The story of how I lost my Bible

This is a longer post but something that I felt I needed to share.

I got to see my first 'football' (American soccer) game in South Africa the other day. We took two groups of guys to go see the Moroka Swallows lose to Ajax Cape Town in one of the stadiums that the 2010 World Cup was played in. We had two vehicles but there weren't enough seats for all of us, so 4 of us took the train into town, walked to the stadium and met up with the rest of the group.

After the game, those of us who took the train in, were going to stay in Cape Town with some friends of Folker's (one of my classmates). The trains stop running at 7pm and it would be close to 11pm by the time the game was over. However, on the ride to town we learned that the train makes a special trip after most football games at 11:30pm and it's free if you have a game ticket.

So, when the match was over we decided to take the train back instead of inconveniencing Folker's friends. We bid farewell to our classmates and caught a shuttle bus to the train terminal while everyone else piled into the cars and drove back to the base. When we got to the train terminal we realized a crucial fact: the train only makes that special trip after some of the games. This was not one of them. We were stuck in Cape Town at 11:30pm on a Friday night. It wasn't a big deal though, we called one of our staff leaders, Henzel, and he said he would come pick us up after he dropped his car full of guys off at the base. It would be about an hour before he could meet us.

The four of us decided to find a place where we could sit and wait. We found a KFC nearby and sat there for a few minutes. Folker, being familiar with the area, knew of a place that was still open and had an amazing view from their eating area on the roof. We decided to go check it out while waiting for Henzel.

KFC and this rooftop eatery that we were going to are both located on Long Street in Cape Town. Long Street is known for it's nightlife, especially on the weekends. There are numerous bars and clubs on every block and many, many people were out that night. There were so many people, in fact, that they spilled out onto the sidewalks and streets from the clubs and made it difficult to walk without navigating around them all.

As we started walking we were approached by a man from the street on our left. He came up close and asked if we wanted to buy any ''pot or shrooms''. We all said no and kept walking without breaking stride. I found out that this was par for the course on Long Street. I counted 3 more people who asked us the same thing in the next couple blocks that we walked. The total people who asked us to buy their drugs would be at least 7 by the end of the night.

It actually became frustrating. These men weren't just trying to offer us some drugs, they were pushing them on us. Asking repeatedly and not necessarily leaving when we said no. At one point I turned to Folker and told him that I was going to start witnessing to the next guy who offered us something. God put the right guy in my path a few seconds later.

Said (pronounced "Sigh-EED'') also approached us from the left, coming across the street. He asked if we were interested in buying any weed. As we walked step in step, I told him how I was more into Jesus than drugs. He quickly changed his whole attitude. We walked with a determination in our step but we really had nowhere to go, so we stopped on the street and started talking. The four of us crowded around Said as he told us his story.

24 years ago Said was born in the Congo and only moved to Cape Town 6 months ago. He didn't know anyone but came here to get away from the army that was trying to recruit him. He didn't want to be a part of that so he fled the country.

Without any contacts, Said turned to what he knew he could do, push drugs. He lived with a family in a nearby township (slum). He tried to join a church and had sought help finding a job from the pastor but nothing happened. He told us that he woke up that morning and told God, as with most mornings, that he just wanted to be a good man. He was tired of doing bad and just wanted to be good.

As we talked, Said told us that he really wanted a Bible, specifically an English one, that he could read.

This is where the story gets hard for me. I have pride issues and didn't even realize it at the time.

See, I had a Bible on me right then. It was my favorite Bible (like most American's, I have multiple Bibles). My Bible was maroon, soft cover, and just the right size. It had the Old Testament and New Testament, was the New American Standard Version and was small enough to fit in my back pocket. People who saw it usually commented on it's delightful size and the fact the it was the whole Bible (not just part of it, like most Bibles of that size). It was my favorite Bible, but what was I supposed to do? I pulled it out of my pocket, regretting that decision before I even registered what I was doing, and handed it over.

We finished talking to Said a few minutes later and parted ways. We got in Henzel's car and Said walked away with a new Bible. I have no idea what will happen to it. Maybe he'll throw it away, maybe it will sit on a shelf for the next 50 years and never get opened again, maybe he'll try to sell it, maybe he'll use it's pages for rolling paper to smoke, or maybe he'll read it and let if transform his life.

I have no idea what will happen to it, but it was my favorite Bible. I had a lot of pride in it, as you can see. God knew I had that Bible in my pocket and He knew that I was serious when I told Folker I was ready to turn the tables on the next drug peddler we met. He also knew Said needed a Bible, and maybe the most important thing for me, He knew that I had some pride that needed to be dealt with.