Hi Gorgeous Friends!

Again, I have a testimony that is so wild!

The day started so normal with errands actually! We needed to stop at the bank, the UPS store, and make a Target run.

The moment we entered Target, Chuck started beaming! He made me a cup of coffee with the last bit of bottled water that we had and skipped his own cup. So when we spotted a Starbucks there at the entrance, he was a happy man.

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We were there to buy puppy supplies for Junior. We needed a leash, harness, a few toys, etc. Addy got distracted and started looking at puppy clothes. I told her when we had him and knew his size better, we could come back and get him a sweater.

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Then, we also left with extra things that we didn’t come for, of course! We got the boys scooters and Addy a skateboard. We were headed to a state park in Mississippi and they could use some wheels!

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Then we drove and drove until we finally pulled into Tombigbee State Park in Mississippi as our stop.

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As soon as we pulled in, we noticed a dog sleeping on the step of a small laundry house. Chuck warned the kids to be careful of the dog because we didn’t know if it was friendly or not.

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As soon as we parked the camper, the pup came right over and enjoyed lots of petting and attention. I noticed that her ribs were showing and her tummy was sunken in. I got a pack of hotdogs out of the camper and gave her one. She took it so meekly and gently despite looking so famished. I fed her another one and she ate it the same way. She was so meek and mild.

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The kids got out their scooters that were still in the box, and we started pulling them out and assembling them. She stayed right by our campsite. The only time she stirred or got curious was when other campers walked by with dogs. She would run over, visit the dog, and run back and lay down.

The boys scooters were up and running and they took off riding them, she ran along. Wherever Brycen and Bentley went, the pup followed. This went on for hours. They even took her to the park and she followed and stayed with them. When she got bored of the park, she took off. Guess where she went? Right back to the camper and layed next to it on the ground.

A kind neighboring camper gave us dog food to feed her. Addy made her a bowl of water and a plate of food. Bentley started calling her Lucy, and she layed down and went to sleep next to the camper step….

At this park, Addy finally got to practice her archery. She’s been asking the whole trip.

Chuck and I had a cup of coffee before bed and talked about what to do about Lucy. We knew there was no way we were pulling out of here in the morning and leaving her behind. But what were the laws and rules about picking up a dog? We didn’t want to do anything wrong. The plan we came up with was to chat with the ranger in the morning and inquire about her and then visit a local vet to have her checked for a chip. She appeared to be a stray dog who had been around the campground awhile, but we didn’t know for sure. Our answer would come in the morning…

As I tucked the boys into bed, we prayed for Lucy. And then later, Addy Chuck, Nia, and I prayed again. We asked God to protect Lucy through the night and to guide us in the morning to make the right decisions. We asked that if it was part of Lucy’s destiny and ours that she become part of the family, that God would pave a way and put His fingerprints all over it.

As soon as Brycen woke up, he raced outside to check on Lucy. She wasn’t there sleeping, but as soon as she heard us up and around making noise, she came trotting back.

A few minutes later, a sheriff rolled by. Chuck went over to talk with him. Chuck showed him the dog and explained how we were camping and she came over. The sheriff told Chuck that stray dogs are a problem in the area, and alot of puppies just get dropped off out here. He told Chuck that he saw a group of strays just that morning. It was perfectly fine to take the dog home. There was no special procedure or law in place to do so. He congratulated Chuck and told him that he just gained a family dog.

A few minutes later another camper came out who had been at the park a few days and he said the dog had been there the whole time just hanging around the campground.

So we made the decision to give her a bath and make a vet appointment in town. So Lucy got a full scrub down by Chuck, and a welcome to the family!! The kids were sooo excited!

We called several vets before we found one that could take us this morning. We made a 1030 appt and we were on our way!

She got all of her shots, a deworming medicine, and an all over check up. She is severely malnourished. You can clearly see every bone. She has two visible injuries and a positive heartworm test. So she will need some medical care as soon as we get home. However, she is a young pup maybe 2 years old. With proper care and the heartworms treated, she will become strong and healthy. I already called my vet back at home and made her an appointment for Friday. I told them her diagnosis and explained the shots that she received today. They told me how to care for her and how to keep the new puppy safe. We have a plan of care already in place!

And that’s how God blesses!!! We went from total devastating loss to now bringing home not one, but TWO dogs from vacation!!

God explains in His Word how He cares for the wildflowers and the birds and gives His assurance for how much more He cares for us! So I trust that He reached right down and He connected Lucy to our family as a divine alignment moment. He cared for her needs and ours as He had us pull into that campground and made our paths intersect.

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If you have a need of ANY type, you can bring it before the Father. A financial, spiritual, relational, physical, or emotional need… He covers them ALL. That’s the kind of Abba, Daddy our Lord is.

He saw my head hung low and my heart shattered with the loss of my Maxwell. He heard the devastating cry of my heart, and He prepared a blessing of great magnitude. He would give me an opportunity to save a dog in dire need and to also get Maxwell’s little brother within days of eachother!

The enemy may have shot his firey arrow, but no weapon formed against me can prosper. And I believe that this is what it looks like when God prepares a table for you in the presence of your enemies. What satan tried to hurt me with, the Lord prepared a banquet of blessing. Yes, my heart still hurts for my Maxwell.

But the weapons of hopelessness and fear had no place to grow roots and prosper because my Lord fights my every battle!

Friends, if you don’t know Jesus, you can trust Him. I promise He will dazzle and amaze you with His goodness!

Dear Heavenly Father,

YOU are soooo soooo good! And that song that reminds me that there was another in the fire, just reminds me that You are always with us even in the hottest of fires. You pull us from the flames and save us. Thank You Lord. If someone is reading this and doesn’t know this side of You, I ask that Your Holy Spirit would reveal to them Your powerful goodness. Let them feel something new and fresh shift in their soul that is so real and tangible that they know You visited with them. In Jesus’s name, Amen..

Blessings and God’s Power,

Vanessa Lynn

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