I can't believe that only a month ago I was wondering what I was here for and feeling displaced because I didn't have anything to do. These days, I have SO MUCH to do that it sometimes feels that there aren't enough hours in the day. Despite the busyness, though, little adventures have been occurring along the way that remind me of how God is constantly whispering in my ear, reminding me that He knows my heart and has things planned for me. For example:
A few days ago, on the front end of crazy storms and a tornado warning, I found a turtle.
Yes, that's right, a turtle. An Eastern Box Turtle, to be precise. And I think it was a boy. Perhaps it might not seem significant to other people, but this turtle came at a really good time. You see, I don't do very well with tornado warnings and such, and I really needed something to make me feel safe, to remind me of home. One of the things that my "adopted" family likes to do is catch critters they find around the farm (mostly reptiles and amphibians) and keep them as temporary house guests (in a terrarium, of course). They observe the creature, have an opportunity to learn about it, and then release it back into the wild.
So there I was, driving home and worrying about the possibility of a tornado, and I see this cute little turtle sitting in the middle of the road, waiting for, I don't know what. Perhaps he was sunning himself, or perhaps he had decided that he had enough of life. Either way, I wasn't willing to let him be smashed into the pavement, so I stopped my car, picked him up, and took him home.
Then the idea hits me: I can keep the turtle for a couple of days, show him to the kids, have a fun learning opportunity, and then release him back into the wild! Saturday afternoon, I showed the turtle to the kids (as well as everyone else in the "compound") and gave them a bit of box turtle info. Saturday evening, Mr. Turtle was successfully released into the wild, where he is (with any luck) finding himself a Mrs. Turtle so that they can help remedy the declining number of Eastern Box turtles. In my excitement for the turtle, I almost forgot about the tornado warning. Thank you, Jesus!
Fortunately, we stayed safe from the weather. Others in Northern Mississippi were not so lucky. A tornado, 1 1/2 miles wide, destroyed a significant swath of land and homes, and left a few people dead. Among the buildings destroyed was a church that had recently finished rebuilding from a fire that had burned it to the ground. I can't even imagine what that must be like. These people really need our prayers and support, so that they are not overtaken by despair or feelings of futility. So that they feel lifted up, encouraged, and cared for by their brothers and sisters in Christ and in humanity.
Switching gears, a family I have come to know and love is the Trest family. I work in the same building as Adam, who teaches art classes and likes it when I beat him at Scrabble. Brooke (who is not really a Trest), is the sister of Adam's sister-in-law. Make sense? Anyway, Brooke's sister, who really is a Trest (because she's married to Adam's brother), makes these really adorable stuffed animals, dolls, and other things of the adorable genre. Her name is Dawn, and her business is called "hello dearie."
Because she is super amazing, Dawn is giving away a completely wonderful ruffled apron, which I would LOVE to wear while I make food at the cafe'. So I entered her drawing, and you should, too. Check it out at http://www.hellodearie.com
That's all for now!
1 comment:
HOoray for the Trests!!!!
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