Answered Prayer!

Well hunting season is off to a great start for my family!! Monroe has already got a 6-point and Brandon has a great story of his hunting trip with Dad. Before Brandon left for his day of hunting he asked me to be praying for him to get a buck. He has never shot a buck before only a doe. I told him I would surely be praying! So, Saturday morning at 4:00 a.m. Dad and Bran left for the hour drive to the property our dear friends own. They graciously allow our family to hunt there each year. My two hunters sat and waited all day long and saw nothing!

We told Brandon the Lord must be teaching him patience because normally the wildlife is plentiful. They hunting crew came home discouraged but willing to try again the next morning.

Once again they got an early start. It was so very cold but that didn't dampen spirits! Once again they sat and sat and saw nothing. Brandon never stopped praying though. After taking a break in the afternoon, Dad and Brandon headed up the tree stand to try one last time. About 4:00 p.m. they spotted a huge buck headed into the small area of woods. They had a hunch that the deer would come back out before dark. Sure enough, about 5:30 p.m. they spotted him. Brandon was so excited he started trembling. (I don't understand this excitement. Maybe it is a guy thing??) The buck was about 120 yards away and Dad knew it would be a tough shot to make but Brandon was confident he could make it. Dad gave the okay and Brandon took aim, shot and hit that big buck the first time. He never took another step I am told! I don't know who was more emotional, Dad or Brandon!

After a closer look, they realized just how big this one is! He is a 7-point with a spread of 16". According to my guys that is pretty good for Florida deer. So, little Brandon has set the stakes high for the rest of the hunters in my family!! His older brothers look a little green to me. Maybe it is just the light, huh? They haven't had their hunting day yet so we will see....

Dad measured his biggest deer that is proudly displayed in our living room and guess what??

It is not as big as Brandon's deer! Needless to say, Brandon will be getting his deer mounted. He will have to display his trophy buck in his bedroom! There is no more room in the living room for wildlife.

Now there is one happy little boy...errrr...young man, yikes when did THAT happen! I think he is still on cloud 9 around here! Brandon has learned some important lessons about our Lord. He knows that God hears his prayer and He is concerned about every little detail of our lives. He has also learned to be patient and keep praying. He has given the Lord thanks for this great hunting trip! The following pictures are some that Brandon asked me to post. A warning for the animal lovers out there, they are a little graphic. They are taken at our barn where we hang and clean the animals before we process the meat. By the way, no one loves animals more than my family. We care for each and every animal we have, from our pet squirrels to our Missy-mommy to be-cow! We know, however, that this is how the Lord provides for our needs and we are grateful for his provisions.