The Snake Attack

Five things on my mind.

1.) For the last five years, I have sponsored a child from Kenya, Africa through Christian Relief Fund.  Her name is Lavin.  She's not only beautiful and loved unfailingly by Christ, but Lavin has been gifted with many talents.  She's an artist.  Lavin draws beautiful flowers that I could never hope to match.  She's a singer.  Lavin has a knack for remembering new songs with ease and singing them in a lovely voice.  She's filled with joy, despite hardships in her life.  When Lavin smiles at you, you cannot help but smile back.

Lavin calls me her mother, much to my honor.  We write each other back and forth several times a year.  The things she writes are so sweet, praying for my family members by name, recalling memories of the week we spent together, sharing Bible verses and things she learned in Sunday school.

I love my sweet adopted daughter, Lavin.  She's precious.

The other day, I stumbled again across the first photograph I ever saw of Lavin.  It was the first impression I ever had of the little girl.  She was ten years old and wearing a brand new school uniform.  Lavin had only been in school for a short time; at ten, she had just begun the first grade.  As a partial AIDS orphan living in the slums of Kisumu, receiving an education was something Lavin had never thought was possible, but Christian Relief Fund provided Lavin with great hope for her future.

A team traveled to Kenya again this summer, bringing her a letter I'd written for her.  When they returned, they brought back a sweet letter from Lavin and a new photograph.  I'd just gotten a new picture of Lavin in the spring, so the new one was a pleasant surprise.

Lavin is fifteen now and growing up fast.  Her letters reflect her increasing maturity and heart for the Lord.  She's so radiant with joy.  It's clear that God created Lavin with a loving purpose.  He knew what He was doing when He made Lavin.

I'm proud of this girl.

2.) I had an adventure the other day.

I getting ready for work Monday morning when I heard my mother call for help.  "What is it?" I asked, a little concerned, as I came downstairs.

A very large, very angry, and very ugly non-poisonous snake was sitting on our front porch.  It hissed so loud that I could hear it across the house, even though it sat outside with the glass door shut.  Our dogs were going a little crazy at the sight of the snake.  Our outside cat didn't seem to care about the snake's presence.

My mom is terrified of snakes; I'm not.  I tried to scoop it up with a snow shovel and throw it away from the house, but it wrapped itself around something.  And struck at me several times.  I finally gave up and went to work.

Mom said it took a couple of hours before the snake calmed down and slithered away.  Ugly thing.

I hope you can see this video.  Be sure to watch to the end.  You might get a surprise.



3.) Ali is still in China, which means I still miss her.  I'm sad I won't get to see Ali before I leave for Aggieland.  I'll miss her by only four days!

I continue to write to Ali every few days on her Facebook wall.  We text sometimes, but Ali's gift is certainly not keeping in touch with me. 

4.) Since I'm leaving in only two days, I've been trying to spend a little extra time with my family. 

Dinners, movies, silly little adventures.  I went out on a one-on-one date with my dad, I had lunch with my mom at one of our favorite restaurants, saw The Dark Knight Rises, watched a few weird television shows, bribed our parents to take us all out for snow cones, and took the "kids" out to get ice cream from one of the yummiest places ever.

We have fun.

5.) The closer it gets to the time I move out, the more I realize how much I'm going to miss my dogs.

We have the sweetest dogs.  They're all a little small and a little silly sometimes, but they're sweet.  I've loved having them around during the rough parts of this summer.  I wish they could hang around my house in college.

See that sweet face?  Boo is getting older these days.

She waits for me on my stairs until I come out of my room.

Of course Jack's pretty awesome too.

I have a third dog named Buddy.  He's also pretty sweet, but he's older and I didn't take any pictures of him this week.

I love my dogs.  One day, I'd like a Yorkie.

And that's what has been on my mind this afternoon.