We have recently entered the world of pet ownership. We have had multiple reasons in the past for not owning pets, many of which still apply. However, when we returned to our house in the village after our year in the States, our house now had resident dogs – a mother and her two puppies. So, rather unwillingly, we parents agreed to partial ownership of these dogs. The dogs are truly owned by our Agutaynen neighbor, so it is a shared partnership. Really, the best way to own dogs here in this village – our kids get to love them, we get to give them table scraps, and we don’t need to worry about the dogs when we are away from the village.
Somehow, over the course of the past few months, these dogs have managed to work their way into our hearts – even into the hearts of us parents. We went so far in this world of pet ownership that we also purchased two turtles and four fish!
This last month has brought us to the difficult part of pet ownership. In these last few weeks, three fish, one turtle, and one of the puppies, Dash, have died. Of course, the most difficult loss has been that of the puppy.
This has been a good reminder to us of the incredible capacity God has given each of us to love. How thankful we are for His love for us! In this season of Christmas, when we remember the birth of His Son, we are reminded that God sent His only Son to die for us! Truly, amazing love and an amazing gift! Thank you for praying with us as we endeavor to point our Agutaynen friends and neighbors to the Savior of the world!