On Wednesday 7th February 2024 we left home a bit later than anticipated but happy to leave just before midday for the long trip into Adelaide. On my mobile phone there was a considerable list of items to be taken care of so we set out looking forward to getting them all done if humanly possible before dark. Most of the journey was at the legal speed of 100 km/hr with no traffic lights until we reached the outer northern suburbs. There was one sect ion not far from home that required 60 km and then 40 km due to much needed roadworks where the shoulders of both traffic lanes had deteriorated suddenly to the point of collapse and large cavities. Rather dangerous at night due to the fact of no street lighting once leaving Gawler which is a good 45 minutes away from home with a clear run. So we were running a little behind at this stage.

As we settled into our journey suddenly some movement caught my eye from the right hand side of the road. Was I seeing things as rapid thoughts raced through my mind? No, as I took a long look it was indeed a sheep out on the roadside somehow able to leave its fenced paddock and the safety of the flock. There were perhaps 100 sheep or more scattered over this particular vast tract of land. We stopped and made a U turn to go back and hopefully get the escapee back behind the protection of the fenced paddocks. The sheep tried frantically to run from my husband as he attempted to get it to move in the direction of a dirt side track away from the busy and dangerous highway. This was traumatizing to me as it was doing harm to itself by panicking while pushing its head into a small area of fence only suitable for a bird to get through. I drove off to try to find a homestead where perhaps the owner would reside to notify said person of an obvious breach in the fencing. After some time it was evident that there were no homes anywhere nearby so the decision was made to return before I got lost myself. Upon my way back to the Thiele Highway my husband had found another sheep also out of the safety of its rightful place. Trying to herd sheep was not easy as we were strangers to them — not their owner or shepherd, nor the hand that feeds them. The rest of the large flock were quite concerned, staring at us and now all in a tight pack under some trees in the corner of Thiele Highway and Goitey Road (an old dirt track). This was a step in the right direction and somewhat of an improvement, hoping the sheep would take off down this way so that they would not get hit by a huge semitrailer which could rapidly make "mincemeat" of them.

We returned to our car and put the hazard lights on while adjacent to the flock of sheep so that they would not wander onto the road again. They eyed us suspiciously on high alert knowing there was danger. How could they know we were there to help? We prayed. We rang councils and found out we were exactly halfway between Kapunda and Eudunda so it was tricky to know who had governance over the land. The councils said they had no idea who owned the land. Sad to say nobody stopped or even slowed down to find out what was wrong or offer any help. After exhausting all possible avenues and the mounting stress of feeling defeated, finally the owner just happened to come along as we returned after making one last search on Goitey Road (these tracks are best left to four wheel drives due to the rocky terrain with clefts and crevices). I cannot adequately express the enormous relief I felt at this time as by now both sheep were actively running away from the highway and death. God heard our urgent prayers as this was just too much of a coincidence with precise timing. Effects of the adrenalin made me nauseous and stayed with me for most of that day. At least we could drive away now in all good conscience knowing these sheep would be cared for by their master. We exchanged a few polite words then we set off again on our eventful journey. Disaster averted, thanks be to God!

The timing was not convenient and I quickly came to grips in my head that it was going to be okay if not all our errands were dealt with; we could always wait another week. As long as I went to the Naturopath appointment everything else would just be a bonus if we got to it. This is not usual for me as I constantly want results and feel happiest when everything is ticked off my to do lists. All I can say is that such a dangerous situation must override any concerns on my part so the emphasis is taken off self and rightfully placed on others, even if animals. At the time I remembered recently reading in the Old Testament about if an animal wanders or strays onto our land then we should do something about it and definitely not ignore the situation. When I went back into the Bible at home after the event it was confirmed that the scriptures were found in Exodus 23:4 and Deuteronomy 22:1. Even though it wasn't our land, the owner was not our enemy or our brother, yet he was our neighbour. My conscience was strongly affected as it was automatically fired up to act. Most likely because of Galatians 5:14, Matthew 7:12, and Luke 6:31. When we have these unexpected experiences and we go to God, scriptures really come to life in full colour to reinforce valuable lessons.

A couple of days later a new sermon came up on the ucg.org members site of which I listened to and thought to myself how awesome God is with His timing. Exactly what was needed to hear and it was hard to keep myself from smiling over thinking about God watching us trying to save a lost sheep which turned into two lost animals. Then my thoughts went to the parable of the lost sheep found in Luke 15 and Matthew 18. These are the small but very important faith building moments in our journey along the way in this temporary physical life for which we can all be very grateful. We are having our faith built right here, right now for what is ahead when we will need to have the care and love for one another spoken about in John 13:35. Once again I am reminded about our Good Shepherd in John 10. Let us continue to be Blessed and stay close to Him for this is where we will only have safety. Hope you enjoy the message spoken about for which this is the link: https://www.ucg.org/sermons/tales-of-lost-things