Sam’s wife and children had already gone to sleep in the primitive dwelling when he felt being reminded by the Lord, “to search for a worthy person.” The next morning, his family and the team paused to pray and listen after loading up their vehicle. They asked God to show them exactly where He wanted them to settle in the rural province. While they listened, one person said that they had had a vision of a village with snow covered mountains, trees and water. (They had been driving through barren desert for days). They read Jesus’ words regarding the parable of the lost sheep and Matthew 10. And then continued on their journey.

On the way, up the mountain, they were deliberating about which way to go when Sam noticed a wounded sheep that appeared to be lost. They picked up the sheep, tended to its wounds and continued on their way. At dusk, they arrived at a village where there appeared to be no Christians. Sam felt led by the Holy Spirit to pause for a few minutes to pray. The village had a river, a small lake, and was surrounded by trees and mountains which were covered by snow. However, there appeared to be no hotels or guest houses.

When they had stopped to pray, they had prayed about meeting a person of peace and a place to stay.  While praying, someone had had a vision of a red building so in faith they kept driving further into the village.

They had driven some distance when they stopped. A man came up to greet Sam and his crew. The man led them directly to the government building where he worked and was even willing to let the travel weary crew sleep in his office. When that didn’t work out due to other visitors already being in the building, the man and his wife took them to a relative’s empty house.

It became clear to Sam that this man and his wife were the persons of peace that they had prayed about finding. They helped clean the house, started a fire, and even made tea for everyone. The village electrician arrived at 11pm that night, to turn on the electricity.

Sam set the wounded sheep loose in the safe, gated yard of the house and after a few days the sheep began to show signs of recovery. A few weeks later Sam gave the now healthy sheep to the couple who had helped them find the empty house, since they were unable to find the rightful owner of the sheep.

The goodhearted couple introduced Sam and the team to many people in the village including the director of the local hospital, who offered Sam’s wife (who is a trained nurse) a job on the spot. They told Sam that he, his family and the team would receive medical treatment like the locals did after they registered  with the city. The wife of the couple was a well-recognized school teacher who offered to teach Sam’s children the native language of the village.

Some weeks later Sam and the team were introduced to the former mayor of the village, who told them that she had tried, without success, for 10 years to bring people like them to their village. Sam, his family, and his team were all welcomed warmly by the whole village. They learned about an empty home that they could live in and even land on which they could build another home. And without Sam having to voice his intention, the persons of peace they had first found let Sam know that they were willing to participate in a Bible study with Sam and his family.

Join us in prayer for Sam’s family and team, that they continue to meet many persons of peace that are as open to the Gospel as the people they first encountered in this little village. Pray also that this village will see many movements in the days to come.