Beth Brown was with her family at dinner recently at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Greenfield when a waitress approached their table with a question – and a story to tell.

Brown, the assistant principal of Shepherd Academy, was wearing a Shepherd Community T-shirt. And the waitress asked her if she worked at Shepherd.

Brown said yes, and the waitress’ face lit up with joy. Then she shared her story.

“Shepherd has a special place in my heart and will always be important to me,” the waitress told Brown.  “Shepherd basically saved my dad’s life! I love that place – they helped my dad in so many ways. He was homeless, and they helped him. Gave him so much food, helped him live, he got to live in an RV, and so much more.”

The waitress said that her father had died a couple of months earlier, and she sorted through his belongings after his death.

“I’ve found tons of Shepherd bags,” she said. “He loved you guys so much. Thank you for all you did for him – I’m forever grateful.”

Brown asked the waitress her father’s name. “Jack King,” she said. “And he loved you all.”

Brown told the woman she was sorry for her loss and thanked her for sharing her story. Then Brown promised to pray for the waitress and her family.

But the story doesn’t end there.

Minutes later, the restaurant manager stopped at Brown’s table. “You work at Shepherd?” the manager asked. “I have a great memory of Shepherd Community. I used to be in charge of food at one of the Indy missions. Shepherd worked with me, and we had a good partnership, serving the community. It’s a really great place – good people there!”

The manager then stepped away from the table, and Brown and her family, satisfied not just with their food but with good feelings about how Shepherd blesses neighbors in so many ways, finished their meal.

“It was a beautiful reminder that our reach is much farther than our immediate zip codes,” Brown said. “We are able to touch many, many souls for Christ – and that matters!”