Eric Jason Pena didn’t expect his stop in Starbucks in Washington state to be anything out of the ordinary. He ordered his coffee and noticed that many patrons were avoiding a homeless man in the corner of the store. Unlike those who were rolling their eyes at the man, Pena decided to hear his story.
By talking with the man, Pena learned that he was a homeless veteran who had just completed a 60 mile walk with his dog, Legacy, from Seattle to Tumwater. The veteran told Pena about how many people pretend to be Christ-like but don’t actually live their faith.
He shared a story with Pena about encountering several Seahawks football players in Bellevue, Washington. One player belittled him and made disrespectful comments but then offered a $20 in an attempt to seem Christian. The veteran rejected the money, saying that he wouldn’t take anything from someone who treated him so rudely. In contrast to the football players, Pena listened to the veteran’s story at Starbucks, then offered the man some boots from his nearby storage unit.
The man accepted the boots, and, after a halting moment, also accepted some socks from the pile of clean laundry in the back of Pena’s car. As the veteran left, Pena heard him tell his dog, “I told you God was going to take care of us”. Pena posted the story on Facebook, where it has received thousands of comments and more than 100,000 shares.
