The Story of Ms. Tonya

Hey y'all! I thought I would tell you about the wonderful lady I met on Thursday! My mom, nana (my mom's mom), and my sister all went to Costco to pick up some things. As we pulled in the parking lot, I noticed that this older lady was sitting on her walker on the curb before you pull into the parking lot, which is pretty normal, considering this certain curb is a hotspot for homeless people. I have always loved people (if you haven't noticed yet, lol), and I really enjoy helping out people in any way I can. I try to keep gift cards in my purse so if I notice a homeless person, I can at least buy them a meal. This certain lady stuck out to me, and I immediately felt like I needed to talk to her. After we parked, my mom and I walked down there to where this lady was. She immediately smiled and we struck up a conversation. We introduced ourselves, and she said her name was Tonya. This lady had such wisdom in her eyes, it was unreal. She looked at me, cocked her head to the side, and said, "You're a good kid." And I smiled and replied and said, "Well thank you!" And she said, "No, you don't understand. God is telling me that you are a good kid, and you're going to go far in life." Ms. Tonya then proceeded to tell me I was beautiful, and she kept saying I was going to go far in life. It caught me off guard, and tears welled up in my eyes. I really couldn't speak, so I just handed her the gift cards to Chick-fil-A. The appreciation that showed on Ms. Tonya's face was so, so sweet. She immediately looked up at the blue sky and started praising the Lord for her gift cards. She said she loved Chick-fil-A, and proceeded to tell me her favorite meal there. I couldn't stop smiling, and realized this lady was so special. My mom asked if she could get a picture with me, and Ms. Tonya said yes, she would love that. She said she didn't mind going public, but she wanted to use it for the glory of the Lord. She also told me that when she was younger, she was scared to talk about Jesus, but now she wasn't ashamed and was trying to reach out to people even in her position. As we walked off, you could hear her praying, and thanking the Lord for meeting us. As I walked off, I was silently sending up a prayer of thanks to the Lord that I got to meet her. As I walked down to see her, I thought I would be a blessing to her, but in reality she was a blessing to me! She was such an inspiration to me, and I hope this story has been an inspiration to you, as well. The world is a crazy one, and we as Christians have to stand together and show kindness to everyone! Please stay safe out there, and remember that the Lord is in control ALWAYS. Spread kindness wherever you go, and often times you will be blessed for it.