The first couple of years living in central Ohio I especially enjoyed bicycling the countryside in the summer. One highlight was biking past the flocks of sheep. Because the last two decades I have lived and worked among Lutherans of German descent, I'm accustomed to seeing cattle, not sheep. Now for the first time I live near towns named 'London' and 'Dublin', places likely to have residents with the name "Wilson." It is not surprising to find sheep in the midst of the descendants of the Scots and Welsh.

This spring there are very few flocks of sheep (and fewer cow herds as well). In their place I'm seeing herds of goats. At first I was puzzled by the change. Then farmers from two of the Lutheran churches in Union County, OH explained why. It turns out Columbus, OH, which is about 30 miles away, is home to more than 40,000 immigrants from Somolia. The Somolians want products from goats, not sheep or cows. And in America, where there is market demand, the demand is soon met.

Almost all the Somolians are Muslim. So suddenly there is the possibility of God opening the doors for members of rural or county churches to share Christ with people from Africa who follow Islam. I am rather sensitive to this because I'm one of those members. I have experience witnessing to Mormons and Buddhists and secular humanists. I have no experience with Muslims.

Hearing Pastor John Loum, a Muslim convert and Lutheran pastor, speak at the Revelation 7:9 Conference in Columbus helped. However, it is not enough. We'll see how well I get equipped during the remainder of the year.