Around midday, I returned to my rented cottage in Johannesburg on the property of a friend who was in Switzerland visiting her parents. I had opened the automated gate, but instead of continuing down the driveway as usual, I had stopped to remove the post that was in the post-box. Something made me glance towards the main house. I saw an unusual sight. There were boxes in disarray on the lawn outside the bedroom window. I knew instantly there were or had been burglars. I closed the gate and immediately drove to the nearest shop to call the police. From there, I went to a neighbour’s house to wait. While sipping the sweet hot tea my neighbours had served me, I thanked my guardian angels.
When the police arrived, we first made sure that the property was free of the intruders before we entered the main house. It was as if a small hurricane had struck – there were open cupboards, possessions strewn around, furniture moved, and so on. The intruders had broken in not long before my arrival, as evidenced by the shoes one of them had left behind in his rush to get away. Fortunately, they had been interrupted and had fled the property, so the owner had not lost many possessions. However, given worse timing, I could easily have been gunned down by the owner’s weapon which the police had found under her sideboard.
After the officers left, I locked myself in my cottage. Still shaken, I was considering what I should do now, have another strong, sweet cup of tea… yes, and then, the cottage gate bell rang. I answered, there was no response. After my tea, I was calmer and had begun to think more clearly about the next step when the house gate bell rang. Again I answered, and again there was no response. I then called the police, knowing that the intruders were testing me. The police arrived and checked the property again, finding nothing, reassuring me that it was all in my imagination. Trusting my instincts, I called numerous independent security companies to dispatch a night guard to the property. One switchboard operator after the other said, “It’s too late now lady, please call in the morning.” I felt fear running down my spine and questioned what to do next. Should I stay or leave?
By that time it was sunset and I had made the decision to be brave and stay. Then my mobile phone rang. It was Swami Vishwananda calling from Germany to ask, “Hilde, what is going on? You are in grave danger. You are not to be alone. Call someone immediately. They are to stay with you for a few days”, he warned. Hearing his voice, my first thought was, Thank God it’s you, beloved Swami. My body relaxed and tears streamed down my cheeks. My next thoughts were, How did he know? I’m cared for…I matter. And a lifetime of thoughts like, I’m alone…, I have to do it on my own…and nobody really cares, dissolved instantly. My call for help was answered on all levels in such a miraculous way. Listening to Swami Vishwananda’s advice, I called my daughter Jessica and her husband. They came immediately to spend the night in the cottage with me. I had had an exhausting and frightening day.
Because the case could not be opened by the police until the owner returned, I left the premises the following day. I employed a private security company to guard the property for the remaining week before my friend’s return. Meanwhile, I had received her permission to have an electric fence installed around the circumference of the property. Unfortunately, in the violent and poverty stricken South Africa of today, even measures like these hardly deter criminals.
Three months later, while preparing to move to a new home, I found my friend’s gold jewellery hidden beneath some potted plants on my cottage veranda. This explained why I was still in danger in the days following the burglary. The burglars seemed to have been interrupted by the timing of my return and had unfinished business. Thank goodness for the protection of our guru.
The infinite grace of your being never ceases to touch me and my life, Swami. Thank you and thank you God.
H. L. - South Africa
10 Sept 2009
Swami Vishwananda’s life-saving protection
Around midday, I returned to my rented cottage in Johannesburg on the property of a friend who was in Switzerland visiting her parents. I had opened the automated gate, but instead of continuing down the driveway as usual, I had stopped to remove the post that was in the post-box. Something made me glance towards the main house. I saw an unusual sight. There were boxes in disarray on the lawn outside the bedroom window. I knew instantly there were or had been burglars. I closed the gate and immediately drove to the nearest shop to call the police. From there, I went to a neighbour’s house to wait. While sipping the sweet hot tea my neighbours had served me, I thanked my guardian angels.
When the police arrived, we first made sure that the property was free of the intruders before we entered the main house. It was as if a small hurricane had struck – there were open cupboards, possessions strewn around, furniture moved, and so on. The intruders had broken in not long before my arrival, as evidenced by the shoes one of them had left behind in his rush to get away. Fortunately, they had been interrupted and had fled the property, so the owner had not lost many possessions. However, given worse timing, I could easily have been gunned down by the owner’s weapon which the police had found under her sideboard.
After the officers left, I locked myself in my cottage. Still shaken, I was considering what I should do now, have another strong, sweet cup of tea… yes, and then, the cottage gate bell rang. I answered, there was no response. After my tea, I was calmer and had begun to think more clearly about the next step when the house gate bell rang. Again I answered, and again there was no response. I then called the police, knowing that the intruders were testing me. The police arrived and checked the property again, finding nothing, reassuring me that it was all in my imagination. Trusting my instincts, I called numerous independent security companies to dispatch a night guard to the property. One switchboard operator after the other said, “It’s too late now lady, please call in the morning.” I felt fear running down my spine and questioned what to do next. Should I stay or leave?
By that time it was sunset and I had made the decision to be brave and stay. Then my mobile phone rang. It was Swami Vishwananda calling from Germany to ask, “Hilde, what is going on? You are in grave danger. You are not to be alone. Call someone immediately. They are to stay with you for a few days”, he warned. Hearing his voice, my first thought was, Thank God it’s you, beloved Swami. My body relaxed and tears streamed down my cheeks. My next thoughts were, How did he know? I’m cared for…I matter. And a lifetime of thoughts like, I’m alone…, I have to do it on my own…and nobody really cares, dissolved instantly. My call for help was answered on all levels in such a miraculous way. Listening to Swami Vishwananda’s advice, I called my daughter Jessica and her husband. They came immediately to spend the night in the cottage with me. I had had an exhausting and frightening day.
Because the case could not be opened by the police until the owner returned, I left the premises the following day. I employed a private security company to guard the property for the remaining week before my friend’s return. Meanwhile, I had received her permission to have an electric fence installed around the circumference of the property. Unfortunately, in the violent and poverty stricken South Africa of today, even measures like these hardly deter criminals.
Three months later, while preparing to move to a new home, I found my friend’s gold jewellery hidden beneath some potted plants on my cottage veranda. This explained why I was still in danger in the days following the burglary. The burglars seemed to have been interrupted by the timing of my return and had unfinished business. Thank goodness for the protection of our guru.
The infinite grace of your being never ceases to touch me and my life, Swami. Thank you and thank you God.
H. L. - South Africa