ONE MORNING, I awoke to the sad news that two cows had gone missing from the Huruma property overnight. I did not understand why God would allow for such a thing to happen. As my husband attempted to calm me, all I could say was, “I want the children to have their cows back!” I asked God, “Why?” I simply could not understand.
The children of Huruma depended on the cows’ milk in order to make sure that they received the proper nutrition—this was the only source of calcium we could afford to provide. I had a hard time understanding how anyone could steal from children, and an even harder time understanding why God would allow such a thing to happen in the first place. I pondered this all morning, until I finally approached a good friend with my troubles.
Her response was simple: she asked if I had prayed to God concerning the matter. It is during such times of distress that it is all too easy to overlook the importance of prayer. This, unfortunately, was one of those moments. We joined hands and proceeded to pray together: “God, those two cows belonged to the children. Bring them back.” And that was that.
Later that day, I was reading an article on forgiveness I had found within a Kenyan Christian magazine. By pure coincidence, the situation it described was one similar to mine: a man had been stolen from; however, he understood the importance of forgiveness and, upon receiving back his stolen property, he immediately forgave the thief. The article explained the importance of forgiving those who have wronged you and led me to wonder if I would be able to forgive the one who had stolen our cows. I knew it was possible; be that as it may, I still wanted them returned.
It was not long after this that a community neighbor approached me and explained that he had seen a cow that looked like ours in the nearby slaughterhouse. Upon hearing this, I left immediately and found that one of the cows had already been sold at the market; however, the man who had purchased it began to feel ill the moment he took possession. He followed the thieves who had sold him the cow back into the forest to ask for the return of his money—he knew there was something wrong with the purchase he had made, and he no longer wanted to keep the cow.
It was shortly after this confrontation that the police arrived, as did I. The moment I saw the children’s cow she let out a squeal. Just imagine a cow squealing; if I had not heard it for myself, I would not have believed it was possible. I became so overwhelmed with joy that I actually ran up to it, wrapped my arms around its neck, and stood there, just hugging the cow. I know I appeared foolish; I truly didn’t care. I was thrilled to have found one of the children’s cows.
Unfortunately, the thieves still had to admit to what they had done. As I’m sure you can imagine, they were hesitant to speak of their crime in front of the police; however, I explained to them that if both of the children’s cows were returned, I would truly forgive them of their wrong.
They were reluctant to believe me; too often people make false claims when trying to persuade another individual. But I reassured them that I had made a promise to God: if both cows were returned safely, I would forgive whoever had taken them. The two thieves openly admitted to taking the cows from the Huruma property, and the police proceeded to severely beat the thieves. I intervened, demanding that the police stop; for if both of the children’s cows were returned, I was prepared to forgive the men of their wrong.
I thank God, for that very night both cows were returned safely to their pen. And I praise God, for one of the men who stole from the children was led to the Lord that very day. I began to understand why God had permitted the children’s cows to be taken; it was only for a short time—just long enough for a man to become Christian and repent his ways. I was reminded that, while we do not always know the will of the Lord, He is always looking after us.
In my heart, I truly did forgive the thieves, and I praise God for the unique way in which He chose to bring this man to the knowledge of His saving grace. To this very day, the man continues to refer to himself in Kiswahili as Mali Ya Mungu—“stealer from God.”