Rigamortus Prayer Pig

This is a really funny but true story. Get ready to laugh. Okay, here goes...

It was probably January or February 2000 around 3pm. I had 3 children at that point in my life. Jeb was 6, Meghan was 4 and Reagan had just turned 2. It was raining and we were all headed to visit Daddy. We were driving to Bradenton from Okeechobee. ( If you are unfamiliar with Florida I will give a brief geography lesson. Bradenton is on the west coast between Tampa and Sarasota, and Okeechobee is 2 hours drive time straight across the state right above Lake Okeechobee. Rural, middle of nowhere, palmetto bushes, cows and wild hogs!)

The road conditions were a bit hazardous with the country 2 lane and the heavy downpour. The vehicle we were traveling in was probably even more dangerous. A burgundy Ford Explorer I lovingly referred to as the "Exploder." I am positive the tires were bald, the windshield wipers were shotty, at best, the right passenger window was held in place with duct tape, and when you went over a bump it would sometimes fall. My driver side door was held shut with a bungy cord. You had to get out by rolling down the window and opening it with the handle from the outside, after disconnecting the bungy cord. I could have pulled a "Dukes of Hazzard" move and just jump in and out of the window, but.... Explorer's are a bit high for petite moms that have a maximum height of 5'2'' with heels.

Can you say, "You know you are a redneck if..."

I promise I am telling the truth.

Now, back to the road. We were in a questionable vehicle and the road a bit "iffy." I could explain the atmosphere inside the vehicle, with a 6, 4 and 2 year old... but I am going to skip ahead and let your wild imagination just fill in the details. Whatever you come up with multiply it by 2 and you will probably get close to what was going on! I am also quite sure the decibel level was way above OSHA safety regulations. Huh? what did you say?

About 30 minutes into the ride, Meghan, my sweet little prayer warrior who was sitting up front with Mommy (before airbags people) she spots a dead hog on the road. He was rather large, black and white and just nasty looking. He was also dead as a doornail because he was stiff as a board. Hence, the word rigamortas.

"Mommy, look, it's a piggy on the side of the road. What is he doing?"

I could have lied to this blue eyed, blonde little angel...but, the pig was stiff! His legs were just sticking out there. He was so dead! I just didn't want to lie, but I didn't want to see her cry. she was so excited about the pig.

Mommy went with, "Honey, I don't think he is very well. I think he is sick, very sick. He may already be dead. Let's just not think about it."

"OH NO! He needs us to pray. Can we pray for the pig, Mommy?"

Not exactly the response I was expecting, but sweet. Alright, I will pray for the pig with her and she won't think about the pig and it will be fine. Yes, this will work. This will be just fine. Let's pray.

So, as I am driving in the pouring down rain, in a rolling health hazard with 3 children under 6 I started praying for a dead wild boar on the side of the road! I don't remember exactly how I worded the prayer. I had so many things spinning around in my brain and honestly,
roadkill wasn't exactly what I would have chosen to pray about. Knowing that this was one of those "teachable" moments you read about in those parenting books, I knew I had no other choice. Pray for the pig.

The prayer was said, and we continued on our journey. We visited with Daddy and headed back to Okeechobee the next afternoon. I never thought about the pig again. I slept just fine that night. I didn't pace the floor or worry about porky on the side of the road. Teachable moment, I seized it, sweet prayer we said it. Closure had occurred in my mind.

Little did I realize, the piggy story wasn't over.

Normal drive home. Well, normal for us. No major spills, no-one had thrown up, all body parts were intact and no rain on the horizon. Meghan was her cheerful little self. Things were going along just fine. We were about 30 minutes from our final destination. And that's when she noticed it.

The pig was gone!

Meghan started screaming at the top of her lungs. "He's gone, he's gone, Jesus made him all better. The pig got better. He's not sick anymore, Mommy!"

Sure enough, the pig was gone. No pig. We were in the exact place where we met Mr. Rigamortas. He wasn't there anymore.

Now I know what some of you may be thinking...wild animals could have run off with him, some crazy person could have snapped him up, no offense, I grew up in Okeechobee, it happens. There were a few scenerios that could have happened. Someone could have hit him with their car and he could have rolled down the hill!

In my heart of hearts I know what happened. The prayer and faith of my 4 year old had tapped into Jesus' power and that pig was raised from the dead!

So, that is how we came upon the Rigamortas Prayer Pig. I refer to it often with my friends. We have had so many laughs over that pig, but we have also increased our faith and seen how God works through prayer in a way we could never dreamed or imagined.

I mean, if you just could have seen how stiff his legs were............................................................