I didn’t know Charlene. I never met her. She was someone my wife Laura and our kids met outside the grocery store one morning on their way to pick up some odds and ends. But when Laura told me about the interaction they had with her and the mysterious way that God often shows up in the most desperate of circumstances, my mind was immediately drawn to Isaiah 58:10 – “Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day.”
Often as we go to the grocery store, there is a strong temptation to avoid eye contact with those standing outside the door begging. The constant bombardment of people in need gets exhausting, especially when all you want to do is run a simple errand without being harassed. But when Laura saw Charlene, Laura smiled at her as she walked in the store with Natalie and Jonas.
Charlene was an African-American lady, late thirties, wearing a low-cut tank top with a Hello Kitty purse dangling on her shoulder. She approached Laura and asked for money for a hotel. Charlene was staying at a downtown homeless shelter with her two boys, but the time allotted for them to stay there had expired and they were looking for a place to stay for the night. A cheap hotel room would cost $35. As a general rule, we don’t hand out money, but Laura did offer to buy her some food. Having been asked what she wanted, Charlene responded enthusiastically: “Anything for taco night!” She proceeded to list all the ingredients necessary to make her most grandiose taco fantasy come true.
While in the store, Laura and the kids picked up their food along with everything Charlene asked for, also including some extra “surprises” like chips and salsa and bag of oranges. When they brought Charlene her groceries, she was overjoyed to see everything that was purchased. “I’m gonna go right now and cook this meat,” she said. Curious, Laura asked her if she got all the money she needed for her hotel. Charlene was $6 short, opening her purse to display the contents in order to verify that she wasn’t lying. She assured Laura, “I’ll get the rest on my way to the bus.” We don’t usually carry cash, but Laura checked to see what, if any, money she had in her purse. $6 exactly! Charlene was shocked and amazed. “Do you think this is God?” she asked. “Can I hug you?” Laura was quick to respond, “Absolutely. God sees you and cares for you.” Charlene’s response was reminiscent of the man whose son was healed by Jesus from a tormenting spirit (Mark 9), “If I ever doubted there was a God, I believe it now!”
More than the interaction with Charlene was the impact on the two, small silent witnesses standing by Laura’s side. Something deeply resonated with Natalie who afterwards showed great care and concern for Charlene, “Mom, we need to write down her name so we don’t forget to pray for her.” Her name is still written down in pencil on a slip of paper that’s kept by our receipt box—a reminder to feed those who are hungry, help those who are in trouble, and to not miss the opportunities God places in our path because we aren’t willing to make eye contact.
Dave Gutierrez is a church planter and TUMI-LA site coordinator.
