CC and JJ

I am hesitant to write about this but have felt led by the Lord to share it as a testimony to God's grace and mercy and as a reminder of how important it is to trust God and be obedient not only to His Word but also to His small, quiet voice that speaks to us.  (I am in NO WAY bragging about my part in this saga.  God gets all the credit and glory.)

I realize that homelessness is a major issue in our country.  Much of it is a result of poor choices whether it be drugs, alcohol, or gambling.  This story is not about that, and I don't want to waste time and energy trying to find blame.

This story is about how God loves us and wants to bless us.  He simply wants us to trust completely in Him and be obedient in ALL things.  You may find my story filled with too many details, but I feel they are necessary in showing how God works to lead us to where He wants us to be.  It is very evident in the story that I'm going to share with you.

I had not felt well all last week and probably wouldn't have left the house Friday except that I had loaned Rachel my car to go to work.  Eddie had parked behind hers, and it was just easier to let her take mine.  A couple hours after she had left I remembered that there was not much gas in my car, and I would need to take her car to her and get mine before she got off work.  After I dropped off her car, I drove next door to her work and got some gas for my car.

As I was leaving the gas station, I contemplated on whether or not I should drive to Sam's and check on the price of an external hard drive I was in the market to buy, but decided instead to go to our local Aldi grocery store.

If you're familiar with Aldi, you know that you must deposit twenty-five cents in order to get a shopping cart, and it's returned to you once you return the cart to the store.  As I pulled into my parking spot, I noticed a lady in the spot next to me getting ready to return her cart.  I quickly jumped out of my car and told her that I'd "buy" her cart from her.  She grinned and in her heavy East Indian accent said, "No!  My gift to you!"  I thanked her for the buggy and told her that I would in turn bless someone else with it.

After finding the items I wanted to purchase, I went to the check-out counter and deposited my groceries on the moving belt at the cash register.  There was one customer ahead of me, so I decided to go ahead and find my debit card so that I would be ready to pay for my goods.  I couldn't find it!  I searched and searched, and it was nowhere.  As I was beginning to panic, I thought that maybe I had left it on the seat of my car after having bought gasoline a few minutes earlier.  I told the cashier that I would be right back but  need to go find my debit card.  When I opened the car, I could see that it was not on the seat where I'd hoped it would be.  My heart started beating a little faster as I went back into the store.  As the cashier finished helping the customer in front of me, I started removing things from my purse while talking out loud about not knowing where my debit card was.  The cashier overheard me and said, "A customer was just up here a few minutes ago with a card he found. What is your first name?"  Fortunately the customer was still in the store and the cashier went to him and came back holding my debit card.  You don't know how relieved I felt.  I could just see someone taking my card and having a good time with it and the hassle I would have at straightening it all out with the bank.  I kept praising the Lord out loud and told the cashier that I planned to be more careful in the future.  I still have no idea as to how that card escaped me.

As I was walking to the car to put up my groceries, I was thinking of how good God had been to me with the recovery of that debit card and the gift of the shopping cart.  I immediately started looking around the parking lot for the person I was to bless with the cart, but there was no one.  I was so disappointed but decided that I would have to bless someone on a future trip.

As I slid the cart back into it's place and retrieved my quarter, I noticed a man and woman standing at the end of the shopping carts.  Both looked rough and my first assumption was that they were probably two of the many homeless in our area.  She spoke up and said, "Ma'am, I don't like doing this, but I was wondering if you could help us.  We are so hungry and would like something to eat."  I knew that I had a $5.00 bill in my purse but don't like giving cash to strangers.  I almost walked away, but God (in that still quiet voice) reminded me of how much he had blessed me, so I said, "Would you be willing to let me buy you something to eat in the grocery store?"  They said that it would be wonderful, so we went into the store and I told them to try to keep their purchases around $10.00 and that I would meet them at the front of the store.

As I waited for them, the presence of the Lord just washed over me, and I had to fight back the tears of joy in knowing how good God was and how much He loved me and this couple who were shopping for some food.  They finally got to the cashier, and I stepped up and told her that I'd be paying for their purchases.  I noticed they were arguing a little under their breath and realized that he was blaming her for it being $11.00 instead of $10.00.  I quickly assured them that it was close enough!  This is the receipt of their purchase:

We walked out the store together, and I started talking with them.  I found out she was from Chicago and he was from California (if my memory serves me correctly).  I told them that this lifestyle was no way to live and that they needed to get back with their families.  I also tried to share that God loved them.  She muttered something about they had not lost hope or faith.  When I asked their names, she told me her name was C.C. and his was J.J. which sounded a little suspicious to me, but I knew that God knew who they were, and that's all that mattered.

Before I walked to my car, I told them that I would be praying that God would bless them and that they would be able to get where they needed to be.  She reached her hand to pat me on my shoulder and when I noticed tears in her eyes, I just put both of my arms out and gave her a hug.

When I got to my car, I broke down in tears.  I cried for the sadness of their situation, but I also cried for the joy I felt at being able to be used by God to touch someone's life.  I prayed that the love of Jesus in my life would rub off on them and that they would see themselves and their need of a relationship with Him.

I am going to laminate this receipt with their names on it, and place it on my refrigerator as a reminder to pray for those precious people.  God loves them just as much as He loves me and has an amazing plan for their lives.  What a difference He can make when we trust in Him and are obedient.  May God keep His hands of protection on C.C. and J.J. and lead them to Him.

Now, I'm curious as to what new opportunities God has in store for me this week!