This is Aunt Frenita and I have a wonderful story for you

called "The Lost Sheep"

Today's Memory Verse is from Matthew 28:20

The message for today's story is

Have you ever been in a store or at a park,

and when you looked up you couldn’t see your parents?

Did you feel lost?

Did you cry?

You probably felt like the sheep in a story Jesus once told.

Once a shepherd owned 100 sheep.

He took good care of his sheep.

Every day he led them to green, grassy fields

where they could find plenty to eat.

Every day he took them to clear, cool water

where they could get enough to drink.

Every day he chased away wild animals that might hurt his sheep.

And every night he led them to a safe place.

Before he went to bed the shepherd counted his sheep to make sure they were all there.

One

Two

Three

Forty-five

Forty-six

Forty-seven

Seventy-two

Seventy-three

Seventy-four

Ninety-eight

Ninety-nine

One hundred

The shepherd counted hjs sheep each night because he loved his sheep,

and the sheep felt safe in the shepherd's care.

[Sheep bleating] But one night when the shepherd counted his sheep

A look of worry came over his face

Something wasn't right

He counted again

Ninety-seven... ninety-eight... ninety-nine...

And he counted one more time to be sure

Ninety-seven... ninety-eight... ninety-nine...

Something was definitely wrong

One of his sheep was missing

The shepherd didn’t stop to think about how hungry he was.

He didn’t worry about his sore feet.

He didn’t say,

“I’ll go look for that lost sheep tomorrow,"

"When it’s not so dark, and when I’m not tired.”

He didn’t say,

“I still have 99 sheep here."

I don’t really need the one that’s missing.”

Not at all!

The shepherd loved every one of his sheep,

So he stopped everything he was doing

to look for the sheep that was lost

Looking for a lost sheep at night isn’t easy.

The shepherd bumped into rocks.

Ouch!

He scratched himself on prickly bushes.

Ooh!

But far away he could hear the sound of a frightened sheep crying.

Baa!

Baa!

The poor sheep knew it was lost.

It knew it wouldn’t be safe until it was back with the shepherd.

The shepherd followed the sound.

Baa! Baa!

He could tell he was getting closer and closer.

And then, by the light of the moon,

he could see his sheep caught in a thorny bush.

Gently the shepherd pulled apart the bush.

He didn’t care about the prickles that poked and scratched his hands.

He just wanted to set his sheep free so he could take it safely home.

And then, once it was free,

the shepherd gently put the sheep over his shoulders and carried it home.

The sheep was heavy, but the shepherd didn’t mind.

He was happy he had found his sheep.

And the sheep was happy too.

It knew it was safe again now that the shepherd had found it.

Jesus is our shepherd and we are His sheep.

He loves every person.

And He wants us to be kind to every person too.

He will take good care of us just as the shepherd took good care of his sheep.

And someday

Jesus will come and take us home to heaven