A child at home in Khayelitsha township near Cape Town, South Africa
“These are people of worth. Created by God and your presence shows them that is true.”
South African Pastor Lional Fredricks, of the desperately poor Khayelitsha township, shared these words with me several years ago while commenting on the value of our American students spending time with children from the townships.
His words have never left me. We choose to serve others, regardless of their station in life and regardless of what they can do for us, because of their infinite value in God’s eyes. We need no other rational, though many good ones exist. Every person we meet is of astounding value in the economy of the Lord.
We cannot fathom God’s love, but we can act in ways toward others that express a small bit of his love. Maybe even today you’ll get a chance to do so. Know that even the smallest gesture, done with kindness, shows value to all “people of worth.”
One important aspect of travel, maybe the most important, involves sampling the local cuisine. Here in Northern Spain one of the favorite regional dishes is “pulpo,” or octopus.
This week Dawn and I and several others are on a pilgrimage, defined as “a journey to a place associated with someone or something well known or respected.” In this case we are walking the Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrimage to the city of Santiago de Compostela, where the bones of Saint James are buried. This is our third time to make this pilgrimage and bring friends along with us.
