Nancy Miller Going all in

As I prepare for my mission trip to Poznan, Poland this September, I recently learned something about the city that made me smile and feel even more certain that God’s hand is in this journey.

Every day at noon in the town center of Poznan, tow billy goats emerge from the Town Hall clock and butt heads twelve times. This tradition commemorates a famous 16th century legend. According to the story, a major fire destroyed the Town clock, so a new one was commissioned. To celebrate its installation, a feast was planned. A young cook was responsible for preparing the main dish-a roasted deer leg-but he accidentally left it unattended and burned it.

Panicked, the cook stole two goats from a nearby field to replace the meal. Before he could prepare them, the goats escaped, climbed onto the Town Hall tower and began butting heads on the cornice. The mayor and guests were so amused by the sight that they spared the cook and instructed the clock maker to create a mechanism featuring two fighting goats. To this day, the goats appear every noon from the Town Hall clock tower. Their names are Pyrek and Tyrek.

This story especially touched me because of my own goat, Sophia.. She is sweet and not mean at all-but she is definitely feisty and will head butt if given the opportunity! I had no idea about the Poznan goat story when I first felt God leading me there. Yet somehow, it feels so personal to me. God knows me completely- including my love for animals, and especially my love for Sophia.

What may seem like a small detail or coincidence to others does not feel accidental to me at all. Instead, it feels like one more gentle reminder that God sees us individually, knows the things that bring us joy, and lovingly goes before us in ways we do not even expect.