September 2011. We had just returned from the honeymoon of our dreams in beautiful Santorini, Greece. It was a Monday morning - our first day back - and on my way to work I prayed a prayer that I often lifted up, "Lord, open my eyes to see the opportunities you have for me today to share your love with someone else." It was a busy day at work, and time flew by with nothing out of the ordinary happening. Before I knew it, it was time to go home. I breathed a sigh of relief and looked forward to a long nap, as I was still a little jet lagged. Maybe after that I could get some unpacking done and even have dinner prepared for my new husband before he got home.
As I pulled up to our house and stepped out of my vehicle onto our gravel drive, I heard a voice, "Excuse me...miss??" I turned towards the park across the street to see a woman who was clearly in distress. She hobbled towards me, wheeling her bicycle which was obviously in need of repair. The look on her face and sweat on her brow told me she had been walking for a long time in the heat of the day. "Could you please help me? My bike is broken, and I am so thirsty. Could you spare a cup of water?"
I immediately felt compassion for her. But something deep inside of me was also a little irritated- I was SO close to that afternoon nap I'd looked forward to all day, and now this. Oh well, the least I can do is get her some water...
She sat in the shade on our front porch while I brought her a glass of cold water. "Now what?" I asked God. Learn her story was the answer I felt in my heart. So, I proceeded to ask about her- where she was from, where she was going. I quickly learned that her name was Shannon, she had been biking around town all day, looking for work. Her bike broke down and she was miles from home now. She was discouraged, tired, and hungry. Okay, I can at least give her something to eat. I went inside and got a granola bar and pack of peanut butter crackers for her. She was extremely grateful, but she continued to sit there and tell me about her life... how she had been in and out of foster care growing up, had felt abandoned, and now was down on her luck. I wanted to pray for her and send her on her way, but a feeling tugging at my heart told me to do more. You asked for a chance to share My love with someone. Here she is, I felt God saying.
She hadn't asked for money. She was too tired to work, after spending a long day out in the heat. But she had mentioned she needed food. So, with the grocery store only a few blocks away, I offered to take her to get some groceries. We walked to the store, wheeling her broken bike, and she continued to tell me about her life. She walked up and down each aisle of the store, carefully picking out food items, each time asking, "Is this too much? Can I get this too?" I certainly got some funny looks from other shoppers, as this woman and I clearly didn't look like we naturally would be hanging out together; I, still in my work clothes, and she, in a baggy t-shirt and ill-fitting shoes. Shannon's face was so full of joy though, with her full sacks of groceries, and I ignored the cashier's questioning look and checked out quickly.
The sun was setting, and I decided it would be safest to call her a taxi to take she and her groceries home. But when the taxi driver arrived, he refused to take her bicycle, and she refused to leave it at the store; it was her only means of transportation. What am I going to do now?! I prayed. You asked me to share Your love in a tangible way with this woman, and I have. Now, I have no way to get her home with all these groceries and a bike...and it's getting dark outside. I scanned the parking lot and saw a woman getting into her van, and again I felt a tug at my heart. Ask her to help. This woman will surely think I'm crazy or that this is some sort of scam. How can I possibly ask her to go out of her way for someone she doesn't know, someone I barely know... But, I reluctantly approached the woman getting into her van and explained my situation. Much to my dismay, she said she would be happy to help, and she offered to help me take Shannon, her bike, and her groceries home.
I thought that was the last I would see of Shannon. But a few months later, as I prayed that same prayer on a Saturday afternoon, asking God what opportunities He had in store for me that day. I literally said "Amen" and the doorbell rang...it was Shannon! She had come looking for work, so we had her clean our screened back porch for payment and a few household goods. She never asked for handouts, only for work.
Over the next year, we got to know Shannon and eventually invited her to church. She came with us a few times, including Easter Sunday. Over a Sunday lunch together at the K&W Cafeteria, she confided in us that she had a history of drug abuse and prostitution and that she desired a relationship with God. We listened to her, prayed with her, and encouraged her to seek help. Members of our Sunday School class later "adopted" Shannon and gave her clothing and even a new bike! We checked in on Shannon every week, and she would call and update us on her search for work.
Shannon called me bubbling with excitement on the day she got a puppy from the local rescue. I checked in on her weekly and advised her on job searching and basic lessons in professionalism. What began as an unexpected answer to my prayer turned into an unlikely friendship - Shannon, a broken woman with an unfortunate past and us, a young married couple with a lifetime of opportunity ahead. Over the months that followed, God used Shannon to teach us about life and His love for people just as He allowed us to encourage and love her in tangible ways.
One year later, we moved across town to another house. We hadn't seen or heard from Shannon in a few months. I thought about her a lot and continued to pray for her. I wondered why I hadn't heard from her or why she no longer answered my calls. Had she fallen back into old habits? Had she moved? Was she even still alive?
Then one day that fall, there was a knock on the door of our new house. When I opened the door to find Shannon standing there, she looked as shocked to see me as I did to see her! She had been going door to door, looking for work and had somehow ended up on this side of town. She had no idea that we had moved (nor any way to find out) and had landed yet again on our doorstep. We chatted for a while and then gave her a ride home. She seemed a little uneasy as we asked her questions about life, and so we tried to encourage her and remind her of her capability to overcome her past.
I haven't seen Shannon since that day, and I often wonder where life has taken her. Is she back on the streets? Did she ever find steady work? What was God's purpose for our paths crossing? I may never know the answer to these questions, but I do know that through this experience I learned more about faith and obedience than I thought possible. I learned how God answers prayers in a tangible way, and sometimes right away. I learned that when we seek His will for opportunities, He will always bring them, even through the most unlikely of relationships. And sometimes, the answer to our prayers is literally right on our doorstep.
