Hi! I'm Hugo, the friendly deer.

 

I was born in the peaceful forests of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I grew up with a lot of different animals and learned to be friends with everyone. Winters in the UP can be pretty harsh, so we all depended on each other and became like one big family.

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When I got older, my wife Henrietta and I adopted a baby moose named Harvey. We loved Harvey very much and hoped that someday he would find a special group of friends just like I had as a child.

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One very sad day, Harvey, Henrietta and I were having a picnic on the shore of Lake Michigan. We had been very busy that day, exploring the sand dunes, and everyone was tired. Harvey fell fast asleep while Henrietta and I picked up our picnic supplies and put them back in the picnic basket. Suddenly, a fierce wind began to blow. (Anyone who lives in Michigan knows the weather can change in an instant!) The waves were huge! They picked Harvey right up and pulled him out into the lake.

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Henrietta and I tried to grab him, but the waves were too strong. Soon, we couldn't see him anymore. We left our picnic basket and began to search everywhere! We were afraid poor Harvey would be lost forever.

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We walked miles and miles, searching for Harvey and calling out his name. We passed cornfields with corn as tall as we were, and cities with buildings that were even taller! Finally, after what seemed like forever, we came to a beautiful place with trees, and grass, and warm buildings, and so many fun-looking things to do! It seemed like a special haven after all we had been through.

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Tired and sad, we sat down in the grass and started to pray that God would help us find Harvey. Just at that moment, guess who appeared! It was Harvey! He had been looking for us, too, and he had found some wonderful new friends to help him!

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We soon learned that this amazing place really was a haven... it was Youth Haven! And we have never left.