EBT payment was not working so...

My wife and I were recently at the grocery store and there were two young mothers in line in front of us.  They were trying to use their EBT cards to pay for the groceries and it wasn't "going thru".  The groceries were completely bagged up and ready to go, but without payment the cashier was preparing to call for assistance to restock all of the items and send them home empty-handed.  My wife glanced over at me knowing that this would be a situation that we could assist with.  I nodded in agreement and we told the cashier that we would be happy to pay their bill.  The young ladies were very confused at first, but once they  figured out what had happened, they immediately began crying and gave us both very emotional hugs.  The total bill for both was over $180 (they had a lot and groceries are expensive you know) but it was well worth it for the joy that we shared with them that night.  It wasn't a "stealthy" act of service since they knew who we were, but I thought I would share it.

Happy Birthday at the Pizza House

Hey Stealth Servant,  I was eating lunch with my wife at the Pizza House and we overheard the guys at the table next to us say they were celebrating a birthday, so I went to the counter and said that we would love to pick up the tab for their lunch annonymously.  We didn't quite get away with the "annonymous" part, but it was fun anyway.  The guys were very appreciative.

Free Rent for Christmas!

I own a duplex and there are a couple of recently divorced single moms living there.  I know that the transition has been a struggle and they have had some other problems which have made this year a tough one for them financially.  My family has been blessed enough to be able to tell them to keep their rent checks for the second half of December.  Its not much, but I know that it certainly helped reduce the financial strain of the Christmas season for their families.  I could certainly tell from their e-mailed responses that I made their day (and mine too.)
Anonymous

Free $5 Footlong

Just wanted to submit a quick and easy one I did today:

I paid for my Subway sandwich and left $5 for the next person who came in.  I hope they enjoy their free $5 Footlong!

Anonymous

Free Haircut

I was at GreatClips the other day and I decided to buy an extra hair cut for the attendant to give to someone that she thought might need a little help.   The attendant seemed genuinely thankful and it occurred to me that even after paying for my haircut and the extra one, I was still spending way less on a haircut than my wife.  When I walked out, I felt pretty good about myself because I had a new haircut and I had hopefully made someone's day, all for only 14 extra bucks!

Annonymous

A perfect example for the upcoming holiday season...

Stealth Servants:  If you don't know who Larry Stewart is, you should!  He's the legendary Secret Santa from the Kansas City area that should be a inspiration to all of us.  For more background on Larry, follow this link:

http://www.daveramsey.com/specials/christmas-articles/article/secret-santas-legacy-lives-on/ictid/christmas-article/

Happy Giving!

Kindness In The Grocery Store

I was in the grocery store and there was an older woman in front of me who had a few grocery items and was trying to pay for them with a food stamp debit card.  The card was not going through and she explained to the cashier several times that this was a new program and it did not always work.  The cashier said that she would need to pay cash for her groceries as the system was not accepting the card she was using for payment.  The woman very quietly explained that she would need to put the food back as she did not have the funds to pay in cash.  I asked if she would let me pay for them to which she said - "Oh no, I can't pay you back right away" and I said "It would be my pleasure to pay for the groceries"  I went on to explain to her that I had a Mother who lived 45 minutes away and who did not drive or have a car and that she had wonderful neighbors who took care of her since I lived far away and this was my way of paying it forward to her.  She insisted that I give her my phone number or address so that she could send me the money and I said no - I would like to be able to do this for her and that I understand how the new food stamp cards may not always work each time, etc.   The grocery store clerk explained that the woman's groceries totalled $6.30.  She was astounded that I had offered to pay for the groceries without even knowing the total.  I left the store feeling pleased that I was behind the woman in line and thinking there was a reason I chose that line instead of the other open lines at the store that night.  Since that day, my life has been going very well for me and while there is no way for me to be sure it has anything to do with my Random Act of Kindness, I like to think it is God's way of paying it forward.


From Sandy in PA

Another Great Reason to Serve Others

The following is from an e-mail that I just received requesting some Stealth Servant cards:  


"I would love to have some of the Stealth Servant cards.  What a great thing to do.  Our family has been struggling and so many people have helped us and I would love to have some of these to help somebody else who is struggling.  We would not have made it if it wasn't for God and our church family.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family."


I love this person's attitude, and I think this highlights another great reason to participate in serving others, to show appreciation for the blessing we have been given, especially when we have been struggling.  So, even if you have your own struggles right now (and a lot of people do), go out there and make something great happen for someone else, you'll be amazed at how much better you'll feel.


Stealth Servant

Thanks to Fellowship Bible Church

I just want to say a quick thank you to whoever posted a link to this site on the Fellowhip Bible Church FaceBook site, I have noticed the increased traffic already.  For those of you visiting for the first few times, thanks for your "stealth servanthood" and please don't hesitate to e-mail me at stealthservant@gmail.com to get some "Stealth Servant" cards.  I love to send them out!

Have fun doing nice things for others.

Stealth Servant

A New Transmission, a New Idea

My wife and I recently found out that the transmission from her SUV had to be replaced at a cost of $3500.  Ouch!  Anyway, our family is blessed to have money saved in case of this kind of emergency.  It occurred to me that there are many folks out there who can't afford even minor repairs to their vehicles when things break down.    I decided to have the auto repair shop add $50 to my bill for someone else.  After discussing it a bit, the manager at the shop decided to make a gift certificate (to which the shop would kick in some money too!) and give it to his pastor for someone in the congregation who might need it (with a "stealth servant" card enclosed.  While I hope this $50 investment helps someone else, I can already tell you that it helped me because I was able to focus on someone else's needs instead of feeling sorry for myself because of my big repair bill.

