On Saturday, the stubbornness of the sheep scattering across the land instead of heading to their allotment required some pretty intense pressure from me to change their mind. I can get out a bag of alfalfa pellets and still would not be able to control the flock from taking off in all directions. If I don’t have that bag of pellets, even the obedient ones will not stay with me or follow my directions. In this flock, many sheep don’t believe they will receive those pellets, so they go off and find their own food. Hence, the need to raise the bar, which required my blocking them with the truck and my yelling, in short, making it uncomfortable for them to keep scattering and grazing where they pleased.

During my morning devotion regarding the greatest commandment, the Golden Rule, I realized my tendency to do what is right in my own eyes is just like going off to find my own fulfillment. Two things are happening to me this year: increased awareness of my selfish patterns and recognizing that Jesus installed the new creation/His Spirit within me, which fulfills all the laws and the prophets. His intentions towards us aren’t leaving me to my own devices; his intentions are for me to follow Him, increasing the daily use of His active wisdom, which is not the same as locating a rule or formula and using it. I’m born to imitate Jesus.

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Soon to go up to Waimea, and my friend Heather is coming with me. We will move the fences and get the sheep dewormed. Some of these six-month-old ones are still struggling with parasites, and yet lots of these ewes will be very healthy. I do cringe when giving them medicine, but it is very needed to keep the flock from entering a spiral of parasite infection.

I still want to cut back on the number of trips to Waimea, but the gizmo I’m hoping will open the fence on a timer is too complicated for me to figure out and also requires someone to do a bit of welding and experimenting. I may also experiment with the fence opener to crowd them closer together in order to offer fresh grass at least every two days. They eat the “ice cream” type plants down on the first day, and that’s where the best protein is located.

I’m often thinking on how to help them thrive, which requires attention to minerals in the soil, the type of plants they prefer, their nutritional needs. It helps me think about how Jesus views me. He knows my needs intimately and wants me to have increased wisdom via trust. However, I complicate things by being overly independent. So I’m increasingly aware of my need to give myself grace, which He serves up fresh for my every weakness.

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The thrill of new baby lambs keeps most shepherds excited in their work. For me this is coming in the middle of December. However, more work and tension come at the same time. The moms will need their vaccination soon because diseases like tetanus lurks in the soil. My one tetanus case happened because of a dog attack. Other farmers on this island have seen it among their sheep. For less than one dollar, the vaccine gives the lambs immunity when they drink their first milk, their mother’s colostrum.

Other challenges are mis-mothered lambs, ewes stuck on their back, and problems with delivering the lamb, but the joy of seeing these new ones racing across the field makes my heart sing.

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Greetings from Kona. These are some content sheep. The rains have been plentiful this season, so the forage is plentiful.

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The physical limits of sheep require that they are able to stay upright on their chest. If they are stuck in the position you see in the video, they will act drunk. If they don’t get up in time, their stomachs expand because they can’t expel their fermenting gas. I set my phone down to turn him over, but you can see the effect of his being on his side too long.

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October 18, 2024

When moving sheep from Waimea to Kona or vice versa, those individuals eventually form new bonds. In August I took four lambs to Waimea from Kona. They were raised on a bottle, and even those tame ones started bleating when their friends disappeared among the 100 other sheep. Among those four, you could see their personalities; some were more independent, and some clearly took longer to adapt.

I don’t know for sure if this was an actual cause, but the most independent one was the first one to get sick. It might be a stretch to see this as an example, but God has said he places the lonely in families. Every time I went to Waimea, he was by himself. I wonder if this is a reason why he didn’t thrive.

(Photo of other lambs, not the bottle lambs)

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Yesterday’s shift of the sheep fences looked different this time. I normally keep the truck out of the sheep’s pasture they are occupying. However, being rushed to get everything done, I pushed down the boundary twine and rushed the truck across their field to pick up the posts and twine for the next move. This is when I don’t want the sheep to follow me or approach.

So the race is on, the sheep are running toward the truck, and I’ve got to beat them through this gap. I’m not so sure they were actually hungry, since it was led by one of my older bottle lambs, now grown. Whether she felt good, was curious, or just was being obnoxious, it meant everyone was trying to rush toward the gap I drove the truck through.

What does a shepherd do? I have to get them to change their mind. I’m not actually preventing them from getting the fresh food, but they don’t know that. So perspective is everything when the Lord is asking us to wait.

The video is from 2018. Once they get moving like this, it is hard to turn them back.

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Healthy and content sheep do skip, jump, and do “silly” things. They also rest longer, or they sometimes butt their heads together. They might stand in a group or go out and “dance.” This place of satisfaction is easier to see in young lambs being well-fed by their moms. They will have lamb races and love to climb the highest mound. The Waimea flock lacks these mounds. However, there are pits in the ground dug out by cattle in previous years. Young lambs speed around like race cars, hopping in and out of those pits.

My personal excitement and joy come from relaxing into what God’s grace actually looks like. I crave the feeling of belonging in a group or chatting together with another person.

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Sheep do have rhythms. At the first light, the flock of sheep walks as a group, covering the entire pasture, perhaps snatching bites of forage. This urge to move together is interesting; depending on the breed, certain sheep flocks stay together in tighter groups. If one finds a treasure trove of sweeter, more desirable forage, all the sheep rush to that spot. I’ve been squashed by the flock because I’ve got a sack of alfalfa pellets, and at times can barely move or keep from falling. This desire for better things is very strong. 

Once the inspection is done, they each go their own way within the confines of the pasture. They will group together again if there is danger, if they lack water, they see a way to get to something that looks better, such as escaping their field. The last type of group activity is when they settle down for the night or for their siesta, chewing their cud. 

God designed us to be together. I might be an introvert, but still seek out a place where I belong. Keep in mind our relationship with Jesus targets that need.

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