Robin. A 51 year old man who has the energy of a 5 year old. He comes into the coffee shop I’ve been doing ministry at three times a day for a cup of filter coffee. He runs on the waves he surfs and three hours of sleep. Oh, and obviously caffeine. One of the most uplifting and interesting of characters I’ve ever met. The words he speaks RACE out of his mouth and I mean RACE! Which sentence will win to get to my ear first?
He’s one of the few people who’s unapologetically themselves always. Robins the most energetic person I’ve ever met, constantly teasing and laughing. He’s not afraid to look crazy or like a fool because life’s to short to care what others think.
Robin is a firm believer that each person should be told how amazing they are. One of his sayings is that everyone brings so much to the world and it’s such a pity we don’t tell one another what it is we see in them. I think every time I see him he says, “You’re beautiful, you know that?” Honestly he’s not shy on the compliments and strives to uplift everyone.
“You’re da bomb!!!”
“Your amazing!”
“You light up this whole room.”
The past couple of conversations I’ve gotten to hear more of his B.C. days and the way he came to Christ. The life he carried was a hard life. Every conversation that I’ve had with this man has always been about Jesus and his thankfulness for being saved.
The impact he’s had on my time here in South Africa has been huge. I came to that realization the other day. It’s encounters that in the moment you don’t think too much on, but then realize how much this person has spoke into you. He’s taught me how to be more carefree and light hearted. To not care as much what others think. Robins taught me how to tease a bit and just to laugh. You can’t take this dude too seriously, but the words he speak should be taken into all the seriousness. Life is spoken everywhere he goes.
In South Africa the name chosen for you holds a lot of weight and so the meaning is very important. When I looked up the name Robin, bright and shining are the first words I saw beside the name. Those two words couldn’t describe Robin any better. He’s a bright light shining in a dark world for Christ. What a pleasure to get to know this man.
