Encouragement

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Manuel
©

by

Stephen A. Peterson


Manuel was driving home on the evening of February 5, 2004 on Oklahoma State highway 9 towards Seminole, Oklahoma. Work in this Oklahoma town of roughly 7,000 souls was almost as slow as his beat-up, ten year old Chevy. But he never quit looking. Ever since the Wranger garment factory closed in October, 2003, he had been unemployed and attempting to survive doing odd jobs for anyone who gave him work. For anyone who has ever traveled down this highway, it is a quiet, scenic drive bypassing populated areas. Not very many people had reason to be on it unless they were farmers, looking for solitude or leaving a town on its route. Most of Manuel’s friends had left. They had families to feed, dreams to fulfill and wives to satisfy. But he stayed on hoping for better times. After all, Seminole is where he buried his mother, father and a sister. He was born in Seminole and knew the area well and was a friend to many.

As he drove down the highway, he saw a young woman stranded on the side of the road. He could see that she needed help so he slowed down until he came to a complete stop in front of her brand new looking Dodge. Manuel’s Chevy was still sputtering when he approached her. Although he approached her with a smile on his face, she had a worried look. No one had stopped to help her. She had been on the side of the road for nearly five hours or so. Was he going to hurt me? He did not look safe. He’s Mexican, unshaven, and looks poor were thoughts going through this young woman's mind. Manuel would see she was frightened standing on the side of the road on a cold, snowy February evening. He knew how she felt. In order to claim her fears he said, “I’m here to help you ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm. By the way, my name is Manuel—Manuel Chavez.

Well, all she had was a flat tire. So he asked if she would give him her key so that he could change her tire. She trusted him giving him the car keys. Soon he was able to change the tire. He had to get dirty and scrap his hands on the car and the jack. As he was tightening the lug nuts, she rolled down her window and began talking to him. She told Manuel that she was from New Orleans and was just passing through Oklahoma. She thanked him but Manuel just smiled as he closed her trunk.

She asked him if she could pay him something—any amount would have been fine with her. Manuel never thought about being paid anything. For him, this was not a job. In his mind, he was helping a young woman in need who was in jeopardy in an area where she was miles away from help. Manuel told her that if she wanted to pay him for fixing her flat that the next time she ran into someone who needed help to help that person. “When you do tell that person ‘I was sent by God who loves you far better than I could ever love you”. Manuel waited until she was able to start her car and drove off towards Seminole with the expectation of never seeing the woman ever again. He had spent all day in Oklahoma City looking for work. He find nothing but he felt great knowing that he was able to help someone in need.

The young woman drove until she came to a Braum’s Restaurant store just north of Seminole. Very hungry the young woman waited in line to get something to eat as she had nothing for almost 10 hours. As the young woman waited her turn to order her meal she noticed the woman who came to take her order was pregnant but worked hard to attend to her customers even though she stopped every so often to right herself and to hold her back. She noticed the pregnant woman continued to work hard to attend to the wants of her customers in spite of being screamed at by a customer who appeared dissatisfied with his order. The young woman wondered how this pregnant woman could be so patient and loving towards a person who was so abusive towards her. Then she remembered what Manuel had said a few hours before.

The young woman paid for her meal, sat down to eat and prepared an envelope. After she had finished her meal she decided to take a large coffee with her. She received the coffee from the pregnant woman then gave her a fifty-dollar bill. The pregnant woman did not have sufficient funds to change the fifty so she went to the manager to have the bill changed. When the pregnant woman returned to give the young woman her change, she was gone. On her cash register was an envelope with the words “TO THE PREGNANT WOMAN”. She picked up the envelope, opened it and read the contents of the letter that was written, “You owe me nothing. I’ve been in difficult situations too! Recently, someone helped me out when I was in a desperate, life-threatening situation. Someone helped me in the same way I’m helping you now. In this envelope is all of the cash I had left, $15,000.00. Don’t worry, I’m a very wealthy woman. I do not know how far along you are but maybe this will help you out. Maybe you can take come time off before your baby comes. If you want to pay me back, here’s what you do, when you find someone in need, help him or her in whatever way you can. God sent me to assist you in this way and demonstrated His unconditional love towards you.” Holding back her tears, the pregnant woman thanked God for her gift and the woman who was sent to her.

When the restaurant closed, the pregnant woman performed her usual tasks—cleaning off tables, re-filling holders with sugar packets and napkins in the napkin holders. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she thought about what the young woman had written and the money she received from her. How could this woman have known she and her husband needed the money? With a baby due in three months, the situation was still going to be tough if her husband was unable to find work at some point. She knew how concerned he was about being able to provide for her and their coming child. As he lay sleeping next to her, she kissed him then said in a low voice, “God is looking out for us. We’re going to be okay. I love you Manuel.”

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