With high hopes and dreams of a hugely successful future our first pair of emus were delivered in May 1992, by the summer of 1997, we had quit our jobs, deciding during the 1994 ice storm, that we could either get serious about our business in the emu industry or quit and work for the man the rest of our lives. We chose the emu industry.
During those 2 years, between 1992 and 1994, we had been working 18 hour days, farming tobacco, hatching, growing, and marketing the birds, raising 4 children, along with full time jobs and all the other stuff that living busy lives entails.
In 1995 bird sales had taken a nose dive and we were living on the few sales we were able to make, hiring ourselves out in any capacity that we could; which included micro chipping and sexing chicks, catching and hauling birds, and hatching and raising chicks for other people. Coming from surface religious families, we asked God for sales, money to pay our bills, and success.
By 1997, we were worn out, disillusioned and scared. We were $60,000.00 in debt in credit cards, barely able to feed our family; about to lose our farm and college tuition to come up with, life seemed really low. During this low period, we were asked by a lady we didn’t know well to take her to chemo treatments for stage 4 cervical cancer. After weekly trips to the hospital for several months, the cancer just getting worse, she collapsed.
For the next 3 weeks we took turns, day and night shifts staying by her side while she was in a coma. The day after Christmas, she died. There had to be something beyond all this heartache and fear. God used Sharon’s death to start us on a road of change and growth. That summer we stood on our porch and gave it all to God.
We knew by this time that we couldn’t do it on our own; we were helpless without Him guiding our steps. As we stood on the porch that day, we gave him our lives, and our business. The next day He started growing our business and continued changing our lives.
For the last 15 years God has brought us into a relationship with Him. He has used his Love Letter, the Bible, to teach us how to depend on Him for even the breath that we breathe, that every step we make, if we honor him and give him the glory that he will walk through life with us.
He has introduced us to people that have mentored us, and introduced us to a church full of people seeking Him. He didn’t promise us a rose garden, nor did we get one, but He did promise never to leave us or forsake us as long as we abide in him.
He gave us an unquenchable thirst to know him. Just like any relationship it has grown closer over the years as trust and love is shared. We have used our business as our missionary field; we give God the glory of our success and the success of the Emu Industry.
He has blessed our lives in ways we never imagined. He has given us our youngest son to be a partner in our business, and jobs to 4 people within our company so they can meet the needs of their families. He has taught us to say with absolute truth and belief: Our God is an awesome God and He is good, all the time, all the time God is good.