Excerpt: The Water Buffalo

Prologue
Lucilla turned the Radio up, she had been scanning through the stations on her way home from movie night with her small group and happened across a radio broadcast. The heavily accented preacher was speaking about his home country in Asia. What had caught her interest was when he mentioned the movie "Slumdog Millionaire", coincidentally that was the night's movie. She was so touched and her heart ached for the people in in India. What a horrible world in which to live. While the movie ended on a hopeful note, she couldn't get some of the most awful circumstances out of her mind. What must it be like to live in a world without hope? A world where corruption and evil ruled and people were stuck in the circumstances which they were born. The preacher closed the broadcast with a plea for help. "If you would like to make a difference, please visit our website for more information."

Chapter 1
A New Type of Catalog

It arrived on a lazy autumn Saturday in September between her Visa bill and the Nieman Marcus Catalog. It was Gospel for Asia's annual Christmas Gift Catalog. She brushed aside everything else and broke the seal wondering what could be inside. She had no idea that these few glossy pages would change her. These gifts were so different from those in Nieman Marcus, these were things that would really help people, not just give them a minute or two of superficial happiness. Lucilla really liked the idea of giving gifts to these people in Asia who had nothing. Christmas in America is so commercialized. Besides do I really need another sweater?

The phone rang in the other room, and Lucilla set the Gospel for Asia catalog down on the pile of mail and went to go answer the phone. It was her best friend Melissa. They had first met back in high school glee club, but lost touch when Melissa went off to an out of state college. Last year, Melissa moved back home and they ran into each other at church. Since they reconnected, Lucilla and Melissa have become the closest of friends. "Hey Melissa," Lucilla answered, "whats up?"

"Not too much," she replied. "Are you going to small group tonight? Jack said tonight we were going to talk about serving."

"Of course, Henry and I will be there. It is my turn to bring the snack. I am planning to bake a batch or two of cookies, and pick up some Apple Cider. The trees in my yard are starting to change colors and that always puts me in the mood for autumn foods. Or maybe I should make some pumpkin pie or an apple pie is good, because I know not everyone likes pumpkin, but do I really want to spend all afternoon in the kitchen baking? Well I do have the frozen pie crust in the freezer, that would make it easier. Hmm..."

"Well Miss Betty Crocker, I am sure whatever you bring would be tasty. If only I had your baking skills." Melissa sighed. Every time it was her turn to bring snacks it was no bake foods like ice cream or chips and salsa. "At least everyone in small group likes Ice Cream. I do not have to cook it, therefore I can not burn it. Same goes for the chips and salsa. You can not go wrong with the classics."

"So while we are talking about your homemaking skills how are things going with you and Jack?" inquired Lucilla. They had been dating for almost nine months since the beginning of their small group last January. Over the summer they began to talk seriously about getting married.

After a short pause, Melissa replied, "They are about the same. I don't know what to think about it. I mean we have spent a lot of time talking about marriage and I do believe that is what God wants for us, but...."

"He still has not proposed." Lucilla finished the sentence.

"Exactly. I am trying to be patient, but when I see how happy you and Henry are, I just want the same thing for me, too." confided Melissa. "It is hard to be patient."

"It will happen at the right time." Lucilla encouraged her friend. "Want to come over and help me bake the snacks for tonight?"

"Only if you want them to be burned." quipped Melissa. "Seriously, though I am reading a book about Amy Carmichael and I only have a few more chapters to go, but I wanted to remind you about small group tonight, since last week it was canceled. And I wanted to see what kinds of good snacks you were going to make."

"Do not worry dear friend. I will let you take home some leftovers."

Melissa smiled. "That is why you are such a good friend. You would never let me starve. See you later."

"Bye." responded Lucilla.

Lucilla spent the next hour in the kitchen. She put on the radio, but quickly changed over to a cd when it seemed like every station was playing commercials. Andrew Peterson's Album Clear to Venus began to play. She sang along while she put the ingredients together for her pumpkin pie, adding a double dose of cinnamon, her "special ingredient".

So let me sing for the love
Let me love for the lost
Let me lose all I have
For what I found on the cross
Let me trust you with my life
Let me live to give you praise
Lord, let me praise you
For the grace by which I'm saved
Lord, let me sing

Henry's voice sang out the last line in harmony with her and Andrew Peterson. "Hey Sweetheart, what are you cooking?" he asked, "The kitchen smells amazing."

"I am just putting together a pie for small group tonight. Nothing fancy." she answered. "How was your day? Did you have good time with your father?"

"It was fine. We did not catch anything, but it was a nice morning to spend outside." Henry responded while picking up the mail on the counter. "Oh fun, the Nieman Marcus Christmas Catalog. What type of useless stuff are the billionaires going to spend their money on this year? A backyard golf course? Life size lego replicas of their pets?"

"I have no idea. I never opened it."

"Really? I am surprised. I thought you loved those silly gifts. Last year I recall you saying you would give me the hunting lodge in the mountains on page 159 if we won the lottery. Of course we do not play the lottery, so our odds are about the same as everyone who does play...." Henry joked to his wife.

"Ha ha," she responded, while bringing all of the dirty dishes over to the sink. "You are such a comedian."

"I believe that is why you married me. You like comedians." Henry said right back, with a smile on his face. "I will be back in a while to sample your pie, I need to change out of these dirty fish smelling clothes and get a shower or else no one will be able to enjoy the pie, due to my stench."

Lucilla went back to the kitchen sink and started to sing along with the cd again.

'cause I’m just a little jealous of the nothing that you have
unfettered by the wealth of a world that we pretend is gonna last
they say God blessed us with plenty, I say you’re blessed with poverty
‘cause you never stop to wonder whether earth is just a little better than
the Land of the Free

As she was singing those lyrics, Lucilla started to think about what she was singing. It felt like everything she was doing today was reminding her of missions and of people in need. "God what are you telling me? Is there something I need to do? I haven't even left home, yet everything today is pushing me towards missions." As she reached for the last dish on the counter, her eyes fell on the Gospel for Asia Christmas Catalog. "I could give a little money." Lucilla finished washing the measuring cup and quickly dried her hands. She picked up the catalog and started really looking at what was inside. "We can send a couple of chickens or maybe a goat." she thought, "That should not dip too deep into our budget. I will talk to Henry when he is done with his shower."

Chapter 2
An idea begins to grow

They were grabbing everything for small group, when Lucilla realize she had not shown the catalog to Henry and told her about her conversation with God earlier. She quickly slipped the catalog into her Bible hoping that would remind her to bring it up on the way.

