Don't Leave a Box Turtle Unattended!

This afternoon it began to rain.

Summer rain.

Cool and soothing.

Wet and delicious.

So because we had to change the underground of our turtles’ abode, we let them out to explore.

Explore in the rain.

And they LOVED it!

One of our turtles finally found refuge under a cardboard box that doubled as a grasshopper hotel.

The other turtle made his way to the middle of the yard and stayed.

Stretching his head as far as he could form outside of his shell, soaking in the cool drops from heaven.

So I stood and watched that reptile for several minutes.

He just stood his ground – surveying the scene.

The moment I went to check on the twins - who were racing sticks down a full gutter at the end of the street - was the moment he decided to make a run for it.

Because when I came back to put that turtle back in his home, HE WAS GONE!

So I called the Search and Rescue.

Seven children scampered out – accepting wholeheartedly the possibility of getting extremely wet – and we searched.

And searched.

And searched.

But with no luck.

So we decided to gather as a family to pray to find our missing turtle – who couldn’t have gone far.

After all, he is a turtle.

And what started out as one voice for eight - became eight voices for one.

And as some of my sweet boys became emotional in their plea to Father in Heaven, I was grateful for our mini-trial today. It gave me hope that maybe, a day in the future, when my children are looking for something much more important than a lost box turtle, they will know Whom to turn - and why.

The miracle or this story is that not too long after breaking from our prayer huddle, we found that resting reptile under an overgrown rosebush.

But the greater miracle – the greater truth of it all is this: GOD LISTENS TO OUR PRAYERS!

Today He just happened to answer it the way we hoped it would be!