A Coke and A Smile
May 04, 2012
My husband and I are house parents with Alabama Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries on their Mobile campus. Serving on staff for over three years has not only been challenging but an honor to serve the boys and girls who need help. Over the years, we have had the privilege to meet some incredible people and see and do some pretty amazing things. This past Wednesday, April 4, was one of those moments.
We were invited to the Coca-Cola plant in Mobile to their annual picnic that recognizes employees, honors workers, and hosts a speaker. We were delighted to get that invitation again. They also asked us to get the shoe sizes of the kids before we came because they were going to purchase new shoes for all the kids on campus. Wow!
After eating with 300-plus Coke employees, we heard former Alabama running back Siran Stacy share his testimony and offer an invitation to accept Christ. Several men stood up all over the enclosed, white tent showing they wanted to receive Christ ... yes, AT A COKE PLANT. We also learned that a couple of years ago, this plant rewrote its company statement to: Honor God and Serve Others. Wow!
Later we walked inside and were asked to sit down in the chairs provided. The room was decorated with Coke products of all kinds. Here our children would receive their new shoes. Once the child had found his or her seat, a Coke employee began taking off the shoes and socks of the child and placing the child’s feet in a bucket. Carefully, the Coke employee started washing the feet of the child. It was an amazing and beautiful sight -- all over the room you could see Coke employees carrying new boxes of shoes, buckets of water being poured over feet, a bit of a confused look on some children’s faces, and new shoes and socks being placed on the children’s feet. It was a beautiful sight I will never forget.
That a company of this magnitude would humble themselves by washing the feet of children showed an attribute of Christ. It was an astonishing sight.
I know that these precious children will not forget that moment. I pray that what's embedded in their hearts is that Jesus Himself humbled Himself to the point of death so that they may live in eternal freedom.
"A coke and a smile" now has a new meaning for me!
By Dani-Ga Chester
ABCH House Parent