By: Iyo_embong

I have met Harry when I first arrived in Australia almost 19 years ago. During that time I was living on my own and he use to clean the glass at this place where I worked. He had long wild grey hair and long grey beared, always wore a flannelette or dirty white shirt and brown pants with holes in it and he always carry a few white shopping bags with him – full of his belongings. All these years that I knew him I never once saw Harry wear a pair of shoes. Rain or shine, Harry will be barefooted. This is all he wears for these many years I’ve known him.

For many people I guess he would look a bit weird or eccentric but after knowing him I found out how intelligent he is. I use to invite him for dinner at least 3 times a week. We enjoy each other’s company and we use to spend that whole night talking about all sorts of things. He had thought me a lot. Every now and then, I see him walking around Pacific Fair Shopping Centre looking like the same old Harry. He had never changed.

Not far away from where he lives was a Church full of well-dressed, ‘So called’ middle-class and righteous people. They wanted to make this Church bigger, but they were not sure how to go about it.

One day, Harry decided to go and worship there. He walked into the Church, complete with his wild grey long hair, grey long beared, shirt, brown pants and bare feet and of course his white plastic shopping bags. That time the Church was completely packed, and the service had already begun. Harry walked down the aisle to find a place to sit. Everyone was staring at him and after a while he noticed that the people were looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one said anything.

As Harry moved closer and closer to the pulpit, he realized there were no empty seats. So he squatted and sat down on the carpet right up front. (Although such behaviour would have been perfectly acceptable at some Churches, but this was a scenario that this particular congregation had never witnessed before!) By now, the people seemed uptight, and the tension in the air was thickening.

Right about the time Harry took his “seat,” a Pastor began slowly making his way down the aisle from the back of the Church. The Pastor was in his sixties had silver grey hair, a three-piece suit and a gold watch. He was a godly man — very elegant, dignified and courteous.

As the Pastor was walking towards Harry the Church was utterly silent. You couldn’t even hear anyone breathing. All eyes were on the Pastor. But to their surprise the Pastor sat down on the floor next to Harry and worshipped with him. Everyone in the congregation choked up with emotion.

When the Pastor had his time to preach he told the people, “What I am about to preach, you will never remember. What you’ve just seen, you will never forget.”

By: Iyo_embong