Walmart Ministry
For those of you that know Prince Albert, you know that there is a lot of crime, drugs, alcoholism, homelessness, spiritual warfare, etc.… Where all of this comes together is the battlegrounds of Walmart. If you’ve ever been to the Prince Albert Walmart, there is a good chance that someone has asked you if you have change, if you can get them pop or if you could give them a ride. All of this isn’t out of the ordinary, in fact, it’s mostly expected when you head out to get your groceries. Sunday, Aug. 28th was one of these usual days.
I pulled up to Walmart to get myself a notebook and some raspberries. I hopped out of my CRV and was immediately approached by a lady named Chantelle asking if I had a dollar. I genuinely wanted to help so I stood there looking in my wallet to see if any change had been shoved in a crevice, but it had not. So, I let her know that I didn’t have any change but asked her what she needed. I was very surprised when she was open with me and told me she wanted alcohol. I replied, “well, I’m not going to get you any of that, but would you settle for a pop?” She seemed thrilled! She walked alongside me into Walmart just chatting away. She asked if I liked her coat as it was new, and she was very excited to have it. I told her that I did and asked where she got it and she talked for another minute or so about how her cousin gave it to her.
When we got to the sliding doors, God prompted me to grab a basket for her to fill up. So, I turned and asked her, “Hey, do you need anything else? Shampoo or anything?” and she just said, “well I need some deodorant… would that be okay?”. I told her that she can get what she needs, and I gave her a basket and told her that we were going to fill this up for her. She looked at me in absolute disbelief and asked if I was sure. I told her I was, and she gave me a big hug and told me that karma isn’t always bad and that I have good karma coming my way. I told her I don’t need to believe in junk like that because I have God on my side and with Him, every day, no matter how bad, is still good.
We went to go get shampoo and she grabbed a conditioner and shampoo. She then proceeded to ask, once again, if that was okay and I reassured her that it was. She then proceeded to put them both back to grab small, to-go-sized, shampoo. I asked what she was doing, and she said that she had nowhere to put them and couldn’t carry the big ones around. I thought for half a second and saw backpacks in the distance in the “back-to-school” part by the doors. I told her we will get her a backpack then so she could carry her stuff.
We carried on getting her the larger shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, body spray, toothbrush, toothpaste, a backpack, and a couple of other hygiene things for her. I then started leading her towards the food and asked if she had anywhere to cook or store groceries. She said no. Because of this, I started going towards the granola bars and fruit cups.
We were then stopped by security. The gentleman that usually stood at the front door told me that Chantelle wasn’t allowed to be in the store because she tried stealing just the day before. I asked if it was okay if she was with me as I was getting her some essentials and they told me that she had to leave. He reassured me that she could stay outside and that she would be there when I was done. I thanked him as she went with him towards the doors and continued shopping.
I grabbed some fruit for her, some granola bars, the pop that I promised, some fruit cups and some other lightweight food that isn’t awful for your health.
I paid and then went to go outside to deliver all these things to my new friend. She was standing there with another man whom I cannot remember the name of (Earnie possibly?). I gave her the bag and she started crying and thanking me for helping her out. I asked if I could pray for her, and she said that I could. I prayed for both Chantelle and Earnie and every single time I prayed for something new she would hug me hard and thank me.
Once I was done praying, Earnie asked me if I would be willing to get him some deodorant as well as he just ran out and possibly some Axe body spray. I joked with him that I wouldn’t get him Axe because he would smell like a 16-year-old boy that doesn’t shower. He got a kick out of that.
I went inside to get the things and when I came back, I saw both him and Chantelle sitting on the ground with her bag open sharing the watermelon I had just bought her. There were also two other guys there. Both were dressed in nicer clothes that matched and had some “bling” on. I jokingly called out, “what are you guys looking for a handout to?”.
These two guys that showed up were different though. They kept calling me beautiful and telling me it was a compliment. I told him straight up, “sorry man, you’re creepy. Straighten up and maybe next time I could get you something.” Although this sounds like I was in a bad situation, I had the Lord with me and there was a sense of peace in this situation and a knowledge of how to handle it. Chantelle said, “good for you, don’t take no “crap” from him.” and Earnie also praised me for standing up to him a bit.
When I walked away to go to my car you could hear Chantelle talking to the two men that were a bit creepy and probably slightly drunk or high saying, “don’t you dare talk to her like that. She is so nice and helped me out and cared about me. If you see her again, you’re gonna say sorry”. I just smiled and continued walking to my car, forgetting that I didn’t even get my notebook and raspberries yet.
I have no idea where Chantelle is at and what kind of trouble she gets herself into, but I do know on that Sunday afternoon she was touched by the Lord. He made her feel something that she hasn’t felt in a long time, and that was genuine love.
You have the opportunity to do this too. Every time you go to Walmart or Superstore, remember that there are probably five “Chantelle’s and Earnie’s” walking around. Keep an eye out for them and remember to follow the Lord’s prompting. He will look out for you in every situation and give you peace. Remember that people like Chantelle are the ones that Jesus came to save and as believers, we are His hands and feet, and we can bless people through His power. But remember to always point it back towards Jesus. A good deed is only a good deed unless Jesus is involved, then it’s “kingdom work” and there is the power to save and do miracles.
I decided to help this girl, and when I did that’s when the Lord prompted me to get her more than a pop. Not every encounter needs to start with a gut feeling of “help this person”. It should start to just be second nature as God lives in us through Jesus’s spirit. Remember to take those moments to do God’s work. You may not think you have the means, but God provides in those situations. When you don’t know what to do, continue to do what is right in God’s eyes.
How you can help:
Encounters like this are only made possible by you, my supporters. Without your support, I financially would not have been able to bless Chantelle and Earnie. Your support is always a blessing from God and a way that you, yourself, can help be the hands and feet of Jesus. The more support I have, the easier it is to bless other people and share the gospel. God provides, and he sometimes uses you to do it!
If this encounter touched your heart, please consider joining my monthly support team. Right now, I receive $550 monthly from donors like you. I receive no outside income. To have all bills and living expenses paid, I need $1200 a month (food, car insurance, fuel, etc…). This amount does not include any extra ministry expenses like mentorship, snacks for bible study, helping people like Chantelle, or driving to visit family or other supporters of my ministry.
To give, please head over to the “support page”.
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