During our evening walks, Toussaint and I frequently pass Fulani herders with their cows and sheep. A few weeks ago we were on our usual round when we heard a very loud and lonely moo. When we came closer we saw a single cow in the middle of the trail, lost or forgotten, and mooing, practically screaming, for the rest of her herd. The cow was so loud that my dogs refused to go any nearer, so we turned back. As we came to a small bridge, I saw some herders with their animals down in the meadow next to the creek. I called one over and told him about the lost cow. He said he would go and check if it was theirs, and if not he would find out whose it was.

A few days later as we approached the bridge again, we heard a chick cheeping loudly. There it was, all by itself, calling out for its mommy. Since there was no hen in sight, and darkness was falling, we asked some children playing nearby to catch the chick and ask around the neighborhood to find its owner.

Often when we step out of our front gate, we find a little neighbor boy, less than two years old, out on the road looking for adventure. So we pick him up or take him by the hand and bring him back home.

This is what we are here for—finding the lost and bringing them home. Not just cows, chicks and toddlers, but every child of God. The challenging part is not finding them; it is making them realize that they are lost. Just like our little neighbor boy, most are totally oblivious to the danger they are in. Would you please pray for the Holy Spirit to touch our Otammari peoples’ hearts and open their eyes so they see their own condition?

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:9).

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