded off the Gondola and walked down the pathway. We were curious why a couple of people had stopped by the railing and soon found out  that they were watching a monkey drink Coco Cola. Perfect SnapChat moment I thought and pulled out my phone: mistake 1. And mistake number 2 was pulling out my plastic bag from my backpack to reshuffle my items. Almost immediately a ninja monkey sprinted towards me and grabbed my plastic bag and ripped it open. The monkey stole my souvenir red call box and took it out of the package. I was slightly scared and amused at the same time. Good thing the souvenir was only 5 euros. As if reading my mind, the evil monkey’s twin grabbed my phone and sheer panic mode set in.

My most prized possession was in the hands of a monkey and I had no idea if I would ever see it again. I wasn’t worried about the phone itself, I was more sad about all the pictures and memories on the phone being lost forever. I was afraid to try and get my items back because I knew these monkeys were known for being viscious. Thankfully, another ACA student, Roberto, was nearby and stared the monkey down and grabbed my phone back. A minute later, he walked down the pathway and chased the other evil monkey that had my souvenir. “Here you go, Sonja,” Roberto said as he handed my items back. “Thank you so much!” was all I could think of saying. Roberto had risked getting scratched and bit by monkeys to get my phone back. A simple “thank you” did not seem like enough.

What Roberto did for me that day is the definition of selflessness. Roberto did not need to help me, but he decided to anyways. He thought of retrieving my phone back, instead of worrying if the monkeys would bite him. His first instinct was to help and nothing less. This story reminds me of the many people in my life that have helped me even when it was inconvenient or in some cases, dangerous. When I see this type of love in action, I see Christ more clearly and desire even more to love like Him.

1. My Dad- Found 70 carnations, 40 red ones and 30 white ones, within two hours after he got home from work for a flower vespers I was planning at school that night.
2. My Mom- Made 3 trips to San Francisco so that I could receive my Visa for my year abroad studying in Spain.
3. My “sister”, Julie- Sacrificed sleep multiple times so I could talk to her about life.
4. My brother, Joseph- Ran behind a moving car to pull me out of the way.
5. Jesus- Left His heavenly home and died on the cross so I could have salvation. He constantly pursues me and reminds me everyday that I am forever His daughter and completely worthy of His love. I’ll never forget when He told me, “You’re worth every drop” (Ephesians 1:7).

Knowing that Jesus thought of me, and He thought of you, above all makes my heart beat a little faster and inspires me to love a little deeper.

Crucified,
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone.
Like a rose,
Trampled on the ground,
You took the fall
And thought of me,
Above all.

– lyrics from “Above All” by Michael W. Smith

https://youtu.be/SzOgA2RV6Hs