“An attitude of gratitude brings opportunities.”
It’s been a while since I posted and I apologize, but going to try and catch everyone up with a couple of blogs!
We ended South Africa-Month 1 on a great night of playing soccer with kids in the streets, colored books with some of the girls, took pictures and just had a blast.
While we are leaving South Africa and in the bus station at Johannesburg, I’m sitting down listening to “Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran. I’m people watching and just admiring all of the different nationalities and how each person is uniquely made. I glance ahead and see this older grey-haired man digging in the trash looking for food. Immediately my heart is drawn towards him, (there were lots of beggars in the bus station, but God caused something to stir inside my heart for this man) and I find myself grabbing my dinner money for that night (40 Rand= $4 USD). I felt like the Lord wanted me to give this man my money.
I watch as he walks over to the phone booth looking for money and my heart began to race faster. I knew what I needed to do so I asked one of my squad mates (Rachel) to walk over with me. As he’s walking off I reach up and touch his shoulder and tell him, “I feel like the Lord wants me to give you my money.” He began to burst into tears and telling us how he came from London and is stranded. He felt forgotten and without purpose. He began to share with us how he wanted to take rat poison over the last 4 days.
He then began telling us he asked God to send him an angel or someone 3 days ago. I grabbed his hands and Rachel and I began to speak life into him. He started praying to God and thanking Him for sending us. When he finished we then asked him if there was anything in particular we could pray for him. He asked us to pray that God would provide a way. We prayed for a while and left each other in tears and smiles.
Rudolph will definitely be someone I will remember….not only did God use us to reach out to him, but to also show me how much love he has for us all. I was overwhelmed with love for this man. Most people would make fun of someone like Rudolph or would ignore and not say one word. Before you judge someone by what they are wearing or look like…maybe take a step back and ask God how can I encourage this person or bring them hope into a life that feels forgotten and of no purpose.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:35-40
