A Snake and a Prayer

I have lots of pets and I want to be a reptile keeper someday. Right now I have a bearded dragon, a corn snake, a king snake named Elvis, and lots of mice. My big brother, Tim, is at the MTC getting ready to go to Portugal. Sometimes I send him a letter with a snakeskin in it so that he can see how much Elvis is growing.

One day when I was feeding Elvis he got loose because I wasn’t watching him carefully. My mom and I closed the door to my room right away and started looking for him. We couldn’t find Elvis no matter how hard we looked. I got the idea to pray. Even though it was my fault for letting him get out, I knew that Heavenly Father could help me find him. I prayed every day, but I also kept looking in my room. I kept my door closed and put a towel in front of it.

After two weeks I still hadn’t found Elvis. He had to be getting very hungry. I knew that if I kept praying I would find him. I just wanted to find him while he was still alive. Finally my prayers were answered as I heard all three of my sisters screaming. Elvis wasn’t in my room after all. He was in one of my sisters’ rooms. My mom helped me catch him and put him back in his cage. I was so happy that I found him. I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers even if sometimes it takes a long time.
Matthew J., age 9, Virginia