"Lucilla, this morning while I was out fishing with my dad, we were talking about money." Henry began.

"That is a rather uncomfortable topic" Lucilla responded.

"You would think that it would be, but it was not. My dad started talking about his will. I guess Mom and him have been talking about it and recently had one written."

"Well, I guess that is wise."

"It is. It did not really surprise me that he made a will, since Mom and hm have always been smart with their money. What surprised me was that instead of dividing it fifty fifty between Bess and I, they divided it into thirds."

"Thirds?" asked Lucilla "Do your parents have another child they never told you about?"

"No, they wanted the last third to go to missions. My dad saw a video on You Tube about this man called the "Machine Gun Preacher". He works in Africa to help these children that are forced into the military and are abused and treated horribly. He was asked if he ever feels like he is not doing enough and gets discouraged because there are so many children in need. He responded that he does not. He is out there in the field doing everything he can. He is only limited by money to accomplish the mission God has given him. He feels worse for the people that are able to give, but are not giving."

"That got dad to thinking about how he regularly tithes, but rarely does more. He feels like he is being led to share his blessings."

"Lucilla, he has the right attitude. I feel convicted. We are the same way. We give what we are supposed to, but never think to do extra. We have so much. Let's see what we can do, especially this upcoming Christmas season."

"It is funny you mention that. It seems like everywhere I go I get hit with ideas of missions. I do not feel like I am being called myself to go to a foreign land, but I feel like God wants me to do something. It can not be a coincidence. First, I could not get boys from Slumdog Millionaire out of my mind. I know that is just a movie, but the situations the children are put into are real. Then earlier today I was listing to a CD and this song talked about how we are stuck with all this wealth in America and it makes us complacent people."

"Well that makes things easier since we are on the same page with things," Henry responded. "Now that we know what we are supposed to do, I guess we should be looking for ways to put it into practice."

"I will keep my eyes open." Lucilla responded.

Chapter 3
It started with a Water Buffalo

Henry held the door open, since Lucilla's hands were full with snacks and the still warm pumpkin pie. They were the last to arrive and were greeted by the other members of their small group. The small group that had formed back in January had grown from its six original members. They now had about ten people on a normal night and up to sixteen when everyone was in town and not working. Unfortunately, a few people went to college out of town, so only came during the summer and on the occasion weekend they came back home to see friends and family. The members ranged from a Jessica who was ninteen and in college to "old man" Peter, who was a thirty four years old bachelor. Their home church Valley Lake Christian was relatively small and there was nothing for young people out of high school, which is why they founded their small group.

As Lucilla unpacked her pie, the Gospel for Asia catalog fell out of the bag. Old Man Peter picked it up and started to flip through the pages. "This looks interesting. I have heard of this organization, but never saw anything they do. Ha ha, you can get someone a water buffalo!" he exclaimed and switched into his used game show announcer voice. "Jack, come on down, you could be the proud owner of a nice top of the line water buffalo! A Water Buffalo can help a family with plowing, transportation, as well as give them milk. Water Buffalos also produce offspring, which gives a family additional income. All you need is a small donation of four hundred and sixty American dollars."

"Okay, put me down for one Water Buffalo." Jack replied, surprising everyone in the room. He grabbed the Gospel for Asia Christmas Catalog and began to flip through the pages while speaking. "But now that I have committed to bringing my lunch to work for the next 3 months, so I can afford the Water Buffalo, I want to know what YOU are going to do." Jack looked around the room making eye contact with everyone, and making a few people just a little uncomfortable. "This ties into our lesson this evening about being a servant. What do you do to love your neighbor, especially those neighbors that do not share in the same blessings you see as entitlements?"

"I was shopping yesterday and I saw them setting up the Christmas section. It is barely September, yet we are being pushed to begin spending our money on stuff for this upcoming holiday season. As Christians we should celebrate Christmas wholeheartedly. If Jesus had not come to Earth, we would still be sacrificing animals to try and atone for our sins. The message I want to give you tonight is short, but important. We need to think about how we can serve and share the gospel message this Holiday season, instead of focusing on buying and getting. The Christmas items in the store last a season or two. Let us do something that will have an eternal impact."

"I was trying to think if ways that we could serve and what we can do to share Christ's love this afternoon. I had a few ideas, but there wasn't one that stuck out and felt like the right one for our group. Until the water buffalo. What if we decided to give every gift in here? Our goal for this upcoming Holiday season could be to share Christ's love by giving to people who have never heard about him before. We can give someone something that will make a big difference in their life, by showing them that Christians care. These gifts are not something that will make them happy for a moment or two. These gifts are things that will create opportunity for hurting people. Let us give our way to Christmas."

"Some of these gifts are not very expensive, but others are probably more than one of us can give, but all the money doesn't have to come from our pockets. Let us be creative and share the joy of giving with those around us. Just imagine what a can happen this Christmas if we give with a generous heart." finished Jack. The room was silent as everyone took in his message and considered his challenge.

"Count me in," declared Melissa. "It is time for me to quit focusing on myself for a little while. I think this is a great idea."

"Me, too," the others began to chime in. The room began to fill with conversation as people starting suggesting ways to earn money for the items in the catalog. Lucilla began to dish up her pie, but no one was focused on eating, they were too excited to serve.

Chapter 4
Dirty Clothes

Batuk hated his name. It meant "boy" and despite that fact that he had a wife and child, people still treated him like he was a child. He worked hard each day as a laborer in the fields for a wealthy local landowner. Batuk enjoyed farming and dreamed of one day having his own farm, but as a poor man from a poor family, with a wife from a poor family, he would never ever work his own land. He was sentenced to a life as another man's servant, working hard, so that man could fill his belly with the tastiest of meats. Even the other laborers treated him with contempt.

His overseerer worked him long hours each day. During the harvest it was dawn until dusk with only a short break at mid day to eat lunch. The wages he earned bought enough rice for the days' meals and rent, leaving only a ruble or two extra to save. Savings he feared would not last long, if his wife became pregnant again before his son was old enough to be sent to work. How he wished there were some way he could change his circumstances, and break this hopeless cycle but live in India was hard. You are born, you work, you die. It all felt so hopeless to Batu, yet he slaved away because it was all he knew. Dreams did not feed his family and dreams never came true in his world. All his prayers he sent to his many gods had failed him. Not one god seemed to care about Batuck.