Anonymous

Free $50 for the gas station attendant - the kids loved it

I wanted to share what our family did on Christmas Eve.  We put $50 in a Christmas card (we included a "stealth servant" card as well) and as a family we discussed if there was anyone in particular that we wanted to surprise.  We couldn't really come up with anyone so we decided to give it to the local attendant and the convenience store near our house.  When we got there, it was already closed for Christmas eve so we redirected and found that the gas station was still open at Wal-Mart.  My two young sons were excited to be involved so we all got out of the car and went to the window.  We handed the attendant the card, said Merry Christmas! and went home.  While it was great to surprise a stranger like that, it was even better to show our kids how giving truly is better than receiving.  I was able to explain to them how the good feeling they felt from giving was better than if they had both received $25 radio controlled cars.  They both agreed! (at least for a few minutes anyway).

Anonymous

I gave a stranger a free tow!

I was driving around the mall parking lot on Christmas eve and saw a tow-truck hooking up to an old Ford Explorer.  The idea popped into my head that I should pay for the tow for whoever it was.  I debated it in my head for a second and was about to drive by when I noticed that the tow-truck had "Jesus Lives" with crosses all over it.  That sealed the deal, so I drove up and asked the tow-truck driver if I could pay for the tow.  He said "Sure, do you know this guy?"  I said "No, it was just something I want to do.  It's Christmas!".  He shrugged as if to say "okay" and went about his work.  After that I met the owner of the vehicle.  He was from Kansas and his master cylinder had failed.  We talked a bit and he thanked me very much.  I paid the tow bill (which was only $40, I was glad the weren't hauling it back to Kansas!) and as I was paying the tow truck driver shook his head in disbelief, saying "I've been doing this a long time and I've never seen this before".  It was great - I made both of these guys happy as well as another bystander who witnessed the whole thing.  The only downside was that I forgot to hand him a "stealth servant" card.

Anonymous

The Real Reason to Serve!

At Christmas, we are often reminded to "remember the reason for the season".  I want to echo those sentiments for all of you "stealth servants" out there.  I am currently reading a challenging book by John Piper called "Don't Waste Your Life".  In the book, John states that if we don't see and experience joy in God, "we will probably turn God-centered motives into a kind of benevolence that tries to do good for man without knowing what the greatest good really is-namely, all-satisfying pleasure in God." 
While I want anyone and everyone to feel the joy of giving selflessly to others, it is more important to convey the love and joy of our God to the people we serve.  After all, a free coffee at the coffee shop, or a surprise "Secret Santa" gift is great, but what people really need is to know and love God. 

Merry Christmas to all of you! Be generous in all that you have and keep your stories coming.
God Bless,
Stealth Servant

PS - If you are interested in reading "Don't Waste Your Life".  It is available in .pdf format here:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/OnlineBooks/ByTitle/1593_Dont_Waste_Your_Life/

Secret Santa Opportunities

Just a quick reminder to the stealth servants out there:  Christmas is a great time to start the "habit" of doing nice things for others.  This time of year there are always plenty of various needs out there that we can take care of for someone else.  Our family has always made it a point to anonymously give some money with a card to someone who might be in need.  Often we didn't even know the people.  You can leave the card on their doorstep, car window, etc.  Remember, it doesn't matter how much you can give, its definitely the thought that counts, so quit thinking about it and "Just do it!" Go out and Bless somebody and you'll find that you are Blessed too.

Stealth Servant

Free $5 at the Convenience store

I stopped at the convenience store on a business trip.  I had been thinking about "StealthServant" stuff and I decided to try it.  After I paid for my snacks, I gave the attendant $5 and a "StealthServant" card and told her to pass it on to the next customer.  I didn't stick around to see who got it, but it didn't matter, I felt good for the rest of my trip.

Anonymous

Economic Stimulus - for free!

A friend recently decided to start a business.  Knowing how difficult this is, I suggested that we meet for coffee and I brought with me a team of various business experts.  For over an hour, we reviewed my friend's business and offered specific suggestions on how to be more successful, more quickly.  These are lessons that took me months (if not years) to learn and she was absorbing it in one morning.  None of these experts were paid anything, but I think everyone felt like it was a productive morning!

Anonymous

Nice Surprise at the Bank

I was getting cash from the drive through at the bank and after I was done, I left $5 in one of the deposit envelopes in vacuum tube.  I used the "StealthServant" Card and wrote a note on the card so whoever found it would understand that it was intentionally left for them to enjoy.

A Veteran's Day Surprise

We noticed a veteran that we know having dinner at a local restaurant on Veteran's Day.  While at the restaurant we purchased a gift card to the restaurant to give to someone else.  We left the restaurant and were getting into our car when I mentioned to my husband that we should leave the gift card for the veteran.  My husband said he was thinking the same thing!  I went back in and gave the server the gift card and a "Stealth Servant" card and asked that he give them to the veteran.  It made us feel really good to do it, our only regret was that we didn't get to see the look on his face when he got the card.

Anonymous

Everyone needs a lift once in a while!

I have had a few people ask me about the best way to direct acts of service to people who "need" them.  My answer to them is "don't worry about it".  Anyone, rich or poor, can be having a bad day, week, month.  Just because someone may not be in need, doesn't mean that they wouldn't benefit by receiving a small blessing from someone for no reason.  In fact, if they are touched, someone who is a bit better off will be in a better position to be a "stealth servant" to someone else. 

Don't forget to send us your stories and e-mail us if you need cards at "stealthservant@gmail.com".

Happy Day!

I recently received a "StealthServant" card along with money in my mailbox at my office.  It's amazing to me how folks know just when you need a boost.  All the envelope said was "Happy Day".  What a blessing!  Thank you to whoever was so thoughtful.

Anonymous