Leaving the 99 to find the 1

The other day when I was watching over the sheep a sheep was lost. Now this is not a good thing. Losing a sheep often results in a hurt or dead sheep. But the out come turned out good and God used it to remind me of his love for us.

Matthew 18:12-14 says:
¹² “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?¹³ And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. ¹⁴ In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

It was about 5:00 in the afternoon when I started to return home from pasture with the sheep. I wanted to make it back before the sun set because darkness and shepherds don't mix. But as I was heading back I noticed that one was missing. I let the dog continue with the sheep and I back tracked to see if I could find her. Not 5 minutes later I found her!!

She had fallen down into an old well about 7 ft deep. This hole has been here the entire time Nissim has had sheep and no sheep has ever fallen in the hole. There is no food in the hole so the sheep usually go around it.
After I saw the sheep in the hole I called Nissim and his son Amir to help me get the sheep out. I asked Amir about the other sheep on the phone and he assured me they would be fine and to stay with the sheep in the hole.

A few minutes later Amir and Nissim arrived in the truck. I got in the hole with the sheep and we lifted her to safety. We all thought she would be fine and run back to the herd (sheep do not like to be alone). Instead she ran opposite the herd towards the road and Amir ran after her. Nissim got in the truck and I took the rest of the sheep home. I prayed the whole time that the sheep would be okay. I put the sheep back in the barn and in the distance I saw the headlights of the truck heading back. When they arrived I saw the sheep in the back and rejoiced.

It turned out that the sheep that fell down the hole was blind and it explains why the sheep fell and ran towards the road. She was able to go undetected in the herd because she used smell to follow them. Sheep can go blind from parasites that like the mucus of their nose and brain. Disgusting, but the truth. So we gave her some medicine and she can see clearly now since it has been a few days. She will rejoin the herd and be fine. But I still think it is crazy that I had a 99 and 1 experience. Just thought I would let you all know.

Also, I have chosen a name for 391. Many of you have given some great names. I like them all, but the name I have chosen is....drum roll please....Daisy. I looked up the meaning of this name, and in Old English it means eye of the day or vision. God gave the blind sheep eyes to see and I pray that one day all will have eyes to see God's will and God's plan. So that is why I have chosen Daisy.

Here is the latest picture of her:

This will be Daisy's last picture with her mom. That blue mark signifies that  Daisy is around 1.5 months old and  it is time to separate her from her mom. Daisy will no longer need mom's milk and will move on to grains and hay. It is a sad day, but a good day because it means she is growing up.

 PS It also looks like I might be in Bethlehem on Christmas. How cool would that be?!?!


Talk to you later.


Your Friend,


Patrick