How do I know this? Because 3 times in the last 10 days, our family has had prayer's answered in such ways that there is no doubt in my mind He listens and loves us!
Saturday June 16th was a crazy busy day. I had so much to do but I had promised the girls I would take them to the park once we were done running errands. It was one of the first hot days we have had so we went to a busy park with a creek they could splash in.
I told them exactly when we had to leave because we were taking a friend to the airport. It came time to leave and we were down to just a few minutes to get to our friend's house with enough time to get her to the airport. We jumped in the van and I tried to start it. I put it in reverse and it died. I started it again and it died again. This has happened before when the weather was hot and sometimes it has required a trip to the mechanic. My mind was racing about who to call, what to do, and what about our friend counting on us to get to the airport! I tried starting it several more times but it just died over and over. Finally I looked back at the girls and told them we need to pray! Care Bear said a simple yet heartfelt prayer asking for help with our car so we could fulfill our promise to help a friend. As soon as she said amen, I started the van one more time and we all knew immediately that it would stay running because it sounded different. It never died again and we were able to get Dorothy on her plane back home to China!
I told them exactly when we had to leave because we were taking a friend to the airport. It came time to leave and we were down to just a few minutes to get to our friend's house with enough time to get her to the airport. We jumped in the van and I tried to start it. I put it in reverse and it died. I started it again and it died again. This has happened before when the weather was hot and sometimes it has required a trip to the mechanic. My mind was racing about who to call, what to do, and what about our friend counting on us to get to the airport! I tried starting it several more times but it just died over and over. Finally I looked back at the girls and told them we need to pray! Care Bear said a simple yet heartfelt prayer asking for help with our car so we could fulfill our promise to help a friend. As soon as she said amen, I started the van one more time and we all knew immediately that it would stay running because it sounded different. It never died again and we were able to get Dorothy on her plane back home to China!
Monday into Tuesday June 18-19th another prayer was answered. Jaco had left to go to Washington DC on Saturday the 16th. He had a small but deep abrasion on his leg by his ankle but it looked fine to me. We did cover it with a bandaid because his socks irritated it. Monday while he was sight seeing in DC, he texted me a few times about the sore. He said it was quite painful, red, swollen, and hot. I told him it was probably fine and even joked about him being a drama king. His chaperone also texted me about it so I asked Dr Daddy what they should do and passed the info on to her.
I guess that night when they got to the hotel, she was more concerned and called the on call Dr for the group. He thought Jaco should be seen right away in the ER. Jamie the chaperone called us and told us what was going on. Before we agreed to have him seen at the ER, we asked for them to send a picture of his leg. When Dr Daddy saw it, he agreed it looked infected and said it was probably cellulitis. Thankfully we were able to call in a prescription to a local pharmacy in hopes of avoiding the ER. Jaco would not be able to start the meds until the next day so in the meantime we started praying and requested prayers from friends and family. Early the next morning, Jamie called me and said Jaco's leg already looked so much better! More proof of his love!
I guess that night when they got to the hotel, she was more concerned and called the on call Dr for the group. He thought Jaco should be seen right away in the ER. Jamie the chaperone called us and told us what was going on. Before we agreed to have him seen at the ER, we asked for them to send a picture of his leg. When Dr Daddy saw it, he agreed it looked infected and said it was probably cellulitis. Thankfully we were able to call in a prescription to a local pharmacy in hopes of avoiding the ER. Jaco would not be able to start the meds until the next day so in the meantime we started praying and requested prayers from friends and family. Early the next morning, Jamie called me and said Jaco's leg already looked so much better! More proof of his love!
Today June 26th, another prayer was answered! This one took 4 weeks but it was answered in the best way possible! 4 weeks ago today, our beautiful and sweet momma cat Princess Aurora went missing.
