My regular job at Mission Arlington was providing child care, but on my third day, I did something new—working in the front office to help people who needed food, clothes, assistance paying bills or other aid. I took them into a room, talked to them about what they needed, prayed for them and then took them shopping in our store, where everything was free. I talked and prayed with several people.
Laura CadenaAfter about four hours on the job, a woman came in. When I sat down to talk to her, I asked how she was doing. She looked tired and stressed. “I have to ask someone to jump my car all the time,” she said. “I don’t have a lot of food, and life is just crappy. It’s life though, I guess.”
I told her I was sorry and asked if I could pray for her. She looked delighted and told me she prays every day. I found out she is not married but has five toddlers—three boys and two girls. She was looking for clothes for them. When I took her into the store, we went straight to the toddler section. We searched for clothes and couldn’t find anything. I started to feel disappointed, and she looked disappointed.
About the time we started to leave the store, we noticed someone bringing in a box full of toddler clothes. She started searching in the box, and I saw her face light up. She started pulling clothes out and putting them into her bag. Her bag filled up with clothes for all three of her girls. I asked a worker if there were any boy clothes for her toddlers, and he said they just got in a big load of them. He brought them in, and she was able to find clothes for all of her boys.
Seeing how sovereign God is, especially in that moment, made me emotional. I tried my best to hold back my tears, but they came out anyway.
The single mother also wanted a Christmas tree and some toys for her kids. When I had to the store previously, I hadn’t seen many Christmas trees, but this time, there were three. We found a Christmas tree that fit in her car and lots of toys for her kids. When I first took her in, she wasn’t in the best mood. But by the time she left, her mood changed completely. I was so in awe of how sovereign and caring our God is. I pray every day that what she experienced will have an impact on her spiritual life.
Laura Cadena, a student at Angelo State University, served at Mission Arlington with Go Now Missions.
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