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A couple came to the farm last night to pick up a puppy. We
were originally scheduled to meet them at a Buck-ee’s Store about an hour from
us, but they were too excited to wait until Saturday. (I need four more buyers
like that.) Mama had scheduled the pickup so that I would be home to give the puppy
it’s first shot before the new owners arrived, but early enough that the exchange
would not interfere with us getting to church. The sale of each puppy is a fun
transition to observe. Mama is so reluctant to hand the puppy over and the buyer
is so anxious to hold their new little one. It is never a tense moment, but it
is clearly discernable. This owner was a very sweet woman who was buying the pup
as a surprise birthday present for her 14-year-old daughter. I can only hope
that the daughter is as excited about the puppy as her mommy was. After a mini-tour
of the farm, they left with the dog and Mama and I got ready to leave for
church.
To give you an idea of how well this buyer understood Mama’s
attachment to the puppy, she sent a video to Mama showing the puppy with their one-year-old
German Shepherd at their home. It was priceless to see the older puppy bring
her toy to the very young puppy. Everyone was excited and the pup we had sent
home with them was happily scampering about underfoot of the new owners. That should
work out well for all of them. As for the puppy count. It stands as three down,
four to go.
Mama and I have a coaching session tonight. We are at the point
of contacting a realtor in the area we are researching houses to get a “boots
on the ground” perspective of the properties we are interested in buying. It is
almost close enough that we could go ourselves except for the constraints of
our jobs. I have to admit that it is nice to have these coaching sessions to get
our questions answered as well as to keep us moving steadily forward in the
business.
I got an email late yesterday that let me know that the
paperwork required to set up the business accounts is on it’s way to us. I will
still have to a lot of forms to complete before forwarding the paperwork to the
bank we will be using to administer the accounts, but we are that much closer
to the goal of having the corporation ready to make the purchases of properties
for our business. I am relieved, excited and terrified as we quickly approach
our humble little start-up.
Meanwhile, Cori and Nate did their final interview with
BIMI and are approved to take up their ministry on the field. They still have a
couple meetings to present in and all the required packing, selling and downsizing
to restart their lives as fulltime missionaries, but they are ready to get
going. Plans are to be on the flight to Honduras early next month. Again, we
are relieved, excited and a little bit terrified by it all. And I am sure they
feel pretty much the same way. Other than the language, which they will soon
master, they are perfectly suited to the ministry where they are called to serve.
Pray for Maggie. She called us a day or so ago to solicit
advice on how punishment should be used when discipline is not successful. It is
always a challenge to stay consistent with discipline in the home especially
when a child is not responding obediently. My dad’s philosophy on discipline in
the home was to set up as few rules as possible but enforce those rules fairly
and consistently. Maggie and Aaron are doing just that but have a strong-willed
child that does not seem opposed to receiving the punishment that comes from
disobedience. It is hard in those instances not to feel like you have failed in
some way, but consistency will eventually win out. The Bible makes us this promise:
Train up a child in the way that he should go: and when he is old, he will not
depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 We told Maggie to stick with it, don’t give in
and eventually the will of the child will conform to the will of the parents;
hopefully, for a lifetime of good results - when we are faithful and consistent.
God will keep His promises.
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