It took me three days to notice Joseph.
I was adjusting to being in Africa for the first time and there are so many people from the church in and out of the house that it was impossible to keep track of them all.
But after a few days I started to note the man who arrived at our house around 9 o’clock each night. I introduced myself to him as best I could (Joseph speaks no English whatsoever) and was drawn in by the love and life radiating from his smile. I asked around and found out that this man was, for lack of a better term, our volunteer security guard.
Each night, Joseph arrives at our home ready to watch over us as we sleep. He cases the perimeter of the house and makes sure that no one attempts to jump our fence or enter onto the property.
When I was told this, I could hardly believe it.
This man, who doesn’t even know us, sacrifices his own sleep to make sure that we are safe each and every night. We’ve never had anyone do anything so humbly sacrificial for us before, and it made me desperate to know more about him. How does a person build the kind of character that Joseph has?
I’ve built a lovely relationship with him this month, so tonight I sat down with a translator and asked Joseph to tell me his story. And I’d like for you, too, to meet Joseph:
Born into the Maasai Tribe, Joseph inherited a life of hard work. The Maasai Tribe is a semi-nomadic people who reside in Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are self governing and patriarchal in that the elder men decide most matters within the group. Mostly, the Maasai are famous for their fearsome repuations as warriors and cattle-rustlers.
From a young age, Joseph struggled with alcoholism and could not gain freedom from it. One day, a few men from Pastor Paulo’s church in Singida arrived in Joseph’s village and began to share the Gospel with the people. Many were angry and walked away because, as a whole, the Maasai people do not believe in the existence of God. Joseph however, listened intently to the men and believed in his heart that they were speaking truth.
After that day Joseph stayed in his village for nine more years. He was disowned by much of his family for his faith, but that never swayed his belief. It was also there that met a woman who’s husband had recently passed away, leaving her with three small children. He fell in love and married her and they have since had four children of their own.
Then, ten years ago, Joseph and his family moved to Singida so that Joseph could try to find better work to support his growing family. When they arrived, he sought out Pastor Paulo’s church – the church that had sent men into his village all of those years ago and forever changed his life. For ten years he has been faithfully serving as a leader, chair-stacker, caretaker, child-wrangler, security guard and any other role that this small church might need.
Character like Joseph’s is rare to find and I wish I could say that there is something glaringly unique about his story – something that explains why he is the kind of servant that he is. But in truth, the only thing unique about Joseph is the love and faith he walks in every day. That without saying a single word, he was able to show me what it looks like to walk in complete surrender – hand in hand with his Father.