***

"Dear God," Patakin (holder of a banner) prayed, "I know you have sent me here to this village for a reason. The farmers in this town have never heard the name of Jesus. Please open the door for me to start a church. Soften people's hearts and make them as fertile as fields surrounding me. Provide opportunities for me to sow your message among the laborers and farmers. Lead my steps and guide my..." a voice calling out in front of the hut abruptly cut off Patakin's prayer.

"Hello," a woman voice called out. As the poor Indian woman drew closer to the opened door of Patakin's small hut, he could see she was a young mother with a baby tied to her with a scarf. "Hello," she nervously said again. "I see you are new to our village, I live up the road." She pointed toward the poorest part of town where people were crammed into tiny wooden huts barely big enough for a fire and a bed. As shes spoke her body rocked back and forth in an attempt to keep the baby in her arms pacified. "Might you have some laundry for me to do?"

"Well," Patakin began, "I am just getting settled in, I do not have any laundry..." he watched as the small hope she had carried in seemed to disappear. "ready to be washed." He added. As she began to turn away in disappointment to leave he continued, "but I will have some tomorrow. Can you come back around noon? I will have a bag ready for you then."

She smiled in response and spoke "Yes, yes, Thank you kind sir, I will be back then."

As the young lady left and started walking home down the street, Patakin heard her sing softly to her child. He turned away and started to sort through his belongings looking for items that he could give her to wash, he resumed his earlier prayer. "That was quick, Lord. When You Word said, ask and ye shall receive, You really meant it. When I asked for opportunities I did not expect You to bring one right to my front door. Please increase my faith. Provide me an opening to share your love with that young girl, when she returns tomorrow." As he prayed, Patakin took some of his pants and went to the yard, quickly glancing left and right, he dropped the stack right into the dust. He then began to kick more dirt on the pants and took a handful to rub into his favorite pair. After he was sure the clothes were sufficiently dirty, he quickly gathered them up to bring them inside. As he was walking into his hut, he saw a boy, who looked about eight years old, peek out from behind a tree a little ways off. When the boy saw that he had been discovered, he ran as fast as he could, so he would not be caught spying. Patakin laughed. He was sure that tonight the whole town would be talking about the new man who threw his clothes in the dirt. As he loaded the dirty items into his laundry bag and set it by the door, he thought about the woman and hoped she would indeed return. If not, he would have quite a job cleaning his clothes.

Chapter 5
Laundry Lady

Makshi (whose name means Honey Bee) hurried home to begin cooking dinner. She was so excited. Batuk worked so hard in the field each day and she strove to have food prepared for him when he arrived home. "Acchā!" she shouted. This afternoon Makshi had been shopping at the outdoor market purchasing some rice for the evening meal. She had overhead some gossip about a strange new man in town. No one knew where he came from, or what he planned to do here. But she did hear that he had some money, the man at the market told her that he wore nice clothes that looked very well made. She took the long way home walking by his hut hoping to get a glimpse of this stranger to her town. It was after she had passed the hut that she came up with the idea of doing his laundry. She had tried to take in laundry, but could not find customers. Anyone who could afford to pay already had someone to clean their clothes, but since this man was new to town, she decided to seize the opportunity.

Batuk would be so proud of her. She knew he dreamed of farming his own land. Maybe if she could earn a bit of money, one day he could buy a small plot and call it their own. In celebration of her good news, she decided to serve the special Chai Tea. She sang a prayer to her budda thanking him for the blessing of work. Maybe her husband would relax and that deep sadness would disappear from his eyes.

***

Makshi worked hard all morning cleaning house and caring for little Sabar. She was so happy that her first born child was a son. He brought such joy to her and her husband. She had been unsure of how to care for a baby, but mothering came easily to her and Sabar was a easy going child. He was content to be wrapped in her scarf and spend the day nestled in her arms. Whenever he started to fuss, all she would need to do is to sing to him and he would begin to coo.

It was almost noon when Makshi bundled up Sabar and hurried to the strange man's house to pick up his laundry. "Hello, it is me, Makshi" she called out with much more confidence than the previous day. "I am here for the laundry."

"Hello Makshi," yelled out Patakin in response. "You may enter." Patakin set aside his Bible and put a book mark in the section where he had been studying. "I have a bag all ready for you. By the way, I am Patakin."

"I am Makshi, but I suppose I already told you that." she said lowing her head.

"You did, but now you told me twice, so I will not forget." he stated, trying to reassure his new laundress. He secretly hoped she was more confident in her laundry skills than she was in her speaking or else he would be needing a new wardrobe. "You are the first person I have met here in Magam. It is a beautiful town here."

"Yes, it is very beautiful. I have lived here my whole life." She answered politely, while fiddling with the scarf holding Sabar. Did this man expect to make small talk with her before giving her the laundry. Maybe he did not know that she was in the lowest caste. If he spent too much time talking to her, it would hurt his reputation and no one in town would want to do business with him. Surely he must be some type of business man. He was definitely not a farmer, she decided while looking at his soft hands. Her eyes widened as she considered that he might take advantage of her. She better hurry out of here.

Patakin noticed the sudden change in her demeanor. He hoped she realized that he meant know harm. "God, what can I say to put her at ease? Give me the right words," he quickly prayed. "I bet you are wondering what brought me to your village," he began. Makshi nodded then looked towards the door as if wishing herself out of the room. "I am a missionary," he continued. As he spoke the words, he watched as she changed from fear to confusion.

"A missionary?" she questioned. "What does a missionary do?"

"I am here to share great news about the God I serve with the people of Magam. The God I serve is the God of all gods. He is powerful and mighty and loving. He cares about the people who live in this town." Patakin was careful to not say too much. He did not want to push too hard. He felt led to go slowly and let Makshi ask the questions. He knew that he would get to see her again when she returned his laundry.

"Loving? That is one unusual god. I serve many gods, but I do not say they are loving," she commented. "Is that the bag you have for me?" asked Makshi pointing to the sack on the floor.

"It is," responded Patakin. He was disappointed that she had changed the subject, but realized that it would take time for him to form relationships with the people in this village.

"I will have it ready for you tomorrow" stated Makshi, reaching down to grab the bag, so she could leave. What a strange man she thought. He serves a god that is loving and he wants to tell the people of her village about his god. She could never imagine traveling to a foreign village to tell people about another god.

"Makshi, I have one question for you before you leave. Is there a restaurant in this town or a central meeting place?" asked Patakin. He wanted to go out and begin to connect with those around him.

"Most people go to the Market each morning to sell their goods and buy their food for the day," she answered. "I suppose many of the men visit the bar across from the police station." She added.

