Imagine being surrounded by a sea of hundreds of sheep all moving in the same direction, opposite from where you are headed. This happens quite often on the Romanian roads at sunset. It was not until I spied the sheepherder trailing behind that I sat up and took notice. He was carrying the “little lost sheep.” He was the hero of my childhood Bible stories. Remember how the shepherd had 99 sheep but went after the lost one? My Sunday school papers had pictures of him climbing through thorny brambles and down into a ravine where the lost sheep was crying its heart out. And, I knew how that little lamb must have felt to finally be in the safe arms of his shepherd. Now, nothing could harm him. He didn’t even have to walk back to the flock. The shepherd carried him.

      Fred and I have made it our life goal to serve Jesus and his little ones. I could not help but think that not only are we the “lost lambs” brought back to the fold, but we bring back “lost lambs” to the fold. As we live and minister to orphans in Romania, we are the under-shepherds climbing over brambles and into a ravine to rescue the lost children. This thought makes me feel so much closer to Jesus.

      With a renewed spirit, I repeat the 23^rd Psalm. . . The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures . . . How the “lost lambs” long to be in loving arms. How Jesus longs to wrap His arms around them and bring them into His green pastures.

     How easily the shepherd could give up on the “lost lamb.” Why not? He had the whole flock. Why bother? I think his answer would be that the little lamb is valuable. Perhaps in the same way some orphans are lost, so damaged, is it worth the effort to go after them? Why not be satisfied with ones we enjoy? What about the dirty, smelly one standing around smoking a cigarette? Does Jesus care about him, too? Do I care about him? I struggle with this question frequently.

     Yet, I go back to the picture of the shepherd carrying the lamb. He rejoices at rescuing the lamb. That which was lost is now found.

 Dear Lord, lead us to the children who desperately need to be found.