Free Day At The Zoo?

Hello friends! This past weekend we went up to Denver to meet several friends and enjoy a free day at the Denver Zoo. Apparently, everyone else in Colorado had the same idea as traffic was overwhelming and the parking was worse. We finally found parking in a Catholic church parking lot about half a mile away.

We strolled with the crowds through the zoo and enjoyed seeing all the animals as the multi-colored autumn leaves floated down around us. It was picturesque to say the least. Smith and his friend enjoyed chasing the geese until they would flap their large wings and fly away. Ax was content to cuddle into my chest and sleep while Zaisy and Davis ran around and explored every nook and cranny they could fit into. It was a beautiful day!!

I ran ahead of the family to go get the van and come back and pick them up. When I came to the lot where we had left the van I was perplexed by the sight that I saw. There was our van just as we had left it, with one minor difference. The side sliding door was wide open. I was embarrassed at first thinking we had accidentally left the door open. However, upon further inspection I realized it was not us who had left it open rather, the person who had pried it open to take Rachel's purse. How inconsiderate of them to leave the door open!

Monetarily we lost close to a few hundred dollars. This did not hurt us as bad as the photos Rachel kept in the checkbook cover of when we first met. Rachel was also sad to lose all of her lip gloss and her favorite purse.

So why do bad things happen to good people? It's a question that has marveled the ages. Our take on it however, is that when we are comfortable and we experience no hardships at all, we must question if we are on the right path. It's when we are moving and working for the Kingdom of God that we experience attacks from the enemy of our souls. So though we are saddened by our loss, we are encouraged and inspired by this confirmation that we are moving in the right direction. What Satan has meant for evil, let the Lord Jesus Christ use for greatness.

When we shared with the children what had happened, Zaisy suggested that we pray for the person that had committed the crime. We asked her to pray, and as she did, she prayed that this person would come to know Jesus and that their life would become better so they would not have to steal anymore. When Zaisy prays, amazing things happen! I have a feeling that this person, whomever it may be, is about to have their life rocked by the power of God. They thought they were just stealing a purse...they may have just stolen the key to eternal life. Praise God!