"Thanks Makshi. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow when you return my clothes. I will pay you then."

Chapter 6
Fluffy Sheep

The next afternoon, Lucilla and Melissa were hanging out at Five Bucks Coffee. They had decided to meet and go over the Gospel for Asia catalog to come up with ideas of how to raise money. Jack's challenge had really sparked something exciting. Their small group had passed around a lot of ideas, but had not yet picked one to put into action. Melissa, was a planner and felt like it made more sense to figure out some of the details with less help. The boys, Jack and Henry, were going to come, but had volunteered to help set up the gym for an event at church that evening, so the girls went to go get them a spot and to start figuring out what fundraiser to do first.

"So we heard a lot of good ideas last night, but which one should we do first?" began Melissa, as she sipped on her White Mocha Latte. "I liked what Catherine said about doing fundraisers that tied in to the gift we wanted to give. But I think that is a lot easier for gifts than others."

"I agree" nodded Lucilla, "I also think we could end up doing way too many separate fund raisers if we do something different for everything available in the book."

Melissa took another sip of her White Mocha Latte and shifted into a more comfortable position on the coffee house chair. "We make such good friends, because we think alike. Last night after I got home, I was way too excited to sleep, so I spent some time on Gospel for Asia's Website. They divided the gifts out into four main categories. Now what were they? The stable, which is all the animals. Missionary gifts, which provides things the missionary needs as he is working in the villages. Then it was Compassion and Outreach."

"Those breakout of the items makes sense." replied Lucilla. "I am really excited about the animals. Have you looked at how adorably white and fluffy the little lamb is on page 5?" She handed over the opened booklet. Then glanced towards the counter waiting for the employees to call her out name to let her know that her order of a Chai Tea and Apple Tart were ready. "I love animals, I wish that I lived on a farm. Then I would buy one for me and one for a family in India."

"And just think of all the work it would be to live on a farm. You would have to spend half your day in a barn. I could just see you in your fancy high heeled boots chasing after a pig that escaped." laughed Melissa. "Maybe you should just stick to visiting a farm."

"You are right," agreed Lucilla. "Be right back. I think they finally called out my name. I am so hungry since I skipped lunch after church. I meant to eat, but since Henry stayed at the church I was not motivated to cook anything." She hurried to the counter to pick up her Apple Tart and drink. A mother was standing in line with her young daughter. The blond haired little girl was hugging a stuffed sheep.

"Mommy, we go see real sheep now?" she asked her mother hopefully. "Fluffy wants to play with a wittle wamb." she festered to the love worn stuffed animal in her arms.
"Yes, darling, just a few more minutes," replied her mother, with a smile and a pat on Fluffy's head.

"Excuse me," interrupted Lucilla, "is there a petting zoo happening today?"

"Not one open to the public. One of her kindergarden classmates is having a birthday. The little boy has been talking all week about how there will be farm animals to play with. Apparently, you can hire a lady named "Cindy" to bring her zoo to your back yard. My how things have changed since I was a child." answered the mother. "Clowns are no longer exciting. The kids would prefer a goat instead!"

"Interesting, I would have loved to have a petting zoo birthday as a child. Actually, I am twenty five and would still love to have a petting zoo birthday," confessed Lucilla. "I am quite the animal lover. Do you know how I might contact Cindy?"

"She has a website. Just Google Cindy's Zoo and you should be able to find her. I have to admit I looked her up myself, hoping she did not have any snakes to bring." The mother shivered. "Fortunately all zoo members have fur, well, except the turtles."

"Thanks," answered Lucilla. She bent over to talk to the little girl. "I hope you and Fluffy have fun this afternoon."

"Fluffy is very excited." responded the little girl.

Lucilla carefully carried her drink and apple tart to the table where she had been sitting with Melissa. "What was that about?" asked Melissa, when Lucilla set everything down.

"I just had the greatest idea! What if we held a petting zoo next Saturday? We could ask for donations from all the people who attend. We could use animals to raise money for the Stable animals in the catalog!" Lucilla excitedly exclaimed. "The lady with that sweet girl in line, was telling me about this lady who has a petting zoo - Cindy's Zoo is what she called it. Cindy does birthday parties. Maybe she could do a goats for people in Asia party!"

"I think that is a great idea! and it ties into the gift we want to give, like Catherine suggested. That is such a great idea, now let us think about the details." Melissa pulled a small notebook and pen out of her purse ready to record their ideas. She was a very detailed organized person, which suited her well as an accountant. "Where can we host the petting zoo? What time? Will we have to pay to rent the animals?"

"Renting an animal!" Lucilla repeated. For some reason the idea of renting a goat the same way you might rent a movie struck her as funny. And she began to speak her thoughts "I wonder if you go to the farm, look at all the goats in the stall, then pick the one you want. Then you bring it up to the check out counter, where someone will scan your rental card and a bar code attached to the goats ear. They put a nice collar with a bow around the goat's neck and snap a leash onto that. They give you your receipt and tell you when the goat is due back at the farm. If you do not bring him back in time you pay a late fee and if you don't bring him back within two days your credit card is charged for the full purchase price of the goat."

Melissa was in tears she was laughing so hard. "and each month you are sent a flyer with new animal that live a the farm and their availability date," she added to the story. "oh oh they are all arranged in the barn in alphabetical order by their name. You can also rent dogs and cows. Rent a cow!" Both girls were laughing so hard that the other people in the coffee shop started looking their way. "This is going to be so much fun!" Melissa said once she was able to speak again.

Chapter 7
All She Needs is the Right Kind of Love

Makshi was thinking about last night at dinner, when she had spoke to her husband. Batuk had been so proud of her, when he learned of her new job. He told her that she was a valuable wife and he loved her very much. She loved him as well, which was not always the case. He had first seen her while shopping in the market. She was an orphan had been bringing water into town for the shop keepers at the market. Her home was on the street, it was a very hard life for a woman without a family. Batuk insisted that he loved her the first time he saw her filling the jars. He began to look for her each morning before he went to work in the fields and he always asked for a drink from her jar. Makshi thought he was annoying. Did he not know that she needed to carry as much water as she could for the merchants? But she still let him drink each day because he had suck kind eyes.

As he drank water, he would talk to her about everything and anything. He told her about how he was able to attend school when he was a child and had learned to read (which was rare for someone in their caste). He told he of his dreams to be a farmer, he wanted to have lots of land, so he could hire other people and pay them a good wage. He hated how greedy the landowners were and how they treated their laborers badly. Batuk also told Makshi how he thought she was beautiful and had a sweet spirit.

