It’s our last week or so in Singapore.
Wishing to see Grandpa Zhou (the elderly struggling busker at the train station who had become a dear friend to us over the years) one last time before we moved away for 2 years, we had made special trips to visit him, only to be disappointed as we missed him repeatedly.
What a treat it was to see his face light up when we finally found him in the dark corner.
“It’s so good to see you!” He smiled, before his face dimmed. “Hang qing hen huai (Economy is really bad)” he said, “it’s hard to earn here singing anymore. When you leave, who will take care of me?” he asked, sincerely. I knew he was referring to his medical follow-ups at the clinic and hospital.
Having known his simple faith, I could say with confidence without fear of sounding cliched, “God will,” I said, ” And we’ll continue to pray for you and for Him to send you angels to look after you.”
“What happens if at times, God doesn’t answer?” he asked genuinely.
“Has He ever not?” We smiled, and he listened intently, his eyes widening as he remembered the times God came through for him, time and again.
Right now, Grandpa Zhou receives groceries monthly from some volunteers. One might say his basic needs are taken care of- but a closer conversation beneath his unwashed exterior reveals the difficulties he has bringing the groceries home when people leave them at the train station where he busks due to his walking disability, when the groceries are not what he is used to, and when he longs for friendly conversation and people who can spare a few minutes to sit with him, befriend him and hear a song or two.
“Sometimes kind hearted people want to visit me at home and give me groceries, but I’m never home after they finish work because I am out here busking. I wish I could tell them the things I need, because I don’t use a lot of stuff they decide to give me.”
Remembering the countless ways where God had answered my prayers in miraculously specific ways, I wondered if perhaps, He had called us too to be vessels in His hand, to meet the specific, personal needs in the lives of others in need? It reminded me of needing to go beyond our comfort zones to meet the real, personal and genuine needs of people.
If you ever see him at the train steps of Kembangan or Yishun train station on Mon, Thurs, Sat evenings and Tue, Wed, Fri evenings respectively, please stop to say hello, that you’re a friend of ours.
And if you feel compelled to, feel free to ask him how he is doing, if there is anything he needs, and that you want him to know that God cares for him very much 
?? Share this story with a friend.
Whether it’s just a drink, a packet of Chinese rice or a conversation, it could be what He’s been praying for all day. When I think of the ways God has used others to meet the very specific needs in my life at specific times, I wonder if I, too, could be that for somebody else. ??
More of Grandpa Zhou’s stories here.
