The news is littered with stories of people being mugged when they least expect it. Yet, it’s hard to fathom being the one actually in the situation, especially not knowing how you’d react.
92-year-old Pauline Jacobi became the victim of a thief while out on an everyday shopping trip. But instead of simply handing over her money, she chose to “fight back” in a surprising way.
Going to the grocery store is a common chore people do without a second thought. A lot of us forget though, to keep their eyes open.
According to the Bureau of Justice’s statistics, “More than 1 in 10 property instances occurred in parking lots or garages.”
Pauline had gone shopping for groceries at her local Walmart in Dyersburg, Tennessee. After putting them in her car, she climbed into the driver’s seat.
That’s when things got chilling.
Suddenly, a man hopped into Pauline’s vehicle through the passenger door. He demanded the elderly woman’s money.
What did Pauline do? She explained to WMC Action News 5 that she refused to give him her money – telling the man three times that she wouldn’t.
Pauline, who reads the Bible daily, then began talking to the guy.
She expressed to him,
“‘As quick as you hurt me I’ll go to heaven.”
She urged him to ask for the Lord’s forgiveness, saying,
“‘…Jesus is in this car and he goes with me everywhere I go.'”
It seems nerve-racking wondering about the story’s outcome, however this man heeded her words.
For 10 minutes Pauline sat ministering to him in the Walmart parking lot. He told Pauline what he planned on doing later that evening.
In her interview with Action News 5, she recalled,
“‘He says, I think I’ll go home and pray tonight. I says, ‘You don’t have to wait until tonight. You can pray anytime you want to.'”
Before sending him on his way, Pauline opened her purse and gave the man all her money, which was $10. She did have one condition though.
The elderly woman warned,
“‘Don’t you go spend it on whiskey either.'”
In return, he thanked Pauline and gave her a kiss on the cheek to show his appreciation. After the rare turn of events, the man (who told Pauline his name was “Ricky”) simply walked away.
It’s not every day that a situation like this ends on a positive note. It’s also not every day that you see someone as brave as Pauline Jacobi, whose faith in God helped her through it all.
Watch the news story below to hear Pauline talk about her experience – and to find out how it’s helping others.
Since the video’s been posted it’s been viewed almost 3,500,000 times.
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