He oinks for you!

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,

neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom 8:35-39

Last week I ran into a friend who asked: "Why don't you send emails anymore?" My immediate and not-thought-through response was "lack of content..." Over the following few days, I found myself ashamed before my God for making such an absolutely false claim that He has withheld content from me in this amazingly blessed life He has given me! In those moments, I was flooded with months of content, and today I hope to accurately (and dramatically) recount one little piece that has meant a lot to me and our youth girls over the past few weeks.

It was a cool spring evening... The nine of us were nestled in the back of Chris's pickup truck as he navigated the rocky terrain in the depths of the Texas hill country. We were on a safari! ...hoping to catch just a glimpse of something remarkable! After seeing literally 1000's of deer of varying species (a dream come true for me!), some antelope-type creatures, and a couple of horses, the truck came to an abrupt halt!There it was! ...our remarkable sighting! A little pig family was making its way across the road just ahead of the truck! In silence we watched Daddy Pig lead his baby pigs across the dangerous roadway and into safety. But wait! What's that sound?? It seems that two of his baby pigs strayed away from the family and were lost on the other side of the road! They were so scared because of these strange humans that separated them from their Daddy Pig, and they oinked in desparation and regret for having strayed away in a moment of thoughtless adventure seeking... Suddenly, out of the brush came a loud "Oink!" ...and another! Daddy Pig was calling for them! And he wouldn't stop, he oinked and oinked for them until they safely found their way around us and back to their pig family. A multitude of "Awwwwww's" resounded from the bed of the truck as we realized we had just witnessed a beautiful reunification of lost children to their Father.

Later, we sat around and talked about the implications this little reunification has for our lives, and how this adorable little pig family so closely resembles our own relationship with our Heavenly Father.

How often do each of us stray away from Him, hoping to find some great adventure, or excitement in the worldliness that attempts to separate us from His loving embrace? That's an almost daily experience for me! ...something that I'm learning to overcome as I continually witness His constant calling for me.... Just like Daddy Pig oinked for his lost babies...my Heavenly Father, He oinks for me! And Hewill not stop until I find my way back to Him!

How awesome is that? So.......... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? .............Nobody and nothing! Even our own evil desires cannot drown out His constant calling for us!

We are a sinful people and we will drift away, that's for sure... But in your drifting, listen closely... You'll hear Him, He will always be there calling you back towards Him. It's in those moments that we have a decision to make... Will we continue to wonder on the other side of the road...? Or will we hastily return to our Creator who loves us?

I choose to return... I hope you will too! And be assured, just as Daddy Pig led his baby pigs to safety and prosperity with him, so will your Heavenly Father!

As far as life in Louisiana goes... it's been a fantastic 2010! Our little group of kids is becoming a beautiful family of friends for each other. We spent a week in Texas with our girls at an absolutely amazing place called Camp Eagle, and out of that trip came beautiful relationships and awesome growth that we continue to witness in our girls lives. I have fallen in love with the ministry opportunity I have with the girls in our group, and I can't get enough time with them! I keep begging Chris to let me quit my job so I can use my energy loving and spending time with them! ...that's not going to happen in the near furture, but there are prospects available that hopefully will broaden my capacity to speak into their lives. I ask you to pray for that and to pray for the girls to continue to listen for their Father's "Oink!"

I thank you for your prayers and the encouragement you constantly give me! Even though I have not written much recently, I have thought of each of you often, and have thanked my God upon every remembrance of you!

His,

Anna Kathryn

"I thank my God everytime I remember you!

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy!"

Philippians 1:3&4