Invitation to Travelers

The night temps were in around 30*. One of our congregation stopped at Family Dollar to grab an item for Wednesday Family Night. A man and his son were sitting on the curb and something pulled her over to talk to them; strangers walking from Oklahoma to Corpus Christi Texas. Matthew was from Corpus and his son, Dahlton, from Oklahoma, was going to join the Coast Guard. Matthew went to Oklahoma and the two of them started their trek on foot. The woman invited them to Wednesday Family Night but it took some convincing because they were embarrassed for several reasons. They came and initially stood off from the rest.  After much hospitality the 19yr old made new friends and his father began to relax. At the end of the evening, we couldn't let them walk in the freezing cold so we invited them to stay the night in our Family Life Center and grab a shower. Another member brought them a couple backpacks for their things. The meal leftovers were left on the counter and they were told to take bottles of water and any snacks they wanted for their trip the next day. The boy had to go outside with tears in his eyes when his father told him. He hugged many times and thanked everyone for the best night of the trip.  In the morning, another member visited with them and saw them on their way. Thank you God for the chance to make a difference in their lives and ours.