An Unexpected Blessing at the Garage Sale
by Paul Woodward
Our Annual Garage Sale was a huge success this year, thanks to the many volunteers who worked tirelessly to make it happen. On Saturday, in the middle of the busy day, three Chick-fil-A runs were made to provide 190 sandwiches for our hardworking volunteers—ensuring that everyone was taken care of… well, almost everyone.
One of our dedicated volunteers, David Gonzalez, accidentally got skipped over for lunch. (Which, by the way, meant we had 191 volunteers that day—amazing!) After some friendly back-and-forth, he finally agreed to let me buy him a Machette (a giant taco-style dish) from the eatery next to our DSA office.
When we arrived, the line was long, and despite waiting patiently, no one seemed to be taking our order. Then, out of nowhere, the server handed us a Machette. Confused—and with a language barrier between us—I tried to explain that we hadn’t even ordered or paid yet, but she insisted.
That’s when a kind, bilingual woman in line started laughing and explained, “She’s giving it to you because she’s been watching all week and loves what the church is doing.”
What started as a simple lunch run turned into an unexpected blessing. The whole line shared in the moment, and this act of kindness led to a new connection between Claudia Ingles and the eatery employee. They exchanged numbers, and soon after, Claudia invited her to visit Impact.
And just recently, this generous employee came to Impact for the first time on a Wednesday night!
This unexpected moment was a beautiful reminder that God is always at work, even in the smallest of interactions. One meal, one act of generosity, and one new connection—who knows what He has planned next?