After a month of taking to her at the market for a few minutes nearly every day, he asked her to consider becoming his wife. She said "no". Makshi was afraid he would change his mind when he found out she was an orphan and she had no dowry to bring. Even the poorest families would give their daughter something when she became a bride. The little money that had been left when her parents died, had been giving to the temple. She prayed to her gods asking them to take away her suffering. Of course, they did no such thing, she instead had to depend on herself. She did get the idea to bring water, when she saw the beautiful reflection pool in the temple gardens.

Batuk still came almost everyday to ask for a drink of water and talk to her. Another month went by and she began to open up to him a little bit. She said that she had lived in Magam all her life. It was the only place she knew. She spoke of her childhood when she had spent time with her grandmother wading in the river's edge while Grandma worked to wash clothes. She still never spoke of her current situation. She was too afraid of what he would do. People always wanted something from you.

Finally after a third month had passed, Batuk asked the question again. Only this time he said. "Where can I find your father? I want you to be my wife, if you will not say yes. I will tell him that I love you and want you to be my bride." Makshi countenance turned sad. She quickly turned away and began to run down the road. Batuk quickly caught up with her and turned her around to face him. "Do you dispise me?" he asked. He put his hand under her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. "Do you think I would harm you?" he questioned.

"No," she whispered trying to avoid his direct gaze. "I, I, I am an orphan. I have no family and no dowry. you would not want a bride who has nothing to offer."

"Is that all?" he asked. "I am a poor man, I have always been a poor man, and I will always be a poor man. You bring a joy to my life. I do not care that you have no riches. Neither do I, but together we can be happy. Makshi, will you be my wife?"

"Yes," she answered. She did not love him, yet, but she knew that Batuk was a good man with a good heart. He would treat her well and he did have such kind eyes. It would be so much better to have a friend and a partner. She would no longer be alone in this world and that was a nice feeling. Maybe Batuk could fill the emptiness inside her.

They were married quickly and she began to realize that he did love her and she fell in love with him, too. He was a good husband and treated her so well. They both were very excited when she became pregnant and when Sabar came along, she thought he would fill her hole. He was a great baby and mothering came naturally to Makshi, but she still had the feeling that something was missing from her life. Who would have thought that doing laundry would change her life.

Chapter 8
Details

Jack and Henry finally managed to finish their project at the church and they came to meet up with Lucilla and Melissa at Five Bucks Coffee. "How is my little cookie monster?" Henry asked Lucilla motioning to the big pile of crumbs left on her plate. He then bent down to give his wife a kiss before he pulled over a chair.

"I was not a cookie monster today, I had an apple tart instead. I thought it would be more filling. Besides the Apples are awesome this time of year," responded Lucilla. I think we should plan to go apple picking sometime soon. I think the last time we went was on our very first date. "Do you remember?"

"Of course, I remember" answered Henry. "I would never forget that, I was so nervous, I could not sleep the night before. I really wanted to make a good impression on you."

"Well, it worked" Lucilla responded with a smile and a wink for her husband.

"All this lovey-dovey talk is distracting us from our goal." stated Melissa in an attempt to change the subject to fund raising and away from Lucilla and Henry's courtship. It was so hard for her to see how happy they were, when she just wanted to have the same thing for her and Jack. "We need to focus on our fund raising plan. Now let me catch you two up on Lucilla's idea. Jack did you bring your laptop? We need to look up a phone number."

"We are going to do a petting zoo to raise money for the animals in the catalog!" Lucilla blurted out excitedly. "There is a lady called Cindy who does petting zoo birthday parties and we want to get her to bring her animals. I got the idea from this adorable little girl who had a lamb stuffed animal that she was hugging while waiting in line with her mom for coffee. The coffee was for the mom, not the daughter. They were going to a birthday party. Henry, can I have a petting zoo birthday party next year? Please?"

"Maybe" Henry answered. He knew Lucilla probably was not serious, just excited. He hoped if he did not say yes, she would just forget about it when she found something else exciting.

"I think she maybe is excited about her petting zoo idea," Jack stated, with a laugh. He looked towards Melissa. "So what have you figured out so far? Time? Place? Cost to bring in the animals? Because that will eat into the amount of money we can collect. Will this be for all the animals in the catalog? or just the animals in the catalog that we can get in the petting zoo?"

"I am glad you are here, as much as I love Lucilla, she is not always as organized as we are." Melissa responded.

"I am still here, you know." Lucilla said while rolling her eyes, "But really Jack, I see why you two get along so well. You both are crazy super organized people."

"Thanks," replied Jack turning to smile at Melissa. "I never would have guessed that there was someone else out there as crazy as me."

"We are all crazy. But now let's turn this crazy petting zoo idea into action." responded Melissa. "Here is the list of all the animals and their price from the Gospel for Asia Christmas Catalog." she said as she handed the list over to Henry. He read the list out aloud.

Chickens - eleven dollars
Goats - fifty dollars each
Rabbits - eleven dollars for a pair
Water Buffalo - four hundred sixty dollars for one
Pigs - forty five dollars each
Sheep - sixty five dollars for a pair
Cows - three hundred seventy five each

"Well, I don't know about the water buffalo, but all the other animals seem like normal enough farm animals. I bet we can find them. Is your laptop all connected?"

"Yes, it is and I am on the website for Cindy's Zoo right now. Let me see if I can find some more details or a phone number." Jack said, while scanning the page looking to see what animals sixshe had and if they talked about availability. "Oh here it is. You can get a 6 animal party - goat, sheep, bunny, llama, cow, pig. Hey that is everything we need, but the chicken and the water buffalo, wait the website says they sometimes have a water buffalo, a baby camel, a donkey, and a baby yak. This is awesome! I can not find prices. That kind of worries me. I bet this is going to be super expensive," Jack said realistically.

"Let's call her," Lucilla said. "you never know, maybe she will donate time with her animals or maybe it will not be as expensive as we thought. What is the number?"

"800-555-5555" Jack read out to her.

"Calling, ringing, still ringing, and it goes to voice mail. I will leave a message. Hi Cindy, my name is Lucilla Upton. My small group is working on doing a fundraiser to give gifts from the Gospel for Asia Christmas catalog this year. They are a non profit missions organization, that focuses in Asia. We thought it would be fun to hold a petting zoo, where people were able to donate money for the animals in the catalog. We see that you have the same animals that are in the gift catalog. We are interested in using your animals for the petting zoo and need to see when you are available and how much you charge for an event. Once again, my name is Lucilla Upton and I can be reached at 636-987-6543. Thanks for your time."

