Old, Sick, & Forgotten

The wind was blowing feebly and the air was chilly due to the weather being sandwiched between two cold fronts. I parked the car at the Sir Lowry’s Pass train station. A lovely building which has been converted into a soup kitchen, and offers the services of a bakery, laundry, ablution block, and counselling room. 200 to 300 people pass through its doors every day, desperate and destitute. A sad reflection of life in this village!

Every day parcels are packed from donations of old Woolworths perishables, and then delivered on foot to the people too old or sick to make the walk to the station. My mission for the day was to join the volunteers as they handed out these parcels. I wanted to see the conditions under which these poor people live, and see if there is any way I can make a difference.

I hooked up with Cathy and Dolly, volunteers who themselves have nothing. Both of their husbands are out of work and money is non-existent. Their attitudes were humbling, instead of feeling sorry for themselves, they were out helping others. With great love and care they delivered the food parcels and chatted to the families in each house. There was much laughter and gaiety as they went about using the gifts of themselves to make a difference in the lives of people forgotten by society.

I met so many people and all gladly invited me, a complete stranger, into their homes for a chat. Some of their homes were lovely, carefully filled with ornaments and mementos. Others were nothing more than hovels. In some holes bigger than footballs peppered the walls and wet patches on the floor remained as testament to the recent violent rainy weather. One woman described how everything inside her house took off in the gale force winds.

God came up in every conversation. I was amazed at the depth of their faith, especially as they stood in broken bodies, in broken shelters, with futures as dim as mud. One man told me how he thanks God every day for his health. This is a man with glycaemia, can barely see, and cannot walk unaided. And he is thankful for his health. He is my new inspiration!

It was a touching morning. I felt that through my presence and conversation, I too had made a difference. But I could do so much more! A friend and I have come up with a plan to seek some funding. Then we aim to purchase materials and start doing home repairs for these people, hopefully training some unemployed youths in the process.

The benefits of a home visit will last a day or two. The benefits of simple repairs may last many years! Hopefully we can pull it off!