It was a Saturday at the end of August. I ate breakfast with Blue Mustang and he gave me $280 to bless families. As I left for Denver, my King directed me to a King Soopers on 144th Avenue in Denver. Normally he has me park facing west but today he told me to park facing east. I was wondering why God had me do that because the sunlight in the morning is difficult to look through. But my King confirmed to me again that I needed to face east and pray. So as I sat there, I rolled my window down and began to audibly pray to my King. In my prayer, I was praying for the families that I was going to meet today. I turned the music on in my pickup for some background praise music to set the mood. I continued praying about the families and praised my King. I had my eyes closed while I was doing this so I did not see the lady that came up to my pickup. She began tapping on my door. Her tapping semi startled me. I asked, “How can I help you?”
She said, “I never heard anybody pray like that before.”
I like to pray out loud when I pray to my King. Not only were their windows rolled down so were mine. She then said, “It sounded like you were talking to somebody sitting next to you.”
I said, “We are supposed to have that type of relationship with our King that we can just talk to him about any of our needs. Today, I’m just asking my King to prepare the hearts for the families in need that I am going to help today.”
She then started crying as I said this. She replied, “My husband John and I along with our three kids were praying just now for a miracle so that we could buy food today. We were about ready to go into the store and see if we could set up an account in some way to purchase food until my husband gets paid. We just did not know how to present this situation to the manager. We just need food and groceries to get us by for at least one week. As we pulled up near your vehicle I could hear you pray. I said to my husband I need to go over and talk to this guy. He seems to know how to talk to God.”
She then asked me if I could pray for her. I then got out of my pickup with my Bible in one hand and got ready to pray. Her husband John and their three kids began getting out of the van at the same time. Their little 5 year old daughter introduced herself to me and said, “My name is Samantha. But I like Sammy for short. It almost sounds like your name, but slightly different.”
Before I got the first word out, Sammy reached out and grabbed my free hand. It was an emotional moment when her hand touched mine. I am a total stranger to her but yet she came up and she held my hand. Children are amazing. Their hearts are pure when they’re young and they still believe nothing is impossible. I totally understand why Jesus Christ said, “Let the little children come unto me.” He totally understood what childlike faith is.
I said, “God brought me here to bless you. I was waiting here for you. God told me exactly how to park so that you would hear me praying.”
She said, “We came here looking for a miracle.”
As I was getting ready to pray, a 1968 Buick family car pulled up. This car was huge in size. It looked like a boat. A family of four got out of the car and walked towards us. They said, “We noticed that you guys were praying. We were wondering if we could do anything to help you pray.”
John said, “When we pulled up, we could hear this man praying.” He then shared everything that I said to his family.
The other couple then said, “God also asked us to come here to pray and to expect a miracle. Because we need groceries too.”
It was so cool how this last family thought of us even though they were needing groceries. Their first thoughts were, “How can we pray for this other family?” That was more important to them then getting fed. The needs of other people were in their hearts. I then had both families come together into a circle so we all could pray together. The adults began praying first. Sammy still had a tight grip on my hand. I started the prayer. John said the next prayer and his wife Ruth followed him. The last couple, whose names are Phil and Rosemary, prayed last.
Sammy closed with a prayer of her own, “Thank you Jesus for bringing Sonny here and for Blue Mustang for allowing us to get groceries because I really needed some milk right now.” She then ended, “I believe in miracles.”
I asked her, “Where did you learn how to pray like that?”
She said, “I hear my Mommy and Dad pray for me when I go to bed. They almost sound like you but not really.”
I asked, “What do you mean by that?”
Sammy replied, “They only pray for a little bit and then it’s over. But when they go away, I pray to God to. Sometimes I fall asleep praying.”
She was so honest, just sharing everything in her heart. It is now time to bless the families. I said, “This is what God has given to Blue Mustang that he has given to me for you.”
I had already shared with her earlier about my brothers in this ministry. When I mentioned their names, like most kids, they think Blue Mustang and Terry Bird are cartoon characters. I always love it how kids are fascinated with my spiritual brothers.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the $280 that had already been sorted into two separate piles. I handed each family $140. They began crying as they realized that their miracle just happened.
Sammy then said, “Does this mean I can get cereal and milk?” I confirmed that she could. She then exclaimed, “Oh, I just can’t wait! I love Captain Crunch cereal!”
I said, “You know what? So do I!”
I went back to my pickup and opened the back door. I pulled out a large brand new box of Captain Crunch cereal. She then said, “You really must love Captain Crunch cereal too.” I then saw the expression change on her face. She solemnly said, “Yeah, if I could only have a glass of milk.”
I said, “So you need a glass of milk?”
She said, “Yeah, I would just put the cereal in that glass of milk and have a snack.”
I turned around to go to the back to my pickup. I had my cooler in there. I always keep a gallon of milk for the gangs because they love milk with their cereal and donuts. I gave her one of my plastic cups. We poured some cereal and some milk into the cup. She started eating and I could see her eyes roll back from the delight of eating something she has not had in a while. She exclaimed, “This is heaven.”
I just loved the way she said that. It’s amazing how simple it is to us but extraordinary to her to have cereal to eat. Both families wanted me to go shopping with them so we went into the store to get groceries together. Both families separated and bought what they needed but not what they wanted. Sammy brought that box of Captain Crunch cereal of mine into the store and began sharing the cereal with all the kids from both families. They continued to snack while they shopped.
The manager who was a Christian came up to us and said, “I have never seen a kid hold a box of cereal all the time while they were shopping. I saw them come into the store eating the cereal. I assumed they were just hungry and God showed me they were starving. I then went to the employees and talked it over with them.”
The manager had two $200 gift cards to give each family. All the employees had pitched in to bless these families. He wanted to make sure they had enough to be able to come back and get more groceries later. I then explained to the manager where the cereal came from. I said, “I always keep a box in my pick-up just in case I don’t get a chance to go out and get anything to eat. I can just snack on the Captain Crunch cereal to get by.”
Everyone who knows our King and has a need should be praying like these families. I experience God answering their prayers time after time. I am proof that he does. Next week it will be the same. His people will be praying to him. He will hear their prayers and he will send me or someone else who has a heart to bless. Even as of this writing, my King is hearing his people’s prayers and will send someone to their aid at the proper time. Please believe in a miracle. Step out in faith and make it happen. Always remember the scripture:
Matthew 7:7-8
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Our actions are what God is looking for. It is now time for me to witness to the gangs to bring them the message of Jesus Christ. He is ready to change their lives too.