The new pocket park fascinated me, and I set out on a nice day to see it. The day was warm, and I imagined drinking a mango bubble tree on a patio chair beneath a shady tree.
I ordered the drink, and then found that I’d brought no money. “We take cards,” the youth said, but I had no cards. I walked on for several more blocks until I found the park. Padlocked gates greeted me. I peeked through the fence at the loveliness of the landscaped place with small tables, resting chairs, and a pavilion. I was sad that it wasn’t open for me. I felt like I’d walked in vain.
Then I remembered the man who by appearance wasn’t from a Christian culture. A small daughter on a pink scooter rode beside him. As we passed on the sidewalk, I heard him say, “Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.”
I also said, “Thank you, Jesus.”
And the man said, “Amen.”
“Amen,” I replied, and I laughed because of the joy-filled encounter. The walk was not in vain.
As Laurence and I like to do before going to Trader Joe’s, we stopped first that same evening at Panda Express for chow mein and orange chicken. A man left the ordering line and came over to where we sat. He asked, “Is there a Mennonite Church in NYC?”
We gave him the address of Sugar Hill Mennonite in Harlem where we worship. As he turned to go, I inquired, “How do you know about the Mennonites?”
“I used to be Amish. I left and never went back, but I’ve kept my faith.”
The man picked up his take-out order and went out the door. He was dressed for the heat and I could not picture him being Amish: wearing a wide-brimmed hat and suspenders. However, God knew his past. God knew ours. He knew how to direct our steps when we left the apartment. He knew when the bus would come that would take us from Broadway to the second stop on Woodhaven. He knew when the light would turn green for us to cross the wide boulevard and how many steps it would take for us to enter the restaurant. God knew we’d choose a table by the customer line…
This is all too big for me, but it isn’t for God.
Berniece
An Ordinary Life 
Thank you for sharing about your encounters! And a mango bubble tea DOES sound good:)
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I love how our steps are guided, if we only pay attention. This happened a few days ago~
Finding a broken part from the cutter in a freshly cut field of alfalfa seems impossible. After looking around the area we decided it could possibly be, I was just standing and thinking. I looked down and saw the sun shining on something gold. I moved the hay back and there lay the part that had been covered up with alfalfa.
Thank you, Jesus!
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