Opossums are marsupials & are scavengers by nature, very happy to eat any leftovers! Their diet consists of carrion, fruit, nuts, & an assortment of small insects, frogs, & plants. They are sometimes referred to as "Nature's little Sanitation Engineers", due to their consumption of dead animals & garbage in the environment.
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| I find bananas quite appealing! |
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| Mom, what are we having to eat? Are we going to "Dumpsters" again? |
Opossums are nocturnal, doing most of their foraging at night. They will hunt for food during the daylight hours, only if food is scarce.
They are excellent climbers, using their prehensile (gripping) tail & their opposable thumbs to assist them in negotiating various obstacles.
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| I do my best work under the cover of darkness! |
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| Bedtime stories are a test of Endurance for Mom! |
Male Opossums are known as "jacks" while females are called
"jills". The babies are called "joeys", just like their Australian relatives. A group of opossums are known as a "passel". Opossums may "hiss" when initially threatened, however, they are very passive by nature & rarely aggressive.
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| I love climbing & enjoy "branching out" every chance I get! |
The life span of Opossums is only 2-4 years, one of the shortest among mammals of similar size. The biggest culprits responsible for their demise are predators & cars! Opossums are also resistant to rattlesnake & copperhead bites! They are also less likely to carry rabies & interestingly enough, are said to rank higher than dogs in intelligence.
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| Don't Ewe say a word! I forgot to shave this morning! |
Adoniram Judson Jr. was born on Aug.9,1788, to a preacher. He excelled at college, where he met a devout deist, skeptic, & friend, Jacob Eames. Through study & Eames' influence, Judson strayed from the faith. Some time later, while traveling & staying overnight in an inn, he was shocked one morning to find that his friend, Eames, had been violently ill & died in the next room.This shook him to the core, & dramatically changed his life.
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| I returned to the God of my youth & met my bride, Ann |
Adoniram & Ann Judson were married on Feb.5, 1812, & within 2 weeks, the happy couple were off to India as America's first foreign missionaries. They believed that God had called them to preach the Gospel in a spiritually dark land. This marked the beginning of their missionary adventure, which would send them to Burma & require tremendous Endurance over the next 37 years of ministry. Webster defines Endurance as:" the ability to last, continue, or remain". The Judson's certainly had this "staying power!"
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| The king outlawed Christianity in Burma & Ewe could lose ewer head ! |
During Judson's 37 years in Burma, Adoniram endured similar experiences as that of the Apostle Paul. He spent his first six years translating the Scriptures into Burmese. Finally, the first convert, Maung Nau, was baptized. What rejoicing took place, especially as a few more converts were baptized. Unfortunately, England went to war with Burma , so Judson & his assistant were arrested & put in a "Death" prison for 17 months. Burmese prisons were horrid death traps, very often housing 100 men in one room with no window.
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| Prison was a test of Endurance! |
Judson was encouraged by Ann during his harsh treatment in prison.She often bribed the ruthless guard "Mr.Spotted Face". He kept Judson in 3 sets of chains, with his ankles in elevated stocks. At 3PM every day, "Mr. Spotted Face" would pull out a prisoner to execute! Judson would often recite lines from Madame Guyon..to calm himself. He was finally released to help translate a peace treaty to end the war. After enduring the death of his wife & child within two & one-half years of each other, Judson finished the translation of the entire Bible & died at the age of 62.
No place I see, but to fulfill
in life and death Thy lovey will
No succor in my woes I want
Except what Thou art pleased to grant.
Our days are numbered-let us spare
Our anxious hearts a needless care;
'Tis Thine to number out our days,
ours to give them to Thy praise
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| Ann encouraged Adoniram in prison during her visits. |
Sheep lack the endurance that the Judson's had built into their character. If a sheep is accidently cast down, there is no way it will endure, without the Shepherd coming to its aid, & turning it right-side up.
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| "Why art thou cast down Oh my soul". This is "Baaa...D"! |
When Ewe see the Endurance displayed by the Judson's, & by our Good Shepherd while He was in the Garden, we can take comfort. He is able to take Ewe through whatever this day unveils!
"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;"
2 Corinthians 4:8
