The Good Shepherd

By Lydia

Three months ago, on Dec. 3rd, major parts of our county experienced a devastating flood. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and thousands of farm animals were drowned. Some people in the area lost their home and their family businesses, such as cow dairies, as most all their animals were swept away in the fast-moving flood waters.

Unfortunately, our good friends, the Gregory’s, own a sheep farm right on the edge of the Chehalis river. (They are the owners of Black Sheep Creamery, a sheep dairy and cheese making farm.) When the water started to rise, the only time they had was to grab a few important belongings from their first floor, and then run up to the second floor of their house. They probably watched helplessly as their carefully bred, raised, and much loved sheep and their cheese making facilities were being engulfed in the muddy flood waters.

This picture is of the Gregory's sheep barn. You can see the water line about half way up the outside wall of the barn.

Soon rescuers came to save their family and they had to jump from their second story windows into the boat, as the water was already several feet high.

Later, when the water had receded and the Gregory’s could return home, devastation met their shocked eyes. A foot or more of deep mud was everywhere and dead sheep lay in piles here and there.

However, much to their surprise that day, they found 22 of their sheep had survived, along with their sheep guard dogs, Jewel and Brutus. Later, as they searched through piles of dead sheep they found one more sheep alive. They thought for sure that they would have to put her down (as did a few others) because she was limping badly. But a friend offered to take “Emily” and all their surviving sheep to their home to give the Gregory’s time to restore their farm.

So, this brought their total number of surviving sheep to 23! Though this was only 25% of their flock, as you can imagine that particular number has a very special significance! (Thank you, Papa, for bringing this to our minds!)

Psalm 23 . . . what a special passage of scripture, especially to shepherds! How good God, our Good Shepherd, was to preserve 23 of their sheep, so that they, and all of us, could sense His love and care and see His sovereign hand working through this trial!

And through their friend’s tender loving care of these sheep and God’s healing touch, all 23 of their bred ewes thrived, gave birth to 47 lambs, and have recently returned back home with all their offspring!

And now I am excited to report that our farm has been blessed with one of God’s little miracles from the Gregory’s farm . . . “007”, a ram lamb! Isn’t he cute?

This is "Isaac"!

Now I have an official, reproducing flock! Thank you, Lord . . . . my Good Shepherd!