The Right Place at the Right Time...

Today I was able to be in the right place at the right time, only by the grace of God.

After going to the doctor's for a physical so that I can renew my driver's licenses, then to the bank to pay for my licenses,  I ended up at the salon to get a hair cut.  I almost rode right by, planning to just enjoy a ride in the sun, but at the last moment, I pulled in to the parking lot and found that the salon was open.  So I got my hair cut.

I left the salon, got back on my motorcycle and started to pull out, when I realized that I didn't have my sunglasses on.  Although I was in the shade at the moment, in about 2 seconds I was going to be in the blazing sun.  I quickly stopped the motorcycle and cut the engine.  My purse was in the trunk, so I had to get off the bike to get my sunglasses.  And that's when it happened...

As I was getting my sunglasses out, I was approached by a mother holding an infant, with another young girl at her side. She asked me for some money.  I shook my head and said, "Lo siento.No."  "I'm sorry. No."  I almost never give money to anyone begging.  The mother didn't move, she just stood there and asked again.  And again, I shook my head and said, "Lo siento. No."  But as I looked at her face, into her eyes, I was moved to compassion and action.  I asked her if she needed milk for the baby, to which she replied yes. 

I quickly scanned the area and saw that there was a pulpería across the street and up the way a bit.  I told the mother that if she and her daughter would walk over to that pulpería, I would buy her some milk.  They did just that.  In fact, they made it across the street before I did since  I had to put my purse back into the trunk and wait for traffic so that I could pull a U-turn around the median on the motorcycle.

I had already decided that I would see if the pulpería also carried disposable diapers and try to get some of those.  They did have diapers, and since they were individually packaged, I told the woman how many I wanted.  Then I asked for milk.  They didn't have any, but the owner told me that they had it at the pharmacy across the street - literally, right next to where I had just been.  I asked the mom and her daughter if they would like a Coke and bought them a drink, too.  The owner of the pulpería told me that God saw what I was doing and that He would reward me.  I tried to tell her that I wasn't doing it to get a reward, but only because I felt it was what God wanted me to do.  She then told me that the North Americans are always blessing the people of Honduras. 

Because the milk was back across the street, I told the woman with the baby to wait where she was, in the shade and I would go back over to the pharmacy.  I started to get back on my moto, but then turned back to the woman and told her that because there was no return in the road for me, I would have to drive a bit further down, but not to worry, that I wasn't driving off.

At the pharmacy, I ended up buying some formula, an infant bottle (the baby is 2 months old) and some bags of water. I was pretty sure that the woman wouldn't have a bottle.  I was also positive that the woman is dehydrated, which means that she probably can't produce enough milk for the baby, and that the baby is dehydrated, too. When I went back to the woman, I explained to her how to prepare the formula.  I figured that the woman in the pulpería would probably go into a little more detail, and that it might be better received from a Honduran.  So, after asking God to bless the woman and her family, I left.

Back at home, I was making lunch when I felt God dropping a Scripture into my heart:  "What you do for the least of these, you do for Me." (my paraphrase)  It was a cool thought.  An awesome encouragement.  Then I started thinking about how it all happened:  My sunglasses.  If I hadn't forgotten to get them out while I was paying for my hair cut, I would have totally missed this opportunity show someone God's love in a practical way.

I was in the right place at the right time...

HUGE DISCLAIMER: This story isn't about me.  It's about me learning to listen and be obedient when God is prompting me to do or say something.  I have no doubt that every one of you would have done something very similar.