Job and the Witchdoctor

Recently I've been sharing this testimony with some of the churches I've visited, and people have remarked that it has been a blessing to them, so I thought I'd share it here too. The following story comes from Chad, Africa:

Job grew up as the son of a Baptist pastor, and a friend of his in the village, the son of the witch doctor, grew up with him. When they became adults, Job became a Baptist pastor, and the friend became a witch doctor. Job witnessed to his friend many times, but to no avail. As Job continued to pastor, he became involved in Bible translation. When the first Scripture portion was finished and dedicated, there was a special service at the church in the village, and Job’s witch doctor friend was there. At the end of the service, the witch doctor friend came to Christ and was saved. Job was very glad, but also curious; why had his friend not come to Christ before? So Job asked him why. The friend said: “I could never believe that a God who did not know my language could love me. When I heard God’s words in my own language, I realized he did love me.”

Of course, God did love Job's friend and knew his language even when there was no Bible in his language. I'm sure Job tried to explain that to his friend, but "actions speak louder than words", and it was hard for the friend to understand that truth until he could see it for himself.