For month 9 of my race my team and I were in a small town called Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe. Our ministry looked very different everyday, but everywhere we went we walked away feeling like we actually made a difference for the kingdom. As I stated in my last blog, one of the first things that we did was work at an old folks home for a few days. It started out as just weeding and cleaning for them, to make the staff’s life easier and the residents happier.
As the first day went on I started to notice a man sitting in a wheelchair. The man didn’t do much, just sat and observed. He was wearing a bright green shirt and a plain purple hat. He seemed much younger than all of the other residents, but at the same time you could tell that he needed to be in a place with assisted living.
As we were busy with groundskeeping the first day I didn’t have much of an opportunity to talk, but I knew we were coming the next day. At that point I decided I was going to make the most of the next day and get to know some of the residents.
We arrive the next morning and get ready to cut grass and the thoughts that I have the day previous are pretty much all forgotten. As I’m doing this I start praying and asking God to reveal specific residents that he wants me to talk to/pray healing over. When I do this the Lord instantly reminds me of the man sitting with the green shirt. So thats when I make up my mind. I will talk to that man, I’m just going to let Holy Spirit decide when.
The morning keeps us busy, and before we know it lunch time has come and gone. As we are sitting with our bellies full and talking about anything and everything that comes to mind, I notice the man with the green shirt not far from us. I instantly felt like it was the time to talk to him.
So I got up and walked over to talk to the man in a wheelchair.
His name is Againes. Againes is 34 years old and has lived in the old folks home for two-ish years now. He has a disease the doesn’t allow his body to create or maintain any muscle, along with spine issues.
Againes has twin daughters who are turning 14 soon, but they lost their mother recently. The two girls live with their grandma who has no job and no income. Againes longs for his daughters to go to school, but has no one that can provide a decent life for them.
But more than any of this, Againes LOVES the Lord. When I asked if he knew who Jesus is his face instantly lit up! He said that Jesus is his best friend, and is the only thing that gets him through most days. His favorite verse is Genesis 1:1 because that was the beginning of Gods crazy love for each one of us. Againes has a faith that I so desire to have.
He seems to have nothing really going for him. His life circumstances really suck, but he knows and really believes that God is good ALL the time.
THAT is the kind of faith that I want.
Meeting Againes changed my life. He taught me so many things in the 25 minutes that I ended up talking to him. He taught me that you can and should always have joy no matter the circumstances. He taught me that the Lord will always provide people to love and encourage you when you need it. He taught me what it looks like to have an unshakeable faith. And lastly, he taught me how important it is to pray for your family.
I can’t accurately express to anyone what this interaction did in my life, but I know I will never forget Againes. I will never forget the lessons he taught me, and his big bright smile.
Thank you Jesus for blessing me with this man’s presence in my life.
In Him,
Caleb Callaway
