Shoeshiner boy

While Elder John and I were waiting outside the shops for the team to finish up their souvenir hunting, a shoeshiner boy approached us. He wanted to shine Elder John and my shoes, even though EJ was wearing an old pair of rugged sandals and I was wearing a pair of Old Navy flipflops. He took a long time to shine them even though there wasn't much to clean, so we got a chance to talk to him and get to know him a little bit. He was so dilligent and hard working, I could tell. He said he works from 10am to 5-6 pm everyday, cleaning shoes. Caste system still prevails in India, which means that shoe shining is the only career option for this boy. His eyes were similar to that of a mature adult and he seemed to understand the world far better than me in some ways. He definitely made an impression that he was different from many that we ran into in the streets of Jaipur or Dehli. He was persistent but unforceful, and he seemed reposed yet ernest. There wasn't anything else I could offer other than money, so we gave him the gospel bracelet that I was wearing as we said goodbye to him. He went off to find another customer with his tool box, humming.