I was beside my mother and asked her if we could help the lady behind us. She was more than happy to help. The truth is, something stirred in me, telling me to help this woman. But even more, her own dire situation reminded me of when I first immigrated to the United States as a four-year-old child. My family and I didn't have much and we relied heavily on the kindness of strangers. Yet God took care of my family and me, providing for us, to the point of where we are today.
I asked the woman, who looked quite frail and skinny, if she wanted anything to eat. And she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "Yes. Thank you. My name is Lynette." Then I asked the little girl for her name and what she wanted to eat. She said, "I'm Angel. I'd like a sausage biscuit please." And I asked Lynette what she wanted. Then, as I ordered my own food, I talked to Angel, asking her how old she is. I discovered that she is four-years-old.
As we got our order, I gave them their meal, and they decided to sit next to us. When they got their food, they prayed to God thanking him for the food he provided. My family prayed as well, and after, we started to talk to them. I learned that Lynette and Angel were from North Carolina and Lynette's husband had them move away to L.A. where he cheated on her with several woman. She now has HIV. She's been living with a friend all this time, but she and her daughter has been sleeping on the floor. Unfortunately, the bugs on the floor weren't too friendly, and her daughter has several bug bites. Then, Lynette thanked us for the food, saying that for her, it's been two days since she last ate, because she has been giving food to her daughter.
I examined her daughter, who has the most beautiful brown curly hair, and a missing front tooth. You can tell that she is a mix of African American descent. And to anyone, she looks incredibly healthy, and her mom did a great job in making her look presentable--no one would have known that she and her daughter were poor. My dad and my aunt gave her some extra money. She immediately used the money to buy food and told us that she will be buying an air mattress for her daughter at Big 5 Sporting Goods with the rest of the money because her daughter deserved to sleep on a bed. She asked us to stay at McDonalds while she and her daughter go buy one. Minutes later she returned to McDonalds with the air mattress and showed us the receipt.
I told her that she didn't have to do that--that we believed her. But she said that it was her principle to prove to the people that give to her that she is an honest woman, and that she was using the money we gave her for good and for her daughter. She said that there were a lot of people that get money and end up using it to buy alcohol or cigarettes. I admired that aspect of her. She wasn't trying to fool us; she wasn't using her daughter to get money from strangers. No, she was different!
What inspired me the most about Lynette was that despite every thing that has happened to her, all the pain she had gone through, she still has great faith in God, having faith that God will always provide for her. And in many ways, He has. Many people would say that she was a crazy woman to believe in such a false hope. But if you were there, seeing this, and hearing this, you'll be inspired to examine your own lives. Lynette told me that without her faith, she probably would not have had the will to live. She and her daughter made me take a look at my faith--if I had everything taken away from me, everything I had ever loved, will I still have such a faith? Do I only praise God when He blesses me, and will I still praise God when I experience such adversity and obstacles? Have I become so materialistic in America, that I really don't serve God, but have made idols of the materials I own?
There at McDonalds, my heart broke for Lynette and Angel. But God showed me that He does provide for His children, and more importantly, He uses people like you and me to provide for our brothers and sisters. If we are people who have the ability to give, then we should give. And the blessings will come pouring back at us. It certainly did for me.
As I said goodbye, I prayed that God would continue to provide for them, and I thanked God for always providing for me.
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