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