“Be careful what you wish for.”

I do not know about you, but I grew up hearing this phrase repeatedly, the weight of which counsel has always remained with me. After I was baptized, my then-friend and now-wife, Isabela, would always tell me, “Be careful with what you ask of God. If you ask patience, He will give you situations to put it into practice.”

It has been nine months since we first landed in Georgia on February 3. Our top goal during training and now is to make real friends. Our prayers every day center on God leading us into situations where we can develop relationships.

Several months ago, we planned a trip that would keep us far from home for 20 days. Everything was proceeding as planned. Our bags were packed. Gas, water and electricity supply lines were turned off. We were ready to go, and we took off.

Ten days later, on a Sabbath, I received a message from the neighbor below our apartment: “A pipe burst in your apartment and water has leaked into mine. My ceiling is damaged, and to stop the flooding, we had to shut off the water supply to your apartment by closing your water meters.”

Yes, my friends, I thought I had closed our water meters, but in truth, I had forgotten to do so. Isabela and I became very nervous, anxious, imagining our apartment full of water. Who could go there to figure out what happened if we were the only ones with the keys?

I contacted the pastor of the local church, but he was unable to find a locksmith to open our door. The Holy Spirit then said, “What about your friends from the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu class?” Yes! Maybe they could help, even though we have only known each other for four months.

I sent a message to one of my classmates, explaining the situation. He quickly found a locksmith, and in under 15 minutes, they were inside our apartment. I also contacted Levan, our Georgian language teacher, for help. We thank God that they did not find any water in our apartment; everything was in perfect condition. Not only that, but once we returned and had a plumber inspect everything, he determined that there were no problems with our water lines at all; the issue stemmed from another apartment.

We never imagined that in four months, God would give us such good friends who would help us no matter what. Although this situation was extremely stressful, we now realize that we have people here whom we can trust. We believe that God is preparing their hearts to accept His gospel through our relationship with them. Please pray for this friendship to bear fruit according to God’s will.

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