"See," Lucilla said confidently, "I can be professional when needed. I hope she calls me back soon. Until we hear back from her, what can we do?" everyone was silent for a moment, Henry took a sip of his coffee.

"We can find a place." Jack finally said. "We can also decide if we charge an admission fee or just take donations for each animal. What else? Oh I know, we can design some flyers to pass out and we will just leave the day and time blank, until we have that worked out."

"It sounds like we have a plan." Jack said.

Chapter 9
Amazing Grace

Patakin looked towards his clock, wondering when Makshi would arrive with his clean clothes. He had spent the morning in prayer hoping that he would have the opportunity to share Jesus with her. He turned on the radio to listen to some worship music, while he prepared his lunch. He had just launched finished singing Amazing Grace. When he heard a voice call out. "Hello," he heard Makshi say with a lot more confidence than yesterday.

"Hello," he answered back. "Come on in."

"I heard your singing, what song was that?" she began. "Why do you call yourself "a wretch"? You seem like a good man, you gave me a job. You should not call yourself a such a bad name."

"I am sinful." Patakin said. "There was only one man who has ever been perfect." He prayed that she would receive what he was saying. "His name is Jesus Christ. Have you ever heard of him before?"

"No, that is a strange name." replied Makshi, setting the bag of clean laundry down on the table.

"He was an unusual man. If you have a few minutes, I will tell you about him." said Patakin. He said a quick prayer, Lord, let me use the right words, while waiting for her response.

Makshi said "Sure, I will listen to you talk about this Jesus Christ. I love to hear great stories. He sounds rather mysterious, he says that he is perfect and calls someone who seems like a good man, a wretch."

"Well you know that no man or woman is perfect. No matter how hard you try, you can not do everything right. It is because of sin. Everyone is born with a sin nature, even your darling baby," he motioned to Sabar. "I guarantee that he will let you down at some point."

"I try very hard to do things right." Makshi said getting a little bit defensive, "and Sabar is a precious baby. It is hard to imagine him doing anything bad." She gave her son a gentle kiss on the top of his head.

Patakin spoke kindly, "I know you love your son and that actually is a great segway into the next part of my story. To get to heaven you need for your sin to be taken away. There is punishment for sin and a price must be paid."

"So no one is perfect, not even my Sabar." Makshi said confused. "Your God is very unfair. He says to be perfect, knowing that no one can be perfect. Then he punishes them and requires them to pay lots of money to atone for their sin? He is not very different from other Gods. He seems very cruel."

"I said that a price had to be paid for sin. I did not say you had to pay the price." responded Patakin.

"Well, I do not know anyone who would pay for me, except for maybe Batuk, but I doubt he would ever have enough money." Makshi stated. "I still think your god makes things very hard. I do not think he is a god for someone like me. Maybe for a rich man." She started to turn to leave his hut.

"Makshi, wait. Let me finish my story before you decide." Patakin pulled out a chair from the table and motioned for her to sit.

"Okay, I will let you finish, but I do not promise to worship your god. I already have several gods that I serve." She sat down in the chair.

"God paid the price for your sin. He sent his son, who was also God to earth. His name is Jesus. Jesus was born in a stable in Jerusalem one night many years ago. His mother was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus."

"Impossible," Makshi said in disbelief. "She must have lied to people, because everyone knows that is not possible."

"You are right, it is not possible for man, but this baby was Jesus. He is God. He was born perfect, without the sin nature that you and I and even Sabar all have. It started when You see an angel of the Lord came to visit Mary while she was engaged to a man named Joseph. This angel told her she was favored among woman and that she would give birth. Mary herself questioned how this could happen, because she had never been with a man. The angel told her God would make it happen and she said "I am the Lord's servant, let it be so."

"Now the man she was engaged to, Joseph, when he found out that she was pregnant, he planned to divorce her quietly. However, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream and told him to marry Marry. The baby was special. So he did. About the time Mary was due to give birth the government decided that everyone would have to go to the town of their ancestors to be counted in a census. They traveled to this town called Bethlehem. When they arrived, they looked for a place to stay, but all the hotels were full. One of the owners finally had pity on them and said they could stay in his stable. Jesus was born that night."

"God allowed his son to be born in a stable?" Makshi asked astonished. Patakin saw that she was intrigued by his God and was starting to realize He might just be different from all the other gods she served. "That is so unusual. Even a poor girl like me was able to have my child in my home."

"But that is not the only thing unusual about that night. Angels came and appeared to some shepherds in the fields. The heavens opened up and the announcement came that a king had been born in Bethlehem. The shepherds hurried into town to go see the baby that would one day be their Savior."

"So they believed the angles?" Makshi asked.

"Of course they believed them. I would think if you were there that miraculous night and an angel appeared to you, you would not question what they told you."

"You are right. I would go see the baby. But I am confused. How is a baby going to pay for my sin so I can go to heaven. Surely you do not serve a god who demands that you sacrifice a children. Even the wicked landowners here, do not do that," she asked.

"No, this is just the beginning of the story. This miraculous baby grew up to be a perfect man. He never committed one sin. Never stole a cookie from his mother, never told a lie and blamed someone for a sin he did, he is God, so he led a sinless life. He worked with Joseph and learned to be a carpenter, until he was 32 years old. It was then he began his ministry. Jesus peformed many miracles. He healed people with leprosy, made lame men walk and blind men see. He was able to cast out demons, he even took a few fish and some bread and turned it into enough food to feed five thousand people. Can you imagine?"

"I bet everyone loved him and treated him with respect. Did he become king of Bethlehem?" Makshi questioned.

"No, it was quite the opposite." Patakin continued with the story. "The people loved him, but there were many in government and temple leaders who did not like him. They were afraid of him, he told them what they were doing was wrong, and he condemned some of their practices. These people hated Jesus and thought he was a false profit."

"What did they do?"

"They set him up. The religious leaders all got together and found people to lie about things Jesus had said. They twisted his words and make false accusations. He was put on trial and was found guilty. All during the trial, Jesus did not fight the accusations. He let them make their false statements. They senteced him to death on a cross."

"No, they could not have done that. What about all the people he healed. I thought you said he was God. Why did he not strike them dead and escape?"

