'Hello! I'm Samantha and I have such a wonderful story to tell you. But let me introduce myself to you first. I'm a Kitten, but not just an ordinary kitten, I'm a Persian, with beautiful long grey silky fur. I belong to a lovely girl called Joanna, and we live with her Mummy and Daddy in a big house near the Synagogue as her Daddy is a leader in their Church.
We are a very happy family and I love living here, especially with Joanna who combs me every day to make sure I look really beautiful. We play in the garden most days, but I don't go too near the water fountain as we Persians don't like getting wet! But that's enough of me, I would like to tell you my wonderful story now. Actually it has a very sad beginning, but I'm pleased to say that it has a happy ending.
About two weeks ago I noticed that Joanna didn't want to run about the garden as we usually did. All she wanted to do was to sit by the fountain trailing her fingers in the water. Well, as I said, I was not too happy about that, so I would sit under the trees and watch her. I tried to tell her Mummy that something was wrong, I went into the house and followed her around all the rooms miaowing, but she didn't understand.
‘If you are thirsty, Samantha’ she said ‘Go and tell Joanna, I'm too busy’ and off she went. I tried her Daddy next, but he was just about to leave for the Synagogue so he wasn't too pleased when I walked round and round his feet. I am allowed to go anywhere I like in the house, of course, being a very special Kitten, but I just succeeded in getting in everyone's way!
‘Samantha, do go back to Joanna’ her Daddy said. ‘You almost made me trip over.’ So, I must admit, I stalked out of the house as haughtily as I could, thinking how very inferior people are to we cats! But as the days went by Joanna's Mummy and Daddy did realise that she was far from well.
'At last!' I thought as I licked my paws and washed behind my ears. 'At last!'
Joanna's Mummy then put her in bed and I sat on the bed with her trying my best to make her smile. I pretended to chase things, and I lay on my back and waved my paws in the air which had always made her laugh before, and I ran around in circles trying to catch my tail, but Joanna didn't even smile, she was so ill. So I licked her face to show how much I loved her, and just snuggled up quietly beside her. The Drs. came every day and tried their best, but it was no good, Joanna did not get any better.
It was a very sad house now, and I could hear her Mummy and Daddy asking themselves ‘What can we do? If Joanna doesn't get help soon, she will die.’
I felt dreadful. I just couldn't imagine life without my Joanna - no more fun in the garden, and who would comb me every day as Joanna did? It was too awful to think about.
Ah! but here we come to the happy part of my story. JOANNA'S DADDY HEARD ABOUT JESUS! I remember the day when he rushed into the house shouting ‘I'm going to see Jesus, He has come to our town.’
Joanna's Mummy was delighted. ‘Oh! I know Jesus can heal people, perhaps He will heal our Joanna’ she said.
‘Yes, I'm going right now to find Him, and plead with Him to come home with me’ said her Daddy.
Well! I was so excited, I leapt on to a chair and ran from one chair to the other. I even started to run up the curtains but Jairus, that's Joanna's Daddy's name, laughed and said 'Oh, no you don't, Samantha. I know you are as happy as we are, but come down from there’ and he put me back on the floor.
‘Go upstairs and tell Joanna the good news’ he said and he went out to find Jesus.
'By the way, did you know that if you search for Jesus you will ALWAYS find Him? I just thought I would tell you that in case you didn't know. But back to my story again. The next bit I found out from my friend Jason, a cheery little Sparrow, who often comes to visit us. He said that Jairus did find Jesus, and he knelt down before Him and begged Jesus to come to his house as his little girl, Joanna, was dying.
Jesus looked at Jairus and Jason said ‘I wish you could have seen the look of love on Jesus' face, Samantha, when He said ‘Of course I will come, Jairus.’ I wished I had been there too, but I could imagine it as I had seen that look of love before. It was when ...... but I really must get back to Samantha’s story. Yes!
So Jesus and Jairus began to walk back to our house BUT, Joanna's Mummy had sent a messenger by then to tell Jairus not to bother Jesus as Joanna had died. Her Mummy was so upset she was crying, and I was crying and everyone seemed to be crying as we all loved Joanna so much. However, I said at the beginning that this was a happy story so I shall not dwell on the sadness instead I shall tell you that Jesus was not at all worried by what the servant had told Jairus ‘Don't be afraid, Jairus’ He said, ‘Just trust me, and Joanna will be all right.’
And Joanna's Daddy did believe Jesus. He knew He would help Joanna and so they came to our house with three of Jesus' Disciples, Peter, James and John.
I was thrilled to see them all and purred so loudly when they came into Joanna's room that Jesus smiled and stroked me.
‘I wish everyone had your faith in me, little Samantha’ He said. And until now, this has been my very best kept secret. But I thought YOU would like to know what Jesus said to me.
Then I heard Jesus say ‘Don't weep any more,  Joanna isn't dead,  she is only asleep.’
And do you know,  lots of the mourners began to laugh and scoff at Jesus. Oh! I was so angry - didn't they know that Jesus is God's only Son? I thought. And I arched my back and began to spit at some of them until Joanna's Mummy picked me up and stroked me. ‘Ssh!’ she said,  ‘They don't understand as we do’ so I began to purr again but felt very sorry that so many people didn't love and know Jesus as we did.
And now I come to the very best part of my story. Jesus took Joanna by the hand and said   ‘Get up,  little one’  AND SHE DID!
It was wonderful. I leapt out of her Mummy's arms and landed with a thud on the bed and everyone laughed, even Jesus and then He said ‘Give her something to eat, I'm sure she must be hungry’ and she was.
We all went downstairs and what a party we had.
Jesus and his Disciples joined us and we talked and talked and talked. It was wonderful. I know I have said that before but it was, it was WONDERFUL.  It's wonderful to talk to Jesus any time but when you see Him perform a miracle too - well, it's  Super Wonderful  and you can't say more than that can you?
Elizabeth Aynsley ©

Luke 8 vs. 40 -42 and 49 - 56.