The Power of Relationships

Sometimes it can be easy to wonder just what kind of impact we are having in this world.  It is easy to lose sight of the big picture.  I just had quite a "Yea God" evening and I wanted to share a story with you.  I am not sharing this in any way to highlight myself but what God does to orchestrate things in our lives and how he uses ordinary people in this world for his plan and purposes.

As many of you know I am a baker.  But one reason I love to bake is that sharing food with people opens up doors to relationships.  I do alot of baking for our students here on the the campus, however, I do bring muffins, doughnuts, cookies, cinnamon rolls, and other types of goodies to the people that serve me here in Durham.  I am always looking for ways to love on people and to open up relationships so that we can share Christ with them.  So I have dropped baked goodies off at the bank, doctors office, post office, chiropractors office, and the dollar store.  I am in the dollar store more then anywhere else in town.  It happens to be the only place in town that has helium balloons and I love to give ballons to people for their birthday, anniversary, graduation, or just to cheer people up. (The smiley face balloon is my favorite as it works for any occasion and who doesn't like to have a smiley faced balloon!)  David is the owner of the Dollar Store.  Every time I go into the dollar store David asks me ,"Who are you celebrating today?" I bring more baked goodies into the dollare store then any other place in town and I have done this for years.

While I was away Vern went into the dollar store to get a balloon.  David asked Vern where I have been as he hadn't seen me in the store.  Vern told him that I was away.  As they got talking David told Vern he was borrowing a friends old limousine.  The conversation continued and David told Vern how much he appreciated all the baked goods and kindness I had shown him and his daughter.  And Vern shared how much he appreciated all the many things I do for him and others.  Therefore, Vern and David thought it would be fun to do something special for me.  So they hatched a plan that Vern was going to take me on a date to express his love for me and David wanted to be our chauffeur as his thank-you for all the many goodies.  HOWEVER, this is not the end of the story!  Vern went in to talk to David about this surprise they were planning and to work on the final details of what time David should come to our house.  David said, "You and your wife come in here all the time and I don't even know your name.  Could you write your name down on a slip of paper."  So Vern wrote " Vern and Holly Dyck". When David saw our names something seemed to stand out to him.  After he showed his daughter the slip of paper she could not believe her eyes.  Seven years ago David's wife had died.  I happened to be in the store shortly after she had died and I noticed a picture of her hanging up in the store.  As I was leaving the store I mentioned the picture hanging up that had never been there before and David shared how his wife had unexpectedly died.  Having a dollar store had always been his wife's dream so he had her picture there in honor of his wife.  That day I was in a hurry and so when I got home I asked Zachary and Ruth if they could do me a favor and run to the florist to get a plant to bring into David.  I asked them if they could write a little note from us letting him know we would be thinking and praying for him.  When they got to the store to drop off the plant it was busy so they just left it on the counter without anyone seeing.  David knew no one by the names of "Vern and Holly Dyck" and so he thought we were friends of his wife's.  But for all these years it was something that had bothered him that he could never thank the person who brought him this plant during his time of grief.  It totally blew him away that we had been in his store all the time and he never knew it was us.  It was like a lightening bolt had hit him as he was already planning on being our chauffeur before he knew this new detail.  So this acually helped him have closure that he could finally say thank-you for the plant.  He said he was going to take that little slip of paper that said, "Vern and Holly Dyck" and put it in his scrap book as this had been such a meaningful moment for him to finally find who gave him that plant.  The mystery was finally solved. 

So this evening at 5:15 my little grand daughter, Aubrey, comes running into the house and says, "Grandma your wedding car is here".  I walk outside to see David, the owner of the dollar store, dressed up in a black suit standing by a limousine.  Vern had a red rose on the seat and he took me out to dinner.  I have NEVER driven in a limousine and this whole surprise blew me away.  I felt very special that Vern planned this surprise date but I was totally overwhelmed that David would take his evening, dress up as our chauffeur, spend the money on gas, and want to do this random act of kindness for us.  As Vern and I sat in the resturant I could not help but shed some tears.  I have always wanted to ride in a horse and carriage in down town Chicago (my home town).  Yes, the limousine is old and is not like the modern ones.   But this limousine ride meant more to me then any horse and carriage could ever have.  I have heard some people say that small talk is: "talk that is not needed".  I however feel that all talk is for a reason and that is to build relationships.  God has put us where we are for a reason.  We might think we have a job to make money to provide for our needs.  But really that is secondary to God's purpose of us rubbing shouders with the people that we meet each day and to be a light in this world.  We will never be able to come to a place to share God's plan of salvation with people if we aren't taking the time to talk and get to know the people we are rubbing shoulders with every day. And yes, that means talking to the cashier, talking to the tellers at the bank, and even spending a couple of minutes to connect with the person at the dollar store.  Our last stop tonight was at "Dairy Queen".  Vern and I were not going to let David just chauffeur us to this last stop.  We invited him in to have dessert with us.  However, he insisted on treating us.  We have prayed for years that God would use us to touch the lives of the people around us and here we were spending several hours riding all around the area and then sitting down sharing ice cream together with David, just a random person, who owns the dollar store in this small town of Durham.   While we were driving around in the limousine we watched the sun set.  It was such a beuatiful sunset and it was a great reminder of God's presence in our ives and how he orchestrates every detail in our lives.  God used all of "small talk" or "converations with a purpose" over the years to build this relationship and we went from acquaintances to friends on a much deeper level within a few hours.  We look forward to seeing what God continues to do in this relationship as we invest in the lives of David and his daughter.  
     As I share this long and crazy story I am doing it not to raise myself or anyone else up.  I know I need to hear stories of what God is doing in and through ordinary people.  And tonight was just another reminder to keep investing in people.  People matter to God and they should matter to us.  So as you go about your day whether at work, the grocery store, or the gas station may God help you to see the people around you, have conversations that matter, and to build into the lives of people.