Ants

We really liked our weekend in Olive Branch, but now it was time to get back to work.  We had a pickup in Memphis and it needed to be in Madison, WI by Tuesday morning. 

We looked ahead because we wanted to get our truck back to the shop to get our refrigeration working to the specifications that would pass the test. 

That pickup and delivery went about as smoothly as any we have ever done.

We arrived at the shop just as they were opening up. They knew we were coming so we were pulled straight into the garage. 

It was evident right from the start that our technician was grouchy, and I don't mean a little bit. He made it perfectly clear that doing this job, or maybe any job, was not on his list of things he wanted to do. So we were pronounced fixed and told to pull out.

Then our company had us sit and retest the truck. This meant, no loads, no work.

And the truck did not pass the test. Frustration was the main word now.

Our next load was Picking up in Huntsville, AL at the rocket center there. We have driven by this place so many times and I always would like to stop. They have old rockets and space shuttles and a big discovery center. I think that would be so interesting. It was fun just to get to drive right past some of those things and see them up close. We were headed to Ohio.

I got news this week that a friend had lost her fight against cancer. I have never met her face to face but I know that one day I will. Jody was an inspiration to me and to all who knew her. 

While in Ohio, we squeezed in a trip to the shop that does work for our company. THEY WERE NOT GROUCHY! And they knew just what to do to get our problems fixed. They were gracious enough to explain, in detail, the workings of all these gadgets to us as well.

But then, of course, the truck had to be tested again. So once more, no loads and hours of testing. But this time, the truck passed.

It was really pretty where we sat while the truck tested,soI didn't mind wasting some time there.except for the fact that we weren't making any money.

My phone rang at 3am. 3 AM phone calls only ever bring bad news. I did not get to phone in time. I saw from caller ID that it was my sister. I called her back. She answered by asking me what was wrong. I said, "What's wrong with YOU? You called me." "No, you just called me."

Oh my, it was just her, sleeping with her phone and calling me by accident. Thank goodness.

Our son, Drew, has been training and fighting. Mostly, he does this for fitness and sport, but he is fighting his first paid fight soon. 

Me, his mother, wishes he wouldn't do this. Can't he just run or go to the gym like everyone else? I want to proud of him, but .....

Bill and I help to support a godly work in Africa. It is a man that is a traveling evangelist, and his wife that took in 30 orphans and with the help of loving donations,make this their mission. Our donations recently bought a cow for the orphanage. This cow just gave birth. Now there is milk for the children. 

I just love this.

After passing our test, we got a highly secret load. It was to pick up at 5am and deliver the same day, Friday, by 5:30.

Well we didn't get the load onto our truck until 7:30 because the security supervisor was late showing up. We drove, only stopping once, to our destination only to be told, that now it wasn't going to deliver until Tuesday.

Bill and I are on a load that could not deliver Friday afternoon. It is now scheduled to deliver Monday morning. This was unexpected and we were unprepared.

And because of the nature of the content, we can't just sit anywhere. We are actually parked behind a fenced in area with a locked gate.

We were permitted to stop at a store so that I could run in and get a few things. It will be great. No noise, lots of movies, nice and quiet. And safety. We can deal with that.

Anyway, we got here and pulled up to the guard shack, we signed in and he told  us where to park and even told us HOW to park, nose in with back doors facing the lot. 

Ok, there were a couple of trailers parked beside where we were told to park, so I tried to pull in far enough so that our back doors were even with the trailers in the row. 

We were facing a bank of pine trees. 

We have good tv reception, plenty of food and water, lots of privacy and quiet. It was a good evening.

The next morning I woke up and started to make some coffee and breakfast. I also wanted to shake our rugs because we had tracked in some sandy dirt. When I picked up the first rug I saw ants. Hundreds of teeny, tiny ants. Where did they come from? How did they get in here? 

I carry a big can of bee spray (don't ask), that we kept very handy. So I grabbed it and sprayed the ants. Instantly they were dead.

I got out of the truck to see how they were getting in or where they were coming from. 

When I walked to the front of the church I noticed a huge ant hill that I hadn't seen in the dark when we parked. And the nose of the truck had disturbed the hill when I parked.

If you have ever kicked over an ant hill, you don't have to ask why they are called an army of ants. They instantly go into actions, some attack, some defend, some begin the rebuild. And it all happens with no bosses, no policies, no board meetings,and no power point. It is just every ant in action. 

So apparently when I messed up the ant hill by parking over it, they saw an enemy, a really really big one. Yet, they didn't cower. They did what ants do. 

Scripture teaches us to be "wise" like ants. 

Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, (Proverbs 6:6 NASB)

The ants are not a strong people, But they prepare their food in the summer; (Proverbs 30:25 NASB)

What can I learn from the ants? 

*When troubles strikes, rush into action.

*Be prepared to attack your troubles

*Defend what's important

*Fix what's broken

*Do not consider the size of your enemy, face it with determination.