After our whirlwind tour around the country this past year and with the price of diesel (and a stay at Myrtle Beach) being so high, we decided we should chill for a while. No, not in Minnesota, but I'm not going to tell you where. If word gets out about this little gem where the rent is cheap, grass and trees are plentiful, and everything you need is within walking distance, it'll ruin it for us in the future.
But I will tell you what's so great about this place. I can write here! There aren't any oceans, mountains, or other distractions. The yard is huge and we don't have to mow it. Our walking/biking path is just outside our door and if you care to swim with all the kids who just got out of school, there's a big pool with a water slide just steps away. For the most part it's very quiet here (or it was until the pool opened), but at the same time, there are lots of activities going on all the time.
We've seen new police recruits being trained in the art of making felony stops (I was so tempted to ask if I could play cops and robbers too!), fire fighters, as they played with their new ladder truck, horses being trained to race, ducks swimming in the yard in ponds left by torrential rains, three kinds of squirrels, red, gray and black, newborn bunnies in their nest, and hens, and roosters as they learn to crow for the first time. There's been a huge garage sale, a Rib Fest, a dog show we didn't attend, and friends and family that have come to visit.
The funniest thing we've seen here is a trouble making rabbit on the race track. We watched him from the grandstand with Christy and Gordon. He'd wait until a racehorse came barreling toward him, then just as the horse came near, he'd run across the track! What a bad little bunny!
One day, we saw a whole fleet of K-9 police cruisers pull in. Within seconds, there were German Shepherds everywhere. Apparently, the whole convention of them had to do their business in the park at the same time. As I watched the dogs, I also watched something in the grass that I thought must be birds. They remained there the whole time the dogs were in the area. Later, as we got ready to go for a bike ride, I asked Trevor what that was in the grass. They'd been there too long to be birds. Our bike ride ended as soon as we approached the things in question and discovered they were two abandoned kittens. Trevor had mentioned earlier, that he heard a cat crying while the dogs were in the park. I was amazed those two little kittens survived the dog invasion. Those are some very well-trained puppies!
It's been almost a year since our dog, Andy died. I still find myself grieving for him. We made a firm decision not to get another dog. A couple of days before we found the kittens, I told Trevor, we've had lots of cats, and when they died, I never grieved for them for a whole year. Maybe we should get a cat. So you can imagine the scenario that was going on as we carried the kittens back to the RV. I had even told our neighbor Mike (the angel with the key to the lights I told you about in our last post), I was thinking about a cat. When he saw those kittens, he said exactly what I was thinking, “It's a sign from God”. Now you have to be very careful about “signs from God”. Not everything is what it appears to be. Remember, the bible says, “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14 ESV
As the precious little kittens slept snuggled in my arms, Trevor put the phone on my lap with implicit instructions to call him at Walmart if I changed my mind about him buying the cat litter, cat box, scooper, and kitten food. I picked it up once while he was gone, but wasn't going to give them up, if they really were a gift from God. I prayed a prayer I've often prayed when faced with things I want, and am pretty sure I shouldn't have. “Lord, if this is not of you, please take my desire for this away from me.” The desire left, and before I could call Trevor, there was a family of seven gathered beside the RV. They took the kittens home with them and were very pleased to receive the items Trev picked up as well.
Lately, I've been blessed by getting a nice dog fix, almost on a daily basis. We met a man named Danny who walks through the park with his very friendly dog, Angus. Angus always seems happy to see us and he and Trevor have a good time chasing each other around the yard.
Speaking of gifts from God, our friends, Gordon and Christy visited for a weekend recently. It was great to spend time with them and hear all about their plans for the near future.
We decided to go to church together that Sunday and found one listed on the internet that we thought we'd like to attend. So many churches are falling prey to lies they've been taught. Locating one we can bear to sit through is very difficult. This one was amazing. Trevor and I went there again last Sunday and spoke with a really nice couple for about 20 minutes after the service. We planned to get together this week. The woman we spoke with called the other day to say she wouldn't be able to make it this week. I said it was just as well, because I was having trouble with a very sore throat. I know I sounded pretty bad on the phone.
Later that day, a car pulled up near the RV around lunchtime. My morning caller walked up with chicken noodle soup for me, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans for Trev, banana bread, and strawberry pie. How sweet is the love of Christ through others? I won't tell her name, but if you're reading this, you know who you are. Thanks so much and bless you for such a sweet gift!
One VERY special gift I need to share before I sign off. We asked a lot of you to pray for our pastor in Alpharetta who was diagnosed with cancer. He had to go through radiation and chemotherapy before they'd perform surgery to remove a tumor. He had the surgery on May 25th. When they looked inside, the tumor was completely gone! They removed the area where it had been, just to be sure no cancer was left behind. The pathology report came back as all clear! God is good! Thanks so much for your prayers.
We love you and miss you guys. Take care.
Love, Trevor and Roni
