Moving Day

“Hello, friend.” These are simple words that I’ve expressed to numbers of people – always sincerely, but often without much foresight of any impact they could have. But today while talking with Jackson, he told us what a powerful effect it had on him when we called him “friend”. We got to meet Jackson because he works with Harold & Coni, but at some undistinguishable moment he moved from someone that works with friends to a friend himself. I just wish you could all get to meet he and his wife and literally feel the joy that emanates from their smiles. Jackson has a heart for the Father and a depth of understanding that we’ve found to be rare here in Kigoma – he treats his sons and wife as the gifts from God that they are; he is diligent in his work and we have not once heard him complain, even when the hours are long; and not once has he asked for anything from us, which makes it all the more exciting when we are able to give something they need, or even just want, because as he said, it’s a “testimony to him from the Lord.” It makes me think of Isaiah 65:24: “Before they call, I will answer.” What fun when the Father leads someone to be an answer to a request that hasn’t even verbalized yet – at least not to anyone but Him.

Saturday was moving day for Jackson’s family – it’s hard to explain the living conditions they had before without making it sound like a Compassion commercial, but suffice it to say that there were a lot of smiles as we all unloaded them at their new home that is sanitary, has indoor plumbing, is in a safer neighborhood, and with a landlady who gave her life to the Son a few years ago, was banished from her Muslim husband, and has been praying ever since for someone to move in that could teach her more from the Word.

Before THEY called, He answered …