So small, but yet so big...by Alda

I noticed a man calmly waiting his turn in the waiting area outside my office window. As I approached, his sad and defeated looking face lit up with a smile.

Anton Koekemoer, neatly dressed but tired, had just experienced the most challenging 10 days of his life. As he made his way from Richards Bay to Cape Town to start a new chapter in his life, after his divorce, he was hi-jacked between Iditwe and Umtata. He lost his car, all his belongings including his ID and wallet, as well as his tools and the details of the company where he was supposed to start his new job.

The night before he arrived at MES he slept at the Bellville Police Station, but that wasn’t a long term solution and he had to make a plan quickly. I assisted him in trying to locate the company where he was supposed to start work, but with no luck as he could only partially remember the name. With no tools, no job and nowhere to go, we started typing up his CV and phoned around to find space in a shelter nearby. However, all the shelters in the area were fully booked.

It would have been ideal if MES had the privilege of offering Anton a bed in our transitional housing facility, but unfortunately we haven’t been able to locate and afford such a luxury yet.

At the end of the day Anton went back to the police station, where the night spent was cold and he slept very little. On his return to MES the next morning, I gave him a welcome cup of coffee and a sandwich before we restarted the search for a job and a shelter.

This time we extended our search to Stellenbosch where we found a space in a shelter. With new found hope, a CV, travelling fare sponsored by MES and the possibility of a job on one of the farms, Anton left for Stellenbosch.

About an hour later, a man phoned and started rambling out of breath. I stopped him, and asked if I could be of any assistance. At this point I realized that it was Anton and he was, through his excitement, trying to tell me that he found a job and he is booked in at the shelter and he can now have his fresh start.

I realized then that sometimes all it takes is a little effort to make a big difference in someone else’s life. This is how our Father intended it to be, and how He is showing us how easy it can be to help someone in his way.