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Random Acts of Kindness Tour: When God Walked With Me
My church gathers monthly for a Random Acts of Kindness Dinner where we share a donation and person is picked for the month to disperse the donation to random organizations or people. When we last gathered for the Random Acts of Kindness dinner, I honestly thought the hardest part would be deciding where the funds should go.
I had $408.
At first, I approached it like a project. I told myself I would plan it all out—decide who would receive what, map out the stops, and take care of everything efficiently. It felt manageable. Straightforward. Easy.
Little did I know, God had other plans.
From the beginning, I felt clear about one thing: I wanted a portion of the funds to go toward Christmas presents for the clients I work with at Road to Home. Road to Home is a transitional inpatient community, and many of the clients there live with very limited income and little to no family support. For many of them, holidays can feel especially quiet and overlooked.
I wanted this to feel special for them.Not extravagant—just thoughtful.Not flashy—just full of care.
So I started planning. I imagined myself driving around, stopping here and there, dropping off money and support. I thought the process would be smooth and predictable.
And then something unexpected happened.
One morning, while cleaning out a drawer in my kitchen, I came across a pair of hearing aids.
They stopped me in my tracks.
Six months earlier, Carol had given them to me. Her father no longer needed them, and she passed them along in case they might help someone else. I remember receiving them, setting them aside, and then—like so many things—we both moved on. I had completely forgotten they were there.
Standing in my kitchen, holding those hearing aids, I felt it clearly:
This wasn’t random.This was God walking with me.
In that quiet moment, my neatly planned kindness tour shifted. What I thought was about distributing money suddenly became about paying attention—to what was already placed in my hands, to the needs around me, and to how God often works through forgotten drawers and unexpected moments.
The funds weren’t just about spending.They were about listening.Noticing.Trusting.
And once I let go of controlling the plan, the path began to unfold—step by step, moment by moment—with God walking right alongside me.
Holding those hearing aids in my hands, I knew what the next step was.
I decided to take them to Deaf and Hearing Services of Lake County.
This is one of those organizations that quietly does extraordinary work. They help cover the cost of interpreters, provide access to essential services, and ensure that people who are Deaf or hard of hearing are not left navigating life alone. They also accept used hearing aids, sending them to a local audiologist who refurbishes them and then provides them to low-income residents right here in Lake County.
While I was there, I was told about a client who would be coming in soon—someone who would need financial help to cover the cost of an upcoming visit. Without hesitation, I decided to pay for that visit.
It felt like another gentle nudge.Another moment of, This is why you’re here.
Then came the next surprise.
As I walked back to my car, I realized I was parked right next to the Leesburg UMC Thrift Store. I decided to get a little nosy and learn more about it. The store is called The Opportunity Store, and before I knew it, I was being given a tour by the founder of the mission.
She was warm, kind, and full of stories.
She shared that the mission started 30 years ago with the purpose of helping fund organizations and ministries in the community. As she walked me through the space, I was struck by the abundance—the history, the generosity, the quiet faithfulness that had been poured into this place over decades.
I left the store that day with gratitude—and I left them a donation as well.
A few days later, the kindness kept unfolding.
I was chatting with a friend on Facebook when he mentioned he was helping a low-income couple who drive for Uber Eats. They had recently been in an accident and were struggling to keep up. I asked him a simple question: How much would help right now?
The amount he shared was exactly what was needed to cover their insurance payment. And just like that, another piece of the kindness found its way to where it was needed most.
Then, a couple of days later, while talking with another friend about the Random Acts of Kindness Tour, he unexpectedly said, “I want to give $40.”
Without hesitation, I knew where that money should go. I offered to donate it to Building Blocks Ministries, and once again, kindness moved forward—multiplied by someone else’s willingness to join in.
By this point, I started to notice something shifting.
It wasn’t just that I was giving.Random acts of kindness were beginning to happen all around me.
Recently, I began taking my clients to AA meetings at Together We Can. After one of the meetings, it was shared that during the holidays, the center opens every two hours to provide food and host gatherings—offering the community a safe, dry place to be together.
As I listened to the stories shared in that meeting, I felt deeply moved. There was honesty, vulnerability, and hope in that room.
I reached into my pocket and realized I still had money left.
Without overthinking it, I gave the remaining amount. I was told it would be used to help pay for food during those holiday gatherings.
And in that moment, it all came together.
It was about paying attention.
The Random Acts of Kindness Tour was no longer about deciding where money should go. It had become a living reminder that when we slow down and notice, God is already at work—inviting us to join in.
I didn’t orchestrate these moments.I noticed them.
And again and again, I felt God walking right alongside me—guiding not through grand gestures, but through small, faithful acts of attention.
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Random Acts of Kindness Tour: When God Walked With Me
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