Keeping an open door policy,
Leigh
As I pulled up to our house and stepped out of my vehicle onto our gravel drive, I heard a voice, "Excuse me...miss??" I turned towards the park across the street to see a woman who was clearly in distress. She hobbled towards me, wheeling her bicycle which was obviously in need of repair. The look on her face and sweat on her brow told me she had been walking for a long time in the heat of the day. "Could you please help me? My bike is broken, and I am so thirsty. Could you spare a cup of water?"
I immediately felt compassion for her. But something deep inside of me was also a little irritated- I was SO close to that afternoon nap I'd looked forward to all day, and now this. Oh well, the least I can do is get her some water...
She sat in the shade on our front porch while I brought her a glass of cold water. "Now what?" I asked God. Learn her story was the answer I felt in my heart. So, I proceeded to ask about her- where she was from, where she was going. I quickly learned that her name was Shannon, she had been biking around town all day, looking for work. Her bike broke down and she was miles from home now. She was discouraged, tired, and hungry. Okay, I can at least give her something to eat. I went inside and got a granola bar and pack of peanut butter crackers for her. She was extremely grateful, but she continued to sit there and tell me about her life... how she had been in and out of foster care growing up, had felt abandoned, and now was down on her luck. I wanted to pray for her and send her on her way, but a feeling tugging at my heart told me to do more. You asked for a chance to share My love with someone. Here she is, I felt God saying.
She hadn't asked for money. She was too tired to work, after spending a long day out in the heat. But she had mentioned she needed food. So, with the grocery store only a few blocks away, I offered to take her to get some groceries. We walked to the store, wheeling her broken bike, and she continued to tell me about her life. She walked up and down each aisle of the store, carefully picking out food items, each time asking, "Is this too much? Can I get this too?" I certainly got some funny looks from other shoppers, as this woman and I clearly didn't look like we naturally would be hanging out together; I, still in my work clothes, and she, in a baggy t-shirt and ill-fitting shoes. Shannon's face was so full of joy though, with her full sacks of groceries, and I ignored the cashier's questioning look and checked out quickly.
The sun was setting, and I decided it would be safest to call her a taxi to take she and her groceries home. But when the taxi driver arrived, he refused to take her bicycle, and she refused to leave it at the store; it was her only means of transportation. What am I going to do now?! I prayed. You asked me to share Your love in a tangible way with this woman, and I have. Now, I have no way to get her home with all these groceries and a bike...and it's getting dark outside. I scanned the parking lot and saw a woman getting into her van, and again I felt a tug at my heart. Ask her to help. This woman will surely think I'm crazy or that this is some sort of scam. How can I possibly ask her to go out of her way for someone she doesn't know, someone I barely know... But, I reluctantly approached the woman getting into her van and explained my situation. Much to my dismay, she said she would be happy to help, and she offered to help me take Shannon, her bike, and her groceries home.
I thought that was the last I would see of Shannon. But a few months later, as I prayed that same prayer on a Saturday afternoon, asking God what opportunities He had in store for me that day. I literally said "Amen" and the doorbell rang...it was Shannon! She had come looking for work, so we had her clean our screened back porch for payment and a few household goods. She never asked for handouts, only for work.
Over the next year, we got to know Shannon and eventually invited her to church. She came with us a few times, including Easter Sunday. Over a Sunday lunch together at the K&W Cafeteria, she confided in us that she had a history of drug abuse and prostitution and that she desired a relationship with God. We listened to her, prayed with her, and encouraged her to seek help. Members of our Sunday School class later "adopted" Shannon and gave her clothing and even a new bike! We checked in on Shannon every week, and she would call and update us on her search for work.
Shannon called me bubbling with excitement on the day she got a puppy from the local rescue. I checked in on her weekly and advised her on job searching and basic lessons in professionalism. What began as an unexpected answer to my prayer turned into an unlikely friendship - Shannon, a broken woman with an unfortunate past and us, a young married couple with a lifetime of opportunity ahead. Over the months that followed, God used Shannon to teach us about life and His love for people just as He allowed us to encourage and love her in tangible ways.
One year later, we moved across town to another house. We hadn't seen or heard from Shannon in a few months. I thought about her a lot and continued to pray for her. I wondered why I hadn't heard from her or why she no longer answered my calls. Had she fallen back into old habits? Had she moved? Was she even still alive?
Then one day that fall, there was a knock on the door of our new house. When I opened the door to find Shannon standing there, she looked as shocked to see me as I did to see her! She had been going door to door, looking for work and had somehow ended up on this side of town. She had no idea that we had moved (nor any way to find out) and had landed yet again on our doorstep. We chatted for a while and then gave her a ride home. She seemed a little uneasy as we asked her questions about life, and so we tried to encourage her and remind her of her capability to overcome her past.
I haven't seen Shannon since that day, and I often wonder where life has taken her. Is she back on the streets? Did she ever find steady work? What was God's purpose for our paths crossing? I may never know the answer to these questions, but I do know that through this experience I learned more about faith and obedience than I thought possible. I learned how God answers prayers in a tangible way, and sometimes right away. I learned that when we seek His will for opportunities, He will always bring them, even through the most unlikely of relationships. And sometimes, the answer to our prayers is literally right on our doorstep.
Keeping an open door policy,
Leigh
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