She had done this in the past but when hours turned in to days, and then days into weeks, we knew it was different. We were all devastated and heart broken. We put up signs, went door to door in our neighborhood, checked the pound and talked to anyone who may have seen her. Countless prayers were sent to Heaven and thousands of tears were shed. We didn't want to give up hope but it was getting pretty hard to believe we would ever see her again. Last night La-La prayed like she has every night that if Aurora was already in heaven that she would be well loved and taken care of. If she was still here on earth she prayed that Aurora would be safe and somehow find her way home. This morning I was asked how long it had been and I said it had been 4 weeks today since we had seen our momma cat. Late this afternoon I got a text, an email and 2 phone calls asking me to call back ASAP! When I talked to the caller, a friend in the neighborhood, she said she may know where Princess Aurora is! I told the kids I would be right back and skeptically went to investigate. I just could not imagine any way she could still be alive! One of our neighbors had been gone for the winter and just returned a week ago. Yesterday and today while she was in her back yard she heard a few feeble meows from under her house. She remembered seeing a sign on the neighborhood mailbox about a missing cat. (We had actually just taken the sign down the day before because it got ruined in a heavy rainstorm.) The neighbor saw my friend, Sarah, and asked if she knew who it was who had lost a cat. That is when Sarah called me and I left to check it out. They showed me the small opening under some stairs where they had heard the meows. I called for Princess Aurora and was immediately rewarded by her response. I layed down and peered in the hole and started crying when I saw Momma's bright blue eyes looking at me. I ripped the screen out from the hole but Aurora could not fit through. Sarah asked Marsha the neighbor if there was any way in to the crawl space under the house. Marsha said there was a small door but she had never really used it because the crawl space was so dirty and yucky. She and I went to check it out. She opened the door and I called for Aurora. I saw movement in the dark and then our long lost kitty came running to me. I could not believe it! How on earth did she survive 4 weeks trapped under a house? Marsha said that a few weeks before she and her husband came back, some yard workers had come to turn the sprinkler system back on. We figure she must have chased a critter in when the crawl space door was opened and the workers closed it not knowing she was inside.I ran home to show the kids. Jaco saw me first but had a hard time believeing what he was seeing. La-La started bawling and Care Bear was shocked. Aurora immediately went to the food bowl and started eating. She took a few bites, came to us for some love then went for more food. She did this many times. It was so reassuring to know she still knew and loved us! We called a vet and they said it was a good sign that she was eating. If she was so dehydrated that she was in kidney failure, she would not want to eat. We wonder if she was able to get some rain water from the recent rain we had. Before she left, she weighed between 8 and 9 pounds. We weighed her today and she is only 6 lbs. At least 1/4 of her body weight was lost and it shows. She is so bony. It is sad. But I can't even begin to say how happy and grateful we are!
She had done this in the past but when hours turned in to days, and then days into weeks, we knew it was different. We were all devastated and heart broken. We put up signs, went door to door in our neighborhood, checked the pound and talked to anyone who may have seen her. Countless prayers were sent to Heaven and thousands of tears were shed. We didn't want to give up hope but it was getting pretty hard to believe we would ever see her again. Last night La-La prayed like she has every night that if Aurora was already in heaven that she would be well loved and taken care of. If she was still here on earth she prayed that Aurora would be safe and somehow find her way home. This morning I was asked how long it had been and I said it had been 4 weeks today since we had seen our momma cat. Late this afternoon I got a text, an email and 2 phone calls asking me to call back ASAP! When I talked to the caller, a friend in the neighborhood, she said she may know where Princess Aurora is! I told the kids I would be right back and skeptically went to investigate. I just could not imagine any way she could still be alive! One of our neighbors had been gone for the winter and just returned a week ago. Yesterday and today while she was in her back yard she heard a few feeble meows from under her house. She remembered seeing a sign on the neighborhood mailbox about a missing cat. (We had actually just taken the sign down the day before because it got ruined in a heavy rainstorm.) The neighbor saw my friend, Sarah, and asked if she knew who it was who had lost a cat. That is when Sarah called me and I left to check it out. They showed me the small opening under some stairs where they had heard the meows. I called for Princess Aurora and was immediately rewarded by her response. I layed down and peered in the hole and started crying when I saw Momma's bright blue eyes looking at me. I ripped the screen out from the hole but Aurora could not fit through. Sarah asked Marsha the neighbor if there was any way in to the crawl space under the house. Marsha said there was a small door but she had never really used it because the crawl space was so dirty and yucky. She and I went to check it out. She opened the door and I called for Aurora. I saw movement in the dark and then our long lost kitty came running to me. I could not believe it! How on earth did she survive 4 weeks trapped under a house? Marsha said that a few weeks before she and her husband came back, some yard workers had come to turn the sprinkler system back on. We figure she must have chased a critter in when the crawl space door was opened and the workers closed it not knowing she was inside.I ran home to show the kids. Jaco saw me first but had a hard time believeing what he was seeing. La-La started bawling and Care Bear was shocked. Aurora immediately went to the food bowl and started eating. She took a few bites, came to us for some love then went for more food. She did this many times. It was so reassuring to know she still knew and loved us! We called a vet and they said it was a good sign that she was eating. If she was so dehydrated that she was in kidney failure, she would not want to eat. We wonder if she was able to get some rain water from the recent rain we had. Before she left, she weighed between 8 and 9 pounds. We weighed her today and she is only 6 lbs. At least 1/4 of her body weight was lost and it shows. She is so bony. It is sad. But I can't even begin to say how happy and grateful we are!
I am humbled and so thankful these prayers have been answered. What a testimony builder for our whole family! I know Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers and I know he loves me. I love him and am so grateful for all He does for me!
4 comments:
Those are some amazing stories! Thanks for sharing them Melissa! HUGS! love you and miss you!
wow! tender mericies.
This brought tears to my eyes! So thankful your prayers were answered!
Thank you for sharing these stories and your testimony. This is the second time this month I've heard of cats being lost in a crawl space for 4 weeks. It's amazing both cats survived.
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