A man on the street corner tried to hand me a small item with a brochure. I almost took it and then remembered that he might ask me for money for it. So I refused to take it. Then he asked for some spare change. I wanted to say yes, but then I remembered that people make a lot of money begging and that he may not need it. This breaks my heart because I know there must be people out there who truly are in need, but how am I suppose to know who?
On our way back from the mall, the same guy tried to offer us again. At this point I had a granola bar I had just bought for myself. I didn’t want to leave him with nothing, so I handed it to him. He was so grateful for the food. He then told us that he is giving away condom because he is HIV positive and wants to spread the word about protective sex. I don’t know if Stewart was making up a story to get us to give him money or if he was telling the truth. What I do know is that there are a lot of people on the streets just like him, most begging for money, some even holding cardboard signs asking for food, a job or even used clothing. I wish I could help them all. I wish I could sit down with them and hear their story. I am not confident I would get the real story, but I am sure that I could make an impact by sharing Gods story.
Again when we arrived in Cape Town, a man asked for food to eat. When we told him no, he insisted that he didn’t want money, only food. So my team leader and I agreed to buy him bread. We also purchased him a bottle of water. He asked for us to exchange the water for some milk, but we told him that won’t be possible. He said thank you and immediately dug into eating the bread. It made my heart fill up with joy, knowing that my little action blessed someone so greatly. I wish I could have done more, but I know it was better than walking away leaving him hungry.
What a sad world we live in. A place where there are so many people in need, but we can’t even tell which ones are really in need. At least I can give food when I have it. I wouldn’t want to pass someone by who is hungry and not feed them if I could. Thank god for organizations that work with helping people in need. Supporting them is the best way I can help these people out. That way if they are truly in need, they won’t turn down their help, and I won’t be helping beggars become rich.
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May You delight yourself in The Lord today.
