On the Road

Today I had an interesting beginning for the new week.  It started pretty calm but when I got my second call it was to an address I had been to once before.  And I made a note to self that if that address comes again, I will decline the job.  My first week on the job I went to this address where I encountered a man who was screaming and cursing and expressing his distain for all white people to anyone who would listen.  He came at me and although I quickly opened the door thinking he was going to leave he let me know that he also hated me.  I chose not to ask why or express my sorrow that he didn't like me.  Fortunately, I wasn’t transporting him! Move forward to a few weeks later as I followed Google maps and realized, as I got close to the destination, why I recognized the address. I had a prayer in my heart that if he was still around and angry at all white people, I wouldn’t have to hold the door for him.  He wasn’t there but this time I drove up to see three employees trying to calm down a young woman who was determined not to go where they wanted me to transport her to.  I sat quietly in my car hoping that she would continue to refuse entry but once given the option to go back into the facility that involved locked cells she finally agreed to get into my car.  Imagine my dismay when I found out that I had a 40-mile drive ahead of me to get her to her next residence.  Being the grandma that I am I told her that I was glad I could drive her.  I couldn’t help but smile when I had a flash back to my school days as she put two fingers together and zipped her mouth shut.  Actually, I found that pretty reassuring.  I did ask her if she would mind if I listened to my book on tape and she nodded in agreement so on it went.  Probably not my best idea as the readers voice came alive talking about the murder in the mystery book I was listening too.  I didn’t want to insult her by turning the tape off so I just hoped that her past history didn’t involve doing bodily harm to anyone. 

That was the beginning of my day and I am happy to share that at the end of my day I met a woman in her golden years who asked me if I had been “saved”?  I told her that I try to be saved every day.  She further wanted to know if I had been baptized in water and I told her I had been when I was 10 years old.  She was very proud of me!  She then told me of her conversation from being a Catholic to becoming a Christian.  It was a very beautiful story in which God told her if she wanted to know Him she needed to read the book on her nightstand.  And she did.  For the 45 days of Lent, she read the Bible each day and came to know Heavenly Father and Jesus.  She said when she learned about them, she learned that she didn’t need to drink anymore and she found a different church to become a member of.  The rest has become history.  And today she got to bear her testimony to me and I was able to bear mine to her.  Win-Win.