Clean Clothes in Knoxville

After moving to our new city, I ventured out to a nearby laundromat. I prayed for divine encounters in the midst of washing clothes. The first time I went I couldn’t figure out the payment system and the old man behind the counter frowned and pointed at his watch when I came to retrieve my clothes. I hadn’t gotten the clothes out fast enough. Ugg! I hated it.

Weeks later I was at the laundromat again, settling in to read a book when two little international girls ran up to me. They were followed by a woman in a head scarf carrying a baby. ‘Are you a teacher?’ the young girls asked me. Surprised and having no idea why they would ask this, I said ‘yes’, I teach English. And so our conversation started. 

The family is from Afghanistan. After chatting about family and countries and languages, I wrote down my phone number and information about our English class and invited her to come. Well, I couldn’t believe my eyes when this woman and her three children showed up at class the very next day.  

And NOW, FOR THE REST OF THE STORY… 

I explained to my other students that I had met ‘H’ and her children in the laundromat. Another student got animated and shared that her husband was also at the laundromat that day. I was somewhat confused when she told me, but I understood completely when I went to do laundry next.  

After putting in my clothes in the washer, I sat in my usual spot and happened to look up at the old man behind the counter who was SMILING at me!  It hit me —the “old man” was my student’s HUSBAND. I officially introduced myself and he in turn, introduced me to the OWNER of the laundry mat, His SON! God had been faithfully answering my prayers, even though I didn’t know it for months. I had divinely ended up at a laundromat run by a Muslim family that I didn’t even realize I already had a connection with!