TO THE CLINIC

Cold weather had been forecasted, so I was going to put off my doctor’s visit for another day, but I opened the door Fri. afternoon and saw how nice it was out. Kinya and I found ourselves donning windbreakers and taking off for the clinic.

Apparently, we weren't the only ones who'd decided to go out today. I stopped in my tracks and got a picture, when I saw, down in the river we were crossing, a...Cormorant! I'd NEVER seen one there in the almost 10 years I've come here to visit!

The Common Coot nearby, I've seen before so didn't get excited about. This is the bumpy-toed bird that doesn't know it's not supposed to be able to swim well because it doesn't have webbing. His red-masked cousin, the Morehouse Hen, is the other non-webbed duck I've seen in this Tengan River. I told Kinya about the swimming birds. 

"Look! There goes the Kawasemi!" He motioned to a shiny blue dot flying across the water. I saw it as it was flying but lost it when it stopped. 

"Where?" I asked.

"There, in that brown area!"

I pointed my camera in that direction and pushed the shutter blindly. Later, when I checked the closeup, look: it was there!

I think Kinya and I work together well, don't you?

He goes to the clinic with me, spots the flying sapphire for me, and I get a nice picture. Okay; so he does all the work, and I get the happy results just by instantly turning the camera in the direction he said.

Isn't that the way it is with Grace?

Shouldn't Be Able, but Had to Help

It sounded like a scream came from the direction of the falls. Sure enough, someone had slipped on the rocks and hurt himself, the heron flying overhead could see. But out here in the wilderness, no one would come by to help. That was too bad.

Wait. The man was conscious and able to swim out to the island in the center of the river and pull himself up on it. The sun would dry him off, and he could rest there; it was doubtful any dangerous predators would want to swim out to that island.

Only problem was, the man would probably starve to death, because that sliver of land was barren of vegetation for him to subsist on...

But as if having read the thoughts of the heron, a waterfowl nearby carried berries to the man on the island regularly. The heron looked at the bird swimming from the shore to the stranded man, noticing how the feet of the morehen were not webbed; it was not supposed to be able to swim. How was he doing that? The scarlet-visored bird did not pretend to know. It's just the injured man needed the berries.

Sunday a brother in Christ will be recognized as elder of a church. When he was first asked to help, people might've said he didn't have proper web...qualification, ordination. But the important thing is he wanted to help Pastor Ricardo, who needed him.

Surely God can greatly anoint his service as elder if He would smile on the swimming efforts of a creek bird!

See? Even the white-shield Eurasian coots watching decided they wanted to join in and help too.