A Supernatural Event on a Summer Afternoon…Or Was It Something Else?
During the summer of 2023, while my wife, Debbie, and I were in Gaffney, South Carolina, we stopped at a drive-thru restaurant. As we were leaving, I noticed a person sitting alone at an outdoor table beneath an umbrella, shielding themselves from the afternoon sun. It appeared they may have had all of their earthly possessions in a shopping cart. The cart was piled so high with bags and belongings that items were spilling over the sides.
As we drove past, an unusual feeling came over me—a strong impression that I needed to stop and speak with this person. So I pulled over and asked if I could buy them something to eat.
The person barely looked up, continuing to write on a sheet of paper. Finally, with what seemed like an annoyed expression, they glanced at me and said, “I’m not here for you to buy me something to eat. I’m here to pray for you.”
I was taken aback but simply replied, “Thank you.”
The person continued writing almost fervently, and said: “I’m writing the prayer for you.” I then asked, “May I have the prayer to take with me and read later?”
Without hesitation came the reply: “No…I’ll read it to you.”
There was a conviction in those words that immediately caught my attention.
The mysterious stranger began reading the prayer, yet I could not seem to hear or understand anything being said. The words were unintelligible to me. Although I could see the person’s lips moving, I could not comprehend a single word.
When the prayer was finished, the stranger quickly folded the paper, put away the pen, and gathered everything.
There was something else that has remained with me ever since. As strange as it sounds, I could not clearly see the person’s face. Perhaps it was the shade of the umbrella, perhaps something else—but if someone had asked me later to describe their features, I couldn’t have done so.
We drove away, but heavy traffic in the restaurant parking lot and shopping center forced us to turn around only a few hundred yards away. The entire detour took no more than two or three minutes.
As we circled back, I found myself thinking about the encounter. I felt compelled to see the stranger once more.
But when we returned, both the person and the overflowing shopping cart were gone.
We drove around the restaurant and searched in every direction, but there was no sign of the stranger. Considering how full the shopping cart had been, it seemed impossible that someone could have disappeared so completely in such a short amount of time.
To this day, I cannot explain what happened.
Why would this person refuse to let me keep the written prayer, insist on reading it aloud, and then seemingly vanish within minutes?
Now, three years later, I still find myself wondering: Was this truly a supernatural event? Could it have been someone—or something—not of this world? Might it even have been an angel sent for a purpose?
Perhaps the encounter delayed us from returning to the highway for a reason. Perhaps its purpose was something entirely different. Or perhaps one day the reason will become clear.
Deep-Sky Observing And Other 
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