It is a difficult balance, in the African city, to try to help all-comers who turn to the Church for counsel or assistance, while protecting one's time and energies for work which is of more central importance in ministry. Often one thinks: "That's it for today. My counselling is done. My meeting's over. I'm exhausted." Then unexpectedly, more people turn up for help or counsel. OBSERVATION: I tended to give congregants an hour of my time with an appointment, and the all-comers a compacted kind of counsel and help: five or ten minutes of sincere input, then I was tough about moving on. I feel that this worked -- and in spite of busyness and weariness, I told myself: "Where else could one serve like this?"
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