The Sheep

Mama

Throughout our 6 years here and working with 12x12, we've received may gifts from the families who received a house.  The gifts have ranged from meals, vegetables, fruit, handmade items, a beautiful mirror, plants, etc.  It's always humbling to receive something from people who have very little but want to show kindness and gratitude to us.   This is apart from their thankfulness to God for His provision and the donors for their generosity.  Last year we got the most interesting (and humbling) gift yet, Pelibuey sheep.  Yes, farm animals.  This family raises them for meat and gave us 2!  Chris tried really hard to not take them because #1 we don't need any more animals and #2 we don't want to take away from their livelihood, but there was no leaving without them.  Sometimes we just have to let others bless us in a way that speaks to them.  To not accept it would rob them of the joy of giving, thus we took the sheep.  They gave us a male and female so they would reproduce and we'd have an endless supply of meat - they say it's "tan rico!" which means really good.  I'll never know cause I'm not eating it!  I don't know, I prefer to eat meat that comes wrapped in plastic, from a grocery store.  I'm not keen on eating something I've seen in person.

To show our complete lack of farm animal experience (we're missionaries not farmers!), we thought they were goats so we call them "The Goats".  It wasn't until recently we discovered they are actually sheep.  And it's really an odd situation being that the sheep are mother and son but I'll stop there. Apparently that's acceptable in the sheep breeding world.  When we first got them, we could pet the male and he was pretty calm but now he's a full on animal and can head butt like nobody's business so we stay clear of him.  He's not a friendly!

The male

So, now we have 2 baby sheep/goats!  And they couldn't be any more precious.  Pretty much from the start, the mama rejected one of them so they have been affectionately named Favor and Minus.  Poor Minus gets nothing - no love, no milk, nada, just a swift head-butt from his mother.  We have had to hold the mama down so Minus can nurse and now consider ourselves professional "goat wrestlers".  Since this was not an easy, long-term solution and hazardous because sheep have very strong head-butts, we were buying fresh goat's milk from a guy who drives his truck around every day, with goats in the back, selling milk on the street.  That got to be too expensive so we've switched to fresh cow's milk.  Minus takes a bottle 4-5 times a day and everyone is happy.  He's the cutest little thing though and to hear him call us, as if he was calling his mama, when we walk up with the bottle is too much!

Minus

Favor the day he was born with Jed

Minus

Kendy and Minus

Favor