My ministry in Swaziland was multi-faceted. I will be writing three short blogs on each aspect of ministry. The Pool Hall, The Care Point, and the Combes.
The Pool Hall
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the men from my team would go to a local pool hall in Matata, and talk to the men there on their breaks from work. The goal was to get them plugged into local churches. We would play pool with them and talk to them about life in Swaziland. Worship music often played in the background from nearby store fronts. Most of the men were heavy drinkers, but that didn’t help me ever win a game. Over the course of the month they grew to enjoy our company, and we shared a lot of laughs as Tim would be down by 5 balls and make a miraculous win every time. I kept it competitive, but rarely had that same luck.
During our days in Matata, we saw immense poverty. We would often give money and pray for those in need. One day we were playing pool like usual, laughing at whoever knocked a ball off the table, when I caught sight of a young gentleman on crutches. He turned the corner and I didn’t think much of it. However, God tugged at my heart, and I knew I was supposed to do something. Those moments are rare for me. I got up to walk toward the man, and Jake was already up walking that direction. I caught up with him as he approached the man.
I got a better look at him and realized that he wasn’t only on crutches, but was missing one leg. His crutches were made out of sticks tied together with grocery bags. His shirt was a full 6 inches too short, and was tattered and torn. His feet had open wounds. I had seen a lot of poverty since I entered Africa, but this instance was the first time I had ever looked it in the eyes. While I tried to take in the scene, Jake spoke to him. Jake told him that Jesus loved him, and that even during hard times God had not forgotten him. The man was appreciative and was on the verge of tears.
As a police officer, I don’t make a habit of giving money to homeless people. I have pulled out too many drugs from transient’s pockets to think they spend their money wisely. But this wasn’t America. This guy needed money because the world had given up on him. I gave him the equivalent of $20 in their local currency. Not a large amount by American standards. But that goes pretty far in Swaziland. A soda is about 50 cents, and a 20 minute bus ride costs about two dollars. We prayed for him and we left.
15 minutes later I saw him trying to get into the grocery store and they wouldn’t let him enter because he was too dirty and unkempt. My heart broke for him all over again. I did my shopping in the store, and planned to do his as well. I exited the store to see the same woman who had denied him access giving him bags of groceries that she had gotten him using his newly acquired money. He had roughly 5 full bags of groceries, and he seemed overwhelmed with the options he now had for his future meals.
I often think about all the opportunities I have missed in the past. All the times I knew I was supposed to do something but didn’t. I don’t know how much the conversation we had meant to him. But it impacted me a lot. Hopefully I filled his stomach, and God filled his heart. Obedience can lead to some truly memorable events
