By Jim Herst
By Jim Herst
Tuesday, July 7, British troops evacuated my parents, Fred and Jean Herst, from their home on the Castlemara housing estate in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, following four days of some of the most vicious rioting in the history of the fighting there.
Police officials believe that the Protestant Ulster Defense Association (UDA), an illegal paramilitary organization, is responsible for much of the violence in this otherwise scenic coastal town 10 miles north of Belfast.
The UDA does not support the new peace agreement and is trying to sabotage it by sending hooligans to the streets to riot against police.
My parents' house is at the entrance to the estate which, unfortunately, has been the focal point of the disturbances.
The trouble began the evening of Saturday, July 4, at the beginning of the Protestant Orangemen's week of celebration.
More than 100 rioters faced off against the police, directly in front of my parents' home.
Fortunately, my mother was able to make it out. She moved in with my sister, Sandra, who lives a couple of miles away in a safer neighborhood.
But my father and brother, David, stayed on to protect the property. What made matters worse is that my brother is a reserve police officer, and the rioters knew this.
Some of them charged the house, threatening him with obscene comments. The situation deteriorated Sunday night when the rioters erected barricades and burned more than 20 cars and buses throughout the estate.
They also continued to pound the police with a barrage of rocks and petrol bombs. But the worst violence occurred Monday evening, when the mob started to throw homemade blast bombs (a lethal mixture of nails and explosives).
Four of the bombs hit my parents' property. One exploded just a couple of feet away from their living room window, knocking both my father and brother to the floor. Thankfully, neither of them was seriously injured.
About 3 a.m. Tuesday, a few of them propped open the letterbox in the front door and rammed through a petrol bomb. It ignited in the hallway. My brother, who was sleeping at the time, was awakened by the smoke alarm. He ran downstairs and smothered the wall of flames with a fire extinguisher.
An hour later, a rock smashed through the large bay window at the front of the house. At that point, David called police headquarters and requested evacuation assistance.
Mum and dad are grateful that God brought them out safely, and with all their belongings intact. But mum is particularly traumatized at losing the home that our family has lived in for more than 30 years.
They have been faithful members of the church since 1960. Despite this horrific trial, their faith in Jesus Christ remains undaunted.
Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 1998