The story of how God brought two moms together in His perfect timing.

Sarah: Last August, our close neighbors were about to move out of state, and our family was down in the dumps about losing them. Babysitting a child from a difficult situation, I was feeling overwhelmed. I had promised the child a kiddie pool and although it was inconvenient, I sensed that it was high time to fulfill the commitment for her. 

We were returning from Walmart with the pool, and since the day was getting late, we stopped at our local Subway to take sandwiches back to the house for lunch. In the line in front of us was a mom whose two children seemed deeply interested in mine. I felt a draw to connect with them, but between having a notorious reputation for befriending everyone I meet (which doesn’t always end well) and needing to herd children in the shop, I resisted the urge to make any small talk. At the very last opportunity before she walked away, I spoke up. “So, do you live around here?”

Maria: It was our first day of homeschool; I was very nervous but felt the morning had gone great, so I asked the kids if they would like to get Subway for lunch. 

When Sarah spoke to me, I answered, “Yes, I live in a subdivision on [Sarah’s road].” 

Sarah described where she lived and let me know we were welcome to come over so my kids could play with hers. She didn’t give me an address or phone number. Being fairly new to the area, I started wondering how I would find her house. In that moment, I had a literal vision of her driveway, not remembering it from previous trips down the road. 

I tried in vain to search online to find what she described, but kept seeing in my mind what I now know is her driveway. The next morning, we got ready to go find her, and despite second guessing myself, I kept going until I saw the driveway I had been envisioning since the day before. I turned in, but decided to ask at the house next to the road, and the lady let me know there was a woman down the driveway that had four kids. In I drove, and there was Sarah!

Sarah: Remembering my offer that this other mom could come the next day, I spent the morning cleaning for company, wondering if she would go through with it. Midmorning, the dogs’ barking signaled the answer. 

We settled in the living room and somewhat awkwardly and nervously began to get to know each other. I learned that Maria was originally from central California, and due to the gang violence and culture, taking a stranger up on an invitation like this was one hundred percent out of character for her. After meeting her husband in Florida (another God story all its own!), who was Dominican and raised in Puerto Rico, they moved to our area to be near his family, but they had no other connections here.

A few days later, I cut my finger on a mandolin slicer badly enough that washing dishes wasn’t very feasible. Maria offered to help me in this way and we spent several days at the sink getting to know each other even more. Maria: Before meeting Sarah, my husband had been thinking about reading the Bible and connecting more with God. Although his mom began to take him to church as a teenager, he hadn’t learned about the true, consistent lifestyle of genuine Christ-following. After being raised Catholic, my mom started taking me to a Protestant Christian church when I was a teenager. I was baptized and very involved. The friendship that Sarah and I built was a sign to my husband, and he started praying at every meal and was ready to look for a local church. He was amazed at the role of the Holy Spirit working out the many details of our newfound friendship. 

Sarah: Less than a month later, I was at the park peeling peaches while the kids played. Another mom with two cute kids were there and we struck up a conversation. It occurred to me how much in common these two new acquaintances would have. Knowing that Maria would appreciate the connection, I asked this Hispanic mom if she would be interested in meeting her, and she agreed – later she told us she had been praying for mom friends locally. They both came to our house for our first playdate, and we have since visited each other’s homes and enjoyed time spent together, including a special Mother’s Day party this year.

Maria: Last summer, Sarah sent me a picture of serrano peppers and had mistakenly bit one, thinking it was just a jalapeño. Despising highly spicy food, she asked if I wanted them, and I told her that those peppers were a splurge in our grocery budget that I was avoiding for the time being, as my husband’s hours had been unexpectedly cut. I was amazed that yet again, there was an uncanny – clearly providential – situation between us. Sarah said she didn’t usually plant that variety, and just “happened” to pick some up in a pack from the greenhouse that growing season.

Sarah: Maria told me that she had never been apart from her children since their births – never had a date or a babysitter, and the children were three and five when we met. She told of the painful loss of her first child, Dahlia, at six months growth, and the two miscarriages that followed before she got to hold her first healthy child, after nearly three months of hospitalized bedrest and surgery due to complications. Even her miracle pregnancy was not absent of drama – she didn’t find out until six months along and is grateful to have been spared months of anxiety. They moved here from Florida only a month later!

Maria: When we first visited, I noticed that Sarah’s children were free – they were ok running around; nothing was happening to them. I had never let my children go out alone to this point. So one day, I decided I was just going to try it and let them go outside in our backyard by themselves. That was a really big step for me. Growing up in a town where drive-bys happen in the middle of the day, and witnessing multiple violent incidences, it has taken time to adjust to the safer, more laid-back culture of living in the rural east. My son got to climb in a combine at harvest time, we have enjoyed getting to see the chicks on the poultry farm, as well as having space to explore when we visit the farm.

Sarah: My children have developed a close friendship with Maria and her children. The connections have been so sweet, and we enjoyed an authentic Mexican meal that she prepared for us. She came to our church small group and enjoyed Spanish conversation with my friend who served in Bolivia. We exchanged gifts at Christmas and continue to get together and learn from and encourage each other. 

We have dreams of getting a milk cow together and seeing what the Lord has for us in years to come. 

Through all the circumstances of our meeting and connections, and the way this has all worked to draw us all closer to God, we can see His hand at work through our relationship, and are grateful that God cares about the little things. Moms meeting by the prompting of the Holy Spirit in a Subway line, sharing Serrano peppers, and enjoying the richness of neighboring friendship - often over a hot cup of Mama Java.