More than
Grocery Shopping for Food
Allison, a Job Studio youth and I had an amazing day together a couple weeks ago! Allison was in the Job Studio last fall, and during that time returned to high school (she’d dropped out) and became a Christian! Allison still struggles to find a place to sleep each night and get enough food to eat each day. She continually reminds me of all the things I just don’t feel a 16 year old should have to worry about! But that’s her reality. A couple weeks ago, I gave Allison a gift card for Safeway that someone at my church provided for her. Allison wanted to go grocery shopping immediately, so she came to my place for lunch and then we headed to the store. I gave Allison every bit of wisdom (however limited) I had about grocery shopping and together we tested fruit, inspected expiry dates, and looked at nutrition guides.
As simple an act as grocery shopping may seem, I couldn’t help but have an overwhelming feeling that I was exactly where God wanted me to be right at that moment. When we arrived at the till I realized I hadn’t kept track of Allison’s grocery prices, and I had no idea if we had gone over her $50 gift card. Of course I’d be happy to cover the rest, but I knew Allison was hoping to do this on her own. I crossed my fingers as the cashier tallied it up, and when the total came to a surprisingly almost perfect $50.68, Allison yelled, “I have a looney!” I knew then that this was another blessing from God for Allison. He was definitely smiling down on her!
When I dropped Allison off at home we had a wonderful conversation about prayer, her faith, and her wanting to make changes in her life. We prayed together and I left her with all her new food. What a great day!
Allison, a Job Studio youth and I had an amazing day together a couple weeks ago! Allison was in the Job Studio last fall, and during that time returned to high school (she’d dropped out) and became a Christian! Allison still struggles to find a place to sleep each night and get enough food to eat each day. She continually reminds me of all the things I just don’t feel a 16 year old should have to worry about! But that’s her reality. A couple weeks ago, I gave Allison a gift card for Safeway that someone at my church provided for her. Allison wanted to go grocery shopping immediately, so she came to my place for lunch and then we headed to the store. I gave Allison every bit of wisdom (however limited) I had about grocery shopping and together we tested fruit, inspected expiry dates, and looked at nutrition guides.
As simple an act as grocery shopping may seem, I couldn’t help but have an overwhelming feeling that I was exactly where God wanted me to be right at that moment. When we arrived at the till I realized I hadn’t kept track of Allison’s grocery prices, and I had no idea if we had gone over her $50 gift card. Of course I’d be happy to cover the rest, but I knew Allison was hoping to do this on her own. I crossed my fingers as the cashier tallied it up, and when the total came to a surprisingly almost perfect $50.68, Allison yelled, “I have a looney!” I knew then that this was another blessing from God for Allison. He was definitely smiling down on her!
When I dropped Allison off at home we had a wonderful conversation about prayer, her faith, and her wanting to make changes in her life. We prayed together and I left her with all her new food. What a great day!