By Annelise Jagitsch
Meet Kya! (pictured above)
I’m an animal lover. I would adopt any animal that needs a home. Often, you can find me asking my dad if I can get another animal. Of course, he tells me I have enough already, but I don’t think so. But I didn’t always have my pets.
When I was a little girl, I wanted a dog. Not a little one. I wanted a medium to large-sized dog. I asked my parents for a puppy. They said no, so I decided I would ask Jesus instead. So I started praying every day. For years. Sometimes, I would feel as though my prayers fell on deaf ears. Then, one day, my dad told me someone we knew had a dog they wanted to give me. I was so excited! I came up with a name for the dog and told my neighbor I was finally getting my own dog. She was happy for me, and I just got more and more excited. Then, the family with the dog said they couldn’t give it up anymore. They had decided to keep it. I was sad. For a while, I didn’t pray anymore. I gave up. But then I decided to try again.
Then, a few months later, my dad told me I was getting a dog. We had moved to a new house but often visited our old house to fix it up so it would be ready to sell. One of our neighbors, down the street from our old house, couldn’t take care of her dog anymore and gave him to me. His name was Cosmo, and he was the best dog I could have ever dreamed of. She gave him to me for free even though he was a designer dog, meaning he could cost thousands of dollars. He was house-trained and never ran away or bit anyone. When I lost him, I was heartbroken. He was my best friend, but now he was gone. I was bitter towards God. Why would He answer my prayers and then ruin them like that? 7 years wasn’t long enough.
After I lost Cosmo, we moved again. All the way across the country to Wyoming. Since we were renting, I wasn’t allowed to have any pets. That was disappointing. So, I started praying again. I asked God to change the landlord's mind or do something so I could have a dog. About four years after we moved to Wyoming, we moved to Oklahoma Academy. Here, I could get a dog. Well, as long as my dad said yes.
One Sabbath afternoon, as the girls took a walk, the principal approached me and asked, “Do you want a dog?” Of course, I did! She took me down toward one of the houses, and as we approached, a dog ran around the corner and rolled over right in front of me. I was so excited. She was beautiful! “Where did she come from?” They informed me someone had dumped her out of a car. My mom told me to call my dad and ask if I could keep her. I called and so did my mom. My dad said yes, and we brought her home.
That was about three years ago. I know God gave Kya to me. He answered my prayers and my brother's prayers. She is an incredible dog. She’s my best friend and I can’t imagine coming home every day without seeing her in the yard waiting for me. God answered my prayers and gave me one of the biggest blessings ever, and He can do the same for you. Just ask Him. It might take a while, but God hears you no matter what you ask.