It’s one thing to be kind to those who you know, but it’s quite another to shower a complete stranger with kindness.
When 18-year-old Luis Xavier del Rosario got off a bus in Sydney, Australia, he was greeted by an unbelievable heat. Not far from the bus stop he saw a homeless man begging by the Queen Victoria Building. It didn’t take long for Rosario to feel bad for him, especially considering the pavement he was standing on was scorching.
“I felt really bad for him,” said Rosario, who was impressed by the man’s sign that had words of positivity. “I saw his cardboard sign and his motto of smiling and staying positive, it really touched me.”
It all started when Rosario bought the man some water and sat down with him. Rosario, who is a South Australian student, learned that the man’s name was Ian and he had been living on the streets for six years. He was instantly intrigued by him and inspired to help him so it was right then and there that he asked Ian if he could help him change his life.
“He seemed skeptical at first but he quickly got up … it’s good that we were able to establish that level of trust, especially for complete strangers,” said Rosario.
In those first few moments, Rosario learned a lot about Ian including the fact that the 52-year-old man was afraid to die without being remembered.
Rosario started their journey together by getting Ian a fresh shower, some new clothes, and a haircut at a barbershop so he could look presentable while hunting for a job. Lacking proper education, Ian had always struggled to find work that would help him survive. Ian had grown up in a broken family and has been on his own since he was a child.
“He said he had been struggling for most of his life due to the lack of proper education,” said Rosario. “He never mentioned what work he did before, but he told me he had no qualifications.”
For the first time in weeks, the man had eaten his first real meal thanks to Rosario who took him out for pub chicken schnitzel.
“He loved the dinner, he savored every bite,” said Rosario, of his new friend. “Since he has no teeth he would always just eat soft foods like Hungry Jacks … having a real meal prepared for him and eating that meal on a plate made him really happy. His true colors showed, he began to chuckle and smile more. His eyes had a new glow to them, a glow of hope.”
Rosario had been visiting family for the week and in that time he spent $250 on Ian and changed his life forever. When it was time to go their separate ways and Rosario had to go back to school, he told Ian that he would check in on him. Rosario, who was loved and cared for his whole life felt admitted that he wanted to give this man a new start. A video of Ian, showing off his new appearance was shared online by the Rosario family and received 14,000 in less than a day.
