Errol

At the Shelter hostels we have cleaners who come an work for us. These are usually people from the street or who have just come to Amsterdam and need help. They stay for 1-2 months and then have to go.
Today is Errol's last day (it makes me want to cry to even write it). Errol is British, probably 37 or so, shorter than me and skinny. He grew up between South Africa and England, and came to Amsterdam from Japan, were his ex-wife is from.
He has two sons- there names are tatooed in Japanese on his forearm. Errol's whole life he has been a part of the goth underground scene- drinking, bands and guitars, Czech motorbikes, pain and sorrow. He showed us pictures of his sons and the rest of his life before, and he looks so different. "It's your eyes, Errol, that are different," says Francien.
And it is his eyes. Errol is so kind- tenderness is the best way I can think of to describe him. He is so eager to talk and have conversations about anything. He is also eager to learn and discover- I asked him about a Japanese character in a tract we have behind the counter, and he spent the rest of the evening trying to find it in his Japanese dictionary.
Errol was baptized a week or two before I came. He became a Christian at the Shelter, and in a small chapel in the Red Light District was dunked in public for his new faith. He was so nervous I think to be in front of people that day, but how beautiful!
Errol smoked 3 cigarettes the other day. "Well, six," he said, "if you count it, because I split them in half." This is a record low for Errol when in the past he chain-smoked about 30 in a day. Coffee is the in-between fix for Errol. He comes up to the counter during his breaks or before work for cup after cup, always with an embarrassed smile, and surprised that I remember what he wants.
Today Errol smoked a few more bits of cigarette than yesterday. He doesn't know where he's going tomorrow. He'll probably be on the street. And it breaks my heart. During Bible discussion we talked about the provision of God for the Israelites in the desert- Nehemiah talks about how their shoes didn't wear out, how they always had food. "Manna," suggests Errol, and we all nod. I pray that God will let Errol find manna, daily bread no matter what the next days bring for him.

Please pray for Errol!