"The crowds turned against him. They shouted "Crucify him" and it was so. He was beaten and bruised and sentenced to die. It was truly horrible. The guards made a crown of thorns and pushed it onto his head. They gave him a cape and mocked him. He took the punishment for sin he did not commit. Any one of us, we would have deserved to die. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We could never be righteous enough to get into heaven. Jesus had to die. His death paid the sin for you and I. He gave us his life"

"But I did not want this man to die for me. I am just a poor woman in India. I do not deserve a gift like that. I do not deserve to go to heaven. Not when it causes a perfect man to die!" Makshi looked distraught.

"My story is not yet done." Patakin continued. "After Jesus died, they took his body and put it into a tomb. Soldiers were sent to guard his body in case anyone tried to steal it. He died on a Friday and custom in those days called for a day of rest on Saturday. That Sunday morning, after the sabbath, friends came to the tomb. They wanted to embalm his body and prepare it. The woman went to the tomb and when they arrived there was an angel at the tomb. He said, "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." The tomb was empty and Jesus was gone!"

"Amazing. Even with solders people managed to steal his body." Makshi said.

"His body was not stolen. Jesus rose from the dead."

"Impossible."

"Its true. Jesus is God and he had conquered death. He appeared to many of his friends and disciples after his resurrection. It was not a lie, he is the true God. It is because he took the punishment for our sins and rose again that I put my faith and hope in Him. It is through Jesus Christ that we can go to heaven. He gave us a free gift. All we need to do is accept it. Imagine you have a present for Sabar. You have bought the present and wrapped it all up. You hold it out to him, but he does not take it. He is missing out on something great. Jesus is holding out the gift of heaven and life eternal with Him. You have the choice to accept it into your heart, or you can reject his gift."

Makshi considered her options. This man told he of a loving God who gave up his son, for her. No one, not even Batuk had ever loved her that much. He sounded so great, almost too good to be true, but Patakin was a genuine man. She saw the way his eyes shone as he told her about Jesus. Should she accept his offer? A free gift? It would be crazy to turn it down. She knew that not many people showed love and most people who did wanted something from you in return. "Yes," Makshi said. "Yes, I will serve your God. What must I do to accept Jesus' gift of heaven."

"First we will pray. Tell him you are sorry for the things you have done wrong and that you accept his gift. Tell him that you will serve him and invite him into your life." Patakin bowed his head and closed his eyes, while sitting at the table.

"I do not have to get on the ground to bow?" she asked.

"No, you can speak to Jesus at any time. He is always with you. But if you want to bow you can."

Makshi did not get on the floor to bow instead she lowered her head and closed her eyes like Patakin had done moments earlier. "Jesus, you sound like a loving God. I am sorry that I have done bad things and hurt you. I will try to be a good person. I accept the gift you gave me. Thank you for paying the price of my sin. I could never repay you for that precious, precious gift. You had to love me so much to let your Son die. I will serve you for as long as I live." Makshi looked up. "The end," she added, when Patakin's head stayed bowed.

"God, I want to thank you for bringing Makshi into the house. I know that there are angels in heaving rejoicing with you, since she made the decision to follow you. Help her to stay strong and help me to encourage my new sister in Christ. I thank you for sending Jesus. Amen."

Chapter 10
A Seed of Jealously is Planted

"How was your day?" Makshi asked Patakin as she was serving him the evening meal of rice and chicken. "Have you finished the planting yet?"

"No not yet, but soon, maybe another week." Batuk answered. "I am looking forward to finishing, it will mean shorter days for a little while. Of course then we will have all the weeding and watering. I am sure to stay busy. There is always work for a farmer. Everyone needs to eat." To emphasize his point, Batuk took a big bite of food. After he had finished chewing he said. "You make a very tasty meal. I am a lucky man to have such a great wife. How was your day? Did you deliver the laundry? I cannot believe that man had such dirty clothes and he is not even a farmer. I hope he gave you double."

"He paid me a fair wage for the laundry, but he also gave me something else. That man is a missionary, he came to Magnam to tell people about his God, Jesus Christ." Makshi's eyes began to shine as she continued. " Patakin's God, Jesus Christ came to earth and died a horrible death. God says since every man has sin, he can not let them into heaven without payment for that sin. So he sent his son, a perfect man, to die on a cross for anyone who puts their faith in him. It is a wonderful beautiful story and I decided to put my faith in his God. He is different than any other God I have worshiped at the temple."

"You found a new god to serve?" Batuk questioned. "I thought you did not like to serve gods. You said they had all failed you."

"They have," Matski paused "but I think it was because I was serving the wrong gods. Vishnu did not give his son for me. There was just something in the missionaries eyes' when he was talking. It felt like his God was in the room with us. Will you come with me on your day of rest? Patakin is going to start a church and we can be the first people to visit."

Batuk was not normally a jealous man, but he did not like the way his wife was talking about this missionary. She was so excited and full of joy talking about this new God, Jesus. What if this missionary man was dishonest and was out to hurt Makshi. He would not stand for that. He loved his wife so much. "Yes, I will go. I do not know if I like this man. He seems very odd with his talk about a new god we have never heard about." Batuk was not sure what they would find when they visited his house for "church", but he knew better than to try and keep her away. Makshi had a big stubborn streak and if he forbid her to see that missionary, she would only want to go see him more. It was better for him to be nice to Patakin and keep your friends close and your enemies closer the saying went, and that is exactly what Batuk planned to do.

**

Church was not what he expected. The missionary Patakin had greeted Batuk as if he were a long lost brother. The man served them food and kindly welcomed everyone into his home. He even took the time to talk to baby Sabar. Makshi requested that he tell Batuk exactly what he had shared with her about a virgin giving birth to a baby and Jesus paying for sin. The sin of the poor people and the rich people without asking anything in return. As Batuk heard about this man Jesus and all his miracles, he could feel his heart softening. He thought Patakin might really be a genuine man who believed what he preached. He did not appear to be a swindler or a man with even intent for his wife. This God, he served was really interesting. At the end of his story, Patakin asked Batuk if he wanted to become a servant of Jesus. Batuk thought about it for a minute, but decided he was not ready for a big decision like that. He was surprised when the missionary man did not push him or try to plead with him. He accepted the answer and moved along. Batuk could tell his refusal to serve this new God, hurt Makshi, but he felt like as the man, he was responsible to make good decisions for his family. He had no desire for them to get involved in a strange religion. Sure, everything looked good on the outside, but in India there is always a catch. When it seems to good to be true, it usually is.

Chapter 11
Seven Hundred Dollars

It was Tuesday afternoon, when Lucilla got the phone call she had been waiting for all day long. It was Cindy from Cindy's zoo. "This is her." Lucilla spoke into the phone.

