Ways & Means!

I sat in a Knights of Columbus meeting a little over a week ago, listening to a missionary family from Peru asking for help. Their stories were truly amazing, and I hoped they could raise the necessary funds to continue their mission. They left, and we continued our meeting.

Time for the 50-50 drawing. I silently asked God, "If you let me win this, I'll give my half to the mission." I won and gave my $70.00 to the member who had invited them to speak.

A couple of days later, I won the 50-50 drawing at the annual "Smokin' In The Square" fundraiser by the Knights of Columbus. I hadn't made any prayer promises, but I purchased a $100.00 raffle ticket for the Little Sisters of the Poor Annual Lawn Party, one of the two charities the project funds.

Hang in there, and you'll see where I'm going with this.

It was a week for doctor rides. Several medical facilities utilize Uber for transporting patients to and from hospitals, doctors' appointments, and other health-related destinations.

I picked up a lady from a nursing home with a large wheelchair and the biggest oxygen tank I've ever encountered. She could scuba dive for a month with that thing. She requested that I pick her up after her appointment. It doesn't work that way because we never know where the next ride(s) will take us.

A few rides later, Uber sends me to pick her up. "The last guy couldn't get my wheelchair in his car. He got you to pick me up! I'm so glad he found you!" (It doesn't work that way, but I'm happy it worked out.)

The next day, more doctor rides. Ding. I arrive at the address on my app, except that number doesn't exist. I called Bob, the rider, and heard, "The number you have called is out of service."

I saw a lady about a hundred yards down the highway holding her phone and looking all around.

"Bob?" I asked. 

"That's my son, he got the ride for me. He's going through dialysis, which might be why his phone says out of service."

We arrived at the destination he had ordered.

"Oh, no. This is not the correct address! I'm supposed to go to rehab for my knee."

Uber allows us to change the final address, and since we can't contact her son, I took the liberty of inputting the correct one. She said it was just down the road, but it was actually about fifteen minutes away.

Suddenly, I hear the 'canceled ride' sound on my phone. We're still about ten minutes away. Then, I began receiving requests for more rides. Good ones. I can't accept them, which affects my acceptance rate with Uber. The lady apologizes, saying she will talk to her son and ensure he gives me a tip to make up for it. Didn't happen.

Next ride. I picked up a gentleman from the hospital who has a walker. He's had his second knee replacement. He can't sit up in the car, so he reclines in the back seat. He asks for a favor.

"Can you make a couple of stops for me on the way home? I need to go to Popeyes and to Walgreens to pick up my prescription. If you can't, I understand." 

You would think I learned my lesson from the previous ride. Along the way, Uber asks if I'm taking a detour. After getting the chicken, we head to Walgreens. Unfortunately, there's been a mix-up, and he's unable to get his pain medicine. 

When I got home that night, Uber greeted me with a notice that they had flagged my account for potential fraud. They sent me the 'rules', stating that extending rides or taking excessively long routes could result in losing my driver privileges. 

Uber has advanced technologically to the point that they don't believe you need to talk to a human. After an hour dealing with AI, messages, and emails, they straightened out my parole.

The next day had to be better. 

Uber sends me to a kids' park across the street from a church. My rider is a very large woman who can barely walk. It took a few minutes, but we got her situated.

"How's your day going?" I asked.

"Not so good," she replied. "My son died yesterday. He was 34 years old. He had brain cancer and just gave up in the last few weeks."

We rode in silence for a few miles. 

"I haven't eaten since yesterday," she said. Can you stop at the Whataburger? It's on the way."

So, we're at the drive-up. "What is your order?"

She starts digging through her purse. "I'd like a justaburger, some fries, and a jamocha shake." (Arby's is jamocha, so she changes to chocolate.)

"Would you like the kid's meal? It includes a cookie and costs less. That will be $7.82."

My rider says quietly, "I'm a little bit short."

"Don't worry, I'll get the difference,"  I tell her.

"This is all the money I have right now," she says.

"I'll get this one for you."

"You'll pay for my meal?"

"I'm happy to do that. You've had a rough time."

By this time, we had moved a few feet past the speaker.

"Well, if I had known you would pay for it, I would have ordered differently. Back up!"

She yells into the speaker, "Change that order to a #1, with large fries and a chocolate milkshake. I'd also like the cookie that comes with the kids' meal!"

"That'll be $15.98. Drive around."

On the way home, she explained that she had buried four sons, her parents, her aunt, and several others recently. When we arrived at her house, she asked, "Could you give me a little more money so I can buy my son some Whataburger later?"

I handed over the change from the twenty I had used.

Now, back where this started. God not only answered my prayer about the 50/50 drawings, but He also provided the means and the ends for their use.

I hope you have a wonderful week! Maybe I'll win the Lawn Party Raffle this Sunday!

God Bless,

Tommy