I Don't Even Know His Name

I do not know where he lives. I know very little about this man but tomorrow I will find him and try to get to know him better. Like many in Cambodia he is crippled.
Land mines cause the majority of disabilities here. This man was born disabled, however, and has no use of his feet and a severe deformity of one hand. I admired him from the beginning because he does not beg but has a job and supports his wife and two children. He sells small items in the market and travels by a hand-peddled three wheeled tricycle. He has a pair of crutches he made himself out of cast iron that are for getting around when he leaves his wheels behind.
Gail and I will go to the market tomorrow and look for him. He should be easy to find because of his perpetual smile. I don’t know him but I really “like” him. When I first saw him I thought of John Chapter Nine when his disciples asked Jesus who sinned this man or his parents. But even more than that, the story of the man who could not get into the healing waters at Bethesda pool in John 5 came to mind.
You see, every day when I finish seeing the 40 or so numbers we hand out at the beginning of the day, if there is more time I go out and choose more people. Most days there is a large gathering fighting for the few numbers that will be offered. Monday at 3:30 when I went outside there were maybe 25 people crowding in to get a number. I could not see him as he was in the back and only stands about 4 feet tall. Somehow I caught a glimpse of him through the bodies jockeying for position and helped him aboard. I removed one of his hopelessly decayed molars for which he was thankful and gave him a bottle of Tylenol for his arthritic shoulders. I can’t wait to see him again and see if we can help him more. Rick