"Good afternoon, this is Cindy, I am returning your call from this weekend. You had asked about hosting a petting zoo to raise money for India?" the voice on the other end of the line said phrasing the last statement as a question.

"Yes, yes. My small group has begun a project for this Christmas season. You see it all started when I saw the movie Slumdog Millionaire this summer. On the way home I turned on the radio and heard a missionary talking about this organization called Gospel for Asia. I called the number they gave out and received their "Christmas catalog" except this catalog was not full of things you do not need, this was full of things the missionaries and people in Asia do need. Things like Bibles and winter clothes packets. They also have a section where you can gift animals. You can buy a sheep for a family in India."

"Thanks for your time, Cindy began, "But my animals are not for sale. Besides, I really do not think you can send a lamb through the mail to India. You will have to try someone else. Have a good..."

"Wait!" Lucilla called out before Cindy could finish ending the conversation. "We do not want to sell your animals. They buy them in India for the poor families. What we want to do, is hold the petting zoo and show people how much an animal could help someone. Cows give milk which provides income for a poor family. Things like that. We feel like real animals, will help bring the ideas to life. Coincidentally when we were looking at your website we saw that you had almost all the same animals in the catalog. I heard about you from a Mother and daughter that carried a stuffed lamb, who were going to a birthday part that you were at on Sunday. It had to have been a God thing."

"Well, what day did you have in mind? I will have to check my calendar to see if I am available, and you know that I can not bring my animals out for free. This is my business so I have to get paid, but perhaps since this event is for charity I can give you a thirty percent discount on my normal price." Cindy offered, feeling generous, which was normally not her style. She was someone who worked hard to take care of her various animals and expected to earn a decent wage by showing them.

"We wanted to set something up on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, within the next couple of weeks. We are excited to begin raising the money and since this is an outside event, we want to do it before it gets cold." Lucilla responded, trying to remain professional. It was going to happen. She just knew it! They were going to meet Cindy who was the only person around who had a water buffalo, and goats, and...

"It looks like my next available weekend is not until January fifth. This is getting to be my busy time of year," Cindy continued. "Every church wants to have real animals for their Bethlehem in December and September is all Birthday parties with parents trying to have the best party of the year, October and November is booked with Halloween celebrations and fall festivals. It is going to be January before I can do anything for you."

"Well, I think that will be too late for us, this time. We need to raise the money before Christmas, so the animals can be given out as Christmas Gifts." Lucilla answered dejectedly. "While I have you on the phone, what is the going rate for a petting zoo, with all the animals, the Goats, Rabbits, Water Buffalo, Pigs, Sheep, and Cow? Oh and how often do you have cancellations?" She tried to sound hopeful.

"Well with the thirty percent discount I offered you, it would be seven hundred dollars, plus any tips you may give the handlers." Cindy heard Lucilla's surprised sound over the phone. By now she was used to it. Why did people get it into their heads that it would be cheap and easy for her to bring a menagerie of animals to an event? "Transporting a water buffalo is not an easy task and feeding one is even harder." She gave her usual response to make people realize her rate while high was reasonable, and to try and make them laugh. "As far as cancellations, I almost never have any. People wait a long time for my zoo and I already have a will call in case of cancellation list."

"I guess you are right. Big animals eat lots of food. I never thought about it that way. Well, Cindy, I want to thank you for your time. I will have to talk about my small group, maybe we can try and get you next year and book you far in advance. You have a good day and hug a goat for me!" Lucilla added, finally losing some of the professionalism, she had tried so hard to maintain during the call.

"Will do," answered Cindy with a laugh. "Will do."

**

"It costs how much to borrow some farm animals?" Melissa and Jack both shouted into the phone. They were out at having dinner together, when Lucilla called to give them the update.

"Seven Hundred dollars with the Thirty Percent discount she offered us and not including tips for the handlers. I thought it would be two maybe three hundred, but not seven hundred." Lucilla said. "I guess that means the Petting Zoo idea is out the window. How much money did we need to raise for one of each animal in the Catalog?"

"One Thousand and Thirty Seven Dollars." Jack answered. "and that is only one of each, but the catalog description talked about a pair of goats, so you could add another sixty, which brings the total to one thousand one hundred sixty two. Then if you factor in an additional seven hundred dollars to rent the animals and say another hundred or hundred fifty for the tip. We would have to raise one thousand nine hundred and thirty seven in just a couple hours. I assume that we would be covering the cost of printing fliers ourselves?"

"That is a lot of money, but I feel like its something we can achieve. What if we had a fake petting zoo with stuffed animals," Melissa said. "It would be funny to put a bunch of beanie baby sheep in some hay."

"That would be funny," laughed Lucilla. "We could record barnyard sounds and hide a radio under one of them. I can just see a little kid wondering why that stuffed animal is talking. But seriously I do not thing it would draw people in the way that real animals would do."

"This is so disappointing," said Melissa. "We are back to the beginning as far as planning goes. Time is going by and we no longer have a plan. What are we going to do? Jack, maybe this challenge is too hard. Maybe we can all just give a little extra this Christmas. I mean we do not really need to give everything in the catalog."

"Do not be discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:8" quoted Jack. "I feel like God was leading me to make that challenge. We are just beginning, we have time and God will work things out. We are not in control."

"I know You are right, but my feelings have not caught up to my logic. We even had a perfect place.... and all the details, but the animals... Give me a little more time..." Melissa said. After a full twenty second pause she stated, "We will just have to pray that God guides are steps and shows us his plan. He is in control."

Chapter 12
Failed Plans and Future Plans

Cindy was out in the barn feeding the sheep and goats when her cell phone rang. She set down the feed bucket and glanced at her phone, since it was an unfamiliar number she pulled out her ever handy day planner. This book contained all kind of notes about everything from the stocks breeding dates, to weather notes, as well as her zoo schedule, as it was often the only piece of paper she had. She answered in her professional voice. "Cindy's Zoo. Cindy speaking."

"Hi Cindy. This is Katherine Fogelles of the Boston Fogelles, I have a party scheduled for this Saturday. I am going to have to cancel the party, my son Steven, along with half of his first grade class has the swine flu."

"That is too bad." Cindy responded. "I hope he is not feeling too poorly."

"Oh, he will be fine but he is very disappointed. I know that contract I signed stated that you do not give refunds, unless the cancellation is made two weeks in advance. I suppose that is still true?" Katherine could not help but ask.

"It does still stand. Payment for the party is still due. However, I can give you priority on the waiting list if you decide to reschedule." Cindy answered.

"I think that sounds perfect! We will reschedule, once h