07/09/2026
Some nights, you sell boiled peanuts.
Some nights, God sends you a reminder that people are carrying stories far heavier than anything you can see.
Tonight, we met one of those reminders.
An 86-year-old woman named Ms. Laretha pulled up to our peanut stand, driving a big truck like she'd been doing it her whole life. She wasn't in a hurry. She stayed awhile, talked with us, laughed a little, and before long, she shared a piece of her heart.
She told us she was on her way back to her daughter's house after visiting the property where her home had burned down.
Then she smiled and said her daughter thinks she's a little crazy because she goes back there almost every day. Sometimes she sits in her truck. Sometimes she sits under a tree. And there, in the middle of what used to be her home, she talks to Jesus.
"That's where my peace is," she said.
She told us she prays every day that God will restore what was taken from her. Her greatest desire isn't anything extravagant. She simply wants a double-wide trailer so she can go back home. She loves her daughter dearly and is thankful for her, but there's something about your own little piece of country, your own front porch, your own place to call home. That's what her heart longs for.
From the moment I saw Ms. Laretha, my heart softened. There was just something about her—gentle, genuine, full of quiet faith. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was supposed to pray with her.
So I asked if I could.
She smiled and said yes.
Right there beside our little peanut stand, we prayed. I asked God to keep His hand of protection on her, to strengthen her faith, to bless her with the desires of her heart, and to make a way for her to return home. I prayed that He would restore what the fire had taken and remind her every single day that He has never left her side.
When we finished, I realized she had blessed us far more than we could have ever blessed her.
Her faith wasn't loud.
It wasn't flashy.
It was the kind of faith that quietly sits beneath a tree on burned ground and still believes restoration is coming.
She reminded me so much of Miss Clara from The War Room—a woman whose greatest strength wasn't in what she owned, but in the relationship she had with the One who held her future.
Ms. Laretha, if somehow you see this—or if someone who loves you shares it with you—I hope they also tell you how much you blessed our souls tonight. Thank you for reminding us that peace isn't found in perfect circumstances. It's found in the presence of Jesus. I'll be praying that one day soon, you'll pull that big truck into your own driveway, step onto your own porch, and thank God for another answered prayer.
Because I believe He is still in the business of restoration. Will those of you who believe with me, join is in prayer.
"He restores my soul." — Psalm 23:3