My Friend Howard

I would like to introduce you to an old friend of mine, Mr. Howard Jackson. Howard is a local celebrity in Savannah, Georgia. For many years, he spoke to YouthWorks groups in Savannah on a weekly basis. It would have been hard for anyone to hear Howard’s story and walk away unchanged. Indeed, as I look back on my time with YouthWorks, Howard is one who stands out in my mind as a community member who left his mark on my life.

After a few years of self-described wild living and bad choices in Howard’s younger days, he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and sustained a devastating beating. As a result, he suffered a stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed on one side and causing aphasia, which inhibits his ability to speak. He can say about five words, including “hey,” “man,” and one choice word that can’t be printed on this blog. When these words are not enough (and it’s amazing what he can do with these few words), he communicates with gestures and sounds. You don’t have to spend too much time around Howard to begin learning his language; I sometimes envied those who spent enough time with him to become fluent. Howard also utilizes a DynaVox computer, which has several recorded phrases and will speak for him at the touch of a button.

I first met Howard during the summer of 2005. I always got a kick out of him and was inspired by his story, but it took until the summer of 2008 to really come to know Howard and understand more of his heart. I didn’t always know what he was trying to say; for instance, Howard would often describe people by their height, holding up his hand at roughly their level. I typically had to list off about ten different people before I could finally figure out to whom Howard is referring. He was unendingly patient, though, and there was a certain joy that came with understanding what he was trying to tell me.

That summer, Howard was more than just a friend to me: he was a preacher, a therapist, and a living, breathing example of God’s power to redeem even the darkest of situations.

During the first week of our summer in Savannah, we were at our weekly ice cream social with Howard and the other guys at Savannah’s Union Mission. Howard was indulging his sweet tooth with a huge bowl of ice cream topped with lots of chocolate sauce. We were chatting as he ate, and I noticed him struggling to get spoonfuls out of the bowl since he was unable to steady it with his bad hand. I grabbed the side of the bowl and held it for him until he was finished. Then as I picked up my spoon to take a bite from my bowl, Howard grabbed the side of it with his good hand, holding it steady for me so I could eat. That subtle action riveted me. I saw in it Howard’s heart to give to others, to not always be the one in need in spite of all the challenges he faced as a man with disabilities. I was reminded of the mutuality that is so essential in service and ministry – may I never think that I am without need.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ […] the parts of the body that seem weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body we think less honorable we bestow the greatest honor. I Corinthians 12:12,22-23

A few weeks later we gathered for yet another ice cream social. For a variety of reasons, I was feeling pretty emotional that night: my nerves were a little tattered, my head and heart swimming in questions and uncertainties about too many things to name. Sitting with Howard that night, watching him eat three scoops of ice cream and at least five or six of the snickerdoodles I had baked for him, was like therapy for me. I saw him extend unconditional love to a long line of boisterous and slightly awkward teenagers who came up to greet him. I saw how he was bolstered by the encouraging words of a young girl who was on her second trip to Savannah – she cried when she saw Howard again; he had profoundly impacted her. And later that night, as I stole a few more minutes with Howard and our friend David before heading back to the site, I stood by as Howard listened to the confession of a friend who had stumbled in his recovery process. As he listened, with great compassion, Howard pointed up to the sky as he so often does. David interprets this as Howard saying, “The Big Man’s got it.” I sensed he was saying more than that in this moment: “Yeah, the Big Man’s got it, and he’s willing to forgive you. You’ve gotta forgive yourself too, and you’ve gotta get straight and do the right thing.”

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. I Corinthians 15:10

Howard endured a beating, a gunshot, broken relationships, and years of hardships, yet he remained full of hope and a sense of purpose. He believed that if he could encourage one teenager to avoid drugs, if he could challenge one to think about the decisions they’re making, if he could change one person’s mind about people with disabilities, if he could convince someone – young or old – to do more than just ignore the homeless, then it is good.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

As we said goodbye on that Tuesday night, Howard again pointed heavenward. “The Big Man’s got it.” In this case, this gesture became a benediction of sorts – God’s got us both in his hands, he is working, redeeming, protecting, and always moving. He is good.

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Jenilyn Swett spent five years and a total of nine summers serving with YouthWorks in various capacities. God used YouthWorks to shape and influence her in countless ways — she credits her time on staff with introducing her to Chick-Fil-A, all things Southern, the beauty of places like New Orleans and Savannah, and many of her dearest friends. Beyond that, she developed a deep love for the Church. After graduating from seminary,she now serves as the Director of Women’s Ministry at a church in St. Louis, Missouri (where she spent her second YW summer in 2003) and follows #yw2014 incessantly!