Artemis’ Miracle Sermon 8-3-08

     In the Church of Thomas we believe that God can and does use us as Conduits for healing. This can happen when we Pray that someone be healed. It can also take place when we Pray with our hands touching the person to be healed. There are some that call this hands on healing. I have had the Honor of being such a conduit on many occasions. It is a very special feeling to be of use to God in situations like this. Carrying on with the idea of sharing Miracles that have come into my life I will share another Miracle. This Miracle is a healing.

     When I lived in Hawaii I met a very special little creature. We lived in a townhouse in the town of Hilo. It rained a lot on that side of the island. My partner had a cat named Sabrina. She had been adopted off the streets in Austin before we moved to Hawaii. She was older and set in her ways. She also felt that there could never be enough food available. She was not friendly with other animals. I think it might have been the worry they would block her from the food bowl.

     She had been homeless and starving so I understand why she jealously guarded her resources. Other than that she was a sweet cat and affectionate towards us. She had obviously been abandoned by someone. She just had too many habits that are taught to pets. She was not feral by any stretch of the imagination. I tell you about Sabrina so that you understand my concern when I met another little Homeless cat. 

     A few weeks after we moved in to the townhouse I heard what sounded like a kitten in distress. It kept crying. I know that some people put their pets outside when the pets are annoying. I looked around to see if I could find out which home the kitten belonged to. I planned to explain that she needed to be inside to be safe. I looked for quite a few weeks. The crying would stop as I went outside. As a result I had a problem locating specific direction to search.

     It really bothered me that someone was not taking care of this little kitten. After about a month and a half I was frantic. The cries were not as vigorous as before. I was seriously worried that this kitten would die. It had to be getting some food though or it would not have lived more than a couple of weeks at most. I had asked everyone in the complex if they knew where this baby was. No one knew and few cared.

     I heard her crying again on a day that I could spend sometime trying to find her. This time I answered her by calling come every time she cried. At first she was silent. Then she was curious. I kept looking around to see if I could spot her. I had gotten a better idea of direction from her this time. It was not the homes but a patch of wooded overgrown brushy area. That made more sense with no one knowing who she lived with.

     I thought that she might come if I had some food so I went and opened some nice oily tuna. It had a good strong smell that would carry to her. I put it next to my when I sat on the grass. I was encouraged when I saw her little head poke out of the brush to see who was answering her. I resumed calling. She started answering me.

     In time she was drawn to my can of tuna. I think I became less threatening when I sat down. She was very small. I thought she could not be more than a few months old. Weaned but not much older. She watched me ready to bolt at any movement. As she ate the tuna I stayed totally still, but continued to say comforting things.

     At some point she came closer to check me out. She cleaned herself and eventually played with my shoelaces. I was nothing but a disembodied voice that was not hurting her. She was so tired I felt a mix of joy and distress. I knew that I needed to get up soon. My but was numb and my back was starting to hurt from being so still with out stretching. She had decided that the gap in my crossed legs looked like a great napping spot. I stayed still for a few minutes longer. I got up causing her to run towards the woods. It seemed like a good start.

     I went to my porch that was on ground level. I wanted to see if she would come out again. I sat on the lawn chair to watch in more comfort. Much to my surprise she was staring at me from the brush again. I got another can of tuna and opened it. Maybe she was still hungry. I put it on the porch near me and called inviting her to come eat some more.

     She did come, ate the second can, and climbed up on my lap. I was totally surprised. My lap was not as level as she liked. After trying to situate for a few minutes she did another wonder thing. She adopted me right there and then. I saw it in her posture and the way she looked right into my eyes and did not look away. She climbed up on my chest where I held her to keep her from sliding off and she was asleep in minutes. I was never humbled so completely in my life. I slept on the porch all night to keep her sleeping.

     The next morning my partner came home to me asleep on the porch with a surprise in my arms. We named her Artemis because she was a great hunter. There were many complications over the next few months. We think her Mom was Feral too and had been hit by a car leaving Artemis to do the best she could. 

     She had been hunting and trying to survive on lizards. The vet told me that her true age was much older than her appearance. She was 6 months instead of my estimate of 3 months old. It had been the malnutrition that stunted her growth. On top of that she had been infected early in her life with Feline Leukemia. The vet offered to put her to sleep. I could not do that because she had adopted me in a way that no domesticated kitten ever would. I was determined to not betray her trust in me to keep her safe.

      My Mom had nursed Feline Leukemia cats of her own. I got the recipes that she used to keep their weight up and relatively healthy. She was sick a lot the first few years she was with me. However after a few years she was not getting sick. I had been praying that she could be healed. I wondered if she was getting better after all. She was playing with the goats and asking to go with me to the farm everyday when I went to work.

     The Vet said it was unlikely that she would be cured. After I insisted he told me that we could test her again for the disease. The vet was flabbergasted and I was overjoyed. She was cured! It was a great day for God to show such mercy to my little girl. Her little Immune System was damaged but she was virus free.

     Artemis saw me through some very bad times. Unfortunately she had to stay in Hawaii on the farm. I miss her a lot, but I know she will be better off where there are no speeding cars to hit her.