He just sat there on the edge of his bed much of this week watching the four men working to paint his small room which takes its position under the eaves of a very old and worn out house. Even the steps up to the second floor where his room is to be found were nothing to be sure of. At the beginning of the week, the cramped space he lives in was filthy and dirty, with little more than a bed, shelf, sink, and bucket for a toilet. Until a few years ago, he was an alcoholic, but now no longer drinks. His name is Zygmund. A half hour before our team arrived just a few days ago, some young men from the neighborhood had knocked on his door and asked him to go drinking with them. When he refused, they punched him in the face and left. Moments later, they hurled a brick through his window. He sat alone and hurt. Little did he know that God was setting something up for him that would begin within just a few short minutes, and he was overjoyed when the team walked in to begin to interact with and serve him.
After five days of painting and cleaning the transformation is incredible. A lovely soft blue now covers the walls with fresh clean white surrounding the windows. The thick dust and dirt is now gone from the floors. Money was given to buy him new bed sheets and blankets, and he was also given a haircut.
The apartment is totally different now, and Zygmund shared excitedly about what he had experienced this week. It was not only a room that was changed, but a person was changed as well.
One of the team members who worked there this week and got to know Zygmund said it like this: “God loves us all so much and we can see that in the story of Zygmund. God sent us to his apartment to lift him up. It is awesome to be a part of that.” Indeed, many lives have been deeply impacted by these gifts of service.
