The Least of These

  • Justin Jahanshir
  • Jun 8, 2010

Traveling over 3,000 miles to spend 2 weeks in 120+ degree temperatures in a 3rd world country is not on most people’s bucket lists, but I had the incredible opportunity to go work with the people at Mercy Ministries Hospital in Calcutta, India, from mid May through the beginning of June.  The experience was life changing.  Many incredible stories came out of this trip, and perhaps one of the most memorable to me happened on the last day.

As we walked down the crowded streets of Calcutta looking for the post office, a man began walking beside me as if he knew me.  This was not unusual as many people on the streets, knowing we were from America, would stop and want to talk to us – many wanting money or food.  The man finally asked if we had been in the Assembly of God church the day before and I confirmed that we had.  He continued to tell me how blessed he was by our ministry and our worship.  I thanked him and began to ask him about his life, family, job, and faith.  He began to tell me how he was in between work and was taking any work he could get.

I pushed further and asked him what kind of job he wanted and he said he was really hoping to get a security job with the city or move to the shore and work unloading imports.  I asked what stopped him from getting one of these jobs and he informed me that in order to be employed by one of these companies a person had to purchase his own uniform.  He then told me he had been saving for his uniform in hope that one day he would get a job.  Not once did he ask me for anything.

I then asked the man how much a uniform cost and his answer shocked me.  He told me that a uniform cost 400 Rupees.  That exchanged to about $10.  He then told me that on a good month he brought in about 500 Rupees and after providing for his wife and children he could afford to put maybe 50 Rupees ($1) aside to save for his uniform…if it was a good month.    The entire trip I had prayed for God to give me opportunities to bless those around me, however He desired.  This was an easy one.  For $10 I could help this man get his dream job or at least get him one big step closer.  Interestingly enough, I had just changed over $20 and spent $10 of it and had exactly 500 Rupees left.  It was a God ordained moment.  There are over 22 million people in the city on a typical day, and this man ran into me…

After hearing some more of this man’s story, I told him that I believed that God wanted me to give him 500 Rupees for his uniform.  He was shocked.  Speechless actually.  Tears began to well up in his eyes as he began to try and thank me with words.  He wanted so badly for me to meet his wife and children, but because of time restrictions I couldn’t.  The thought that a measly $10 could have changed this man's destiny is so humbling and unbelievable to me.  I don’t know that I will ever see him again, but he is in my prayers, and his story has changed me for a lifetime.  He is the least of these talked about in the scriptures.  I knew what I was doing was for my Savior, not just for a man in need.  I told my new friend I would be praying for him and to take his family to church as often as he could.  He promised me that he would.  The least of these is all around us wherever we are.  The question is how we will respond to the need.

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”

Matthew 25:40

 

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