If you met Kami* two months ago, he would’ve introduced himself as a Muslim who practices witchcraft, but that was two months ago. Everything has changed now. He’s a completely different person.
Kami’s transformation didn’t happen overnight though, his story was two years in the making.
It started in the summer of 2017 when he met a Christian man named James*. James was visiting a local church in Tanzania, and Kami found out later that he was an American missionary with an organization called e3 Partners.
Kami was on his way to visit his son, who was recovering from a motorcycle accident in the hospital, when they first met. He asked James to pray for his son, which he did, and then something compelled Kami to invite James to his home.
“Absolutely, I would love to come visit you,” James replied, and less than 24 hours later, there he was, walking up the dirt road to Kami’s house.
They sat down on the porch to talk, and that’s when James asked a question Kami had never been asked before.
“Do you know if your sins will be forgiven when you die?”
“Only God knows,” Kami answered.
James disagreed. He told him about God’s substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of all mankind and the hope that all who believe in Him will be saved. And then he asked again, “do you know if your sins will be forgiven?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know,” Kami answered, and while James was hoping for a different response, he did not lose hope that God would transform Kami’s heart.
Before he left, James asked if other members from the local church could come visit him again.
“They’re welcome to come as often as they want. Will you come too?” Kami asked, hoping he would, but James traveled a lot and was unsure if he’d ever make it back.
“Pray to your God that your travels will bring you back to visit me,” Kami told him, and he promised to do so.
Two years went by. Other members from the church came to visit Kami every now and then, but James was never with them. They continued telling Kami about Jesus, and the story of the gospel, but he still wasn’t ready to accept Christ into his life.
Then one day, Kami had a stroke. Suddenly, performing witchcraft was no longer possible. He’d lost the ability to use his hands very well, so he couldn’t grind or mix potions. It was hard for Kami to accept his new limitations. Witchcraft was one of the things that defined who he was, and now it was just gone.
What would define Kami now?
Well, not long after suffering his stroke, God orchestrated James’ return.
“I have been praying for an opportunity to visit you again for these past two years, and many people in America have been praying too. I wasn’t supposed to be in Tanzania right now, but God made an opportunity for me to come back to see you,” James said with joy in his voice.
Kami couldn’t help but smile as he asked him to come sit on the porch with him. James asked if Kami remembered what they had spoken about last time, and Kami assured him that he did.
“I returned to visit you because I care about you,” James said. “I don’t want you to wonder if you’ll go to Heaven, or hope you’ll go to Heaven. I want you to know that when you die you’ll spend eternity with God in Heaven. I want to see you in Heaven.”
Kami’s son, Humbi, walked out onto the porch right then. James could tell he had been listening from the doorway, as he did many times before when the other church members visited, so he invited him to join them.
As the conversation continued, they talked about sin and its rightful penalty, and how our payment of that penalty would leave us separated from God forever. James spoke of God’s great love for the people He created and His willingness to pay the penalty for them through the sacrifice of His own Son. They discussed Jesus’ death and resurrection and how He conquered sin and death—and how that gives us the hope and promise of one day rising to new life with Him for eternity.
They spoke for hours. Humbi and Kami both asked questions, and James had an answer for each of them. Then, James asked a question of his own.
“Would you like to put your faith in Jesus and trust Him to pay the penalty of your sins?”
“Yes!” they both exclaimed without hesitation.
James smiled from ear to ear as he embraced Kami. He prayed for both of them and then explained that when we put our faith in Jesus, we become a new creation in Christ, and that God gives us the responsibility of being His ambassadors to the world.
“Do you know what this means?” James asked.
“Yes,” Humbi answered. “It means we represent Him. We need to tell others about Jesus Christ.”
James then had to leave, but not before the local pastor invited Humbi and Kami to join their congregation at church the following Monday to learn more about Christ.
Would you join us in praying for Kami and Humbi, that God would continue transforming their hearts and that he would use them and their incredible story to continue growing His Kingdom?
*Pseudonyms
There is no limit to the power of our Lord or the power of His gospel. It’s limitless. It’s immeasurable. Kami’s story is a testament to that.
We want every person on earth to hear the gospel and experience its transformational power like Kami did, and the rate at which the gospel is spreading right now is faster than ever before. But there is still work to be done and we know we can’t do it on our own. We need God, and we need more people like you, who have a heart for reaching the lost. There is truly no greater time than right now to get involved in God’s work.
As we approach the end of the year, would you prayerfully consider donating to our No Greater Time initiative? Every dollar donated helps the spread the gospel further. You can learn more about No Greater Time by clicking here.
Should you decide to donate, you can do so by clicking the button below. There is no greater story than the story of the gospel, and there is no greater time… than right now.