If I had one word to describe my weekend, I’d say I’ve been “God-struck”.

When you see a celebrity in person and you get excited and do silly things because your heart is running faster than your brain, you got starstruck.

Last Friday, I had the privilege of meeting Edric & Joy Mendoza, with their eldest child, Elijah.

My brother and I were invited to have lunch with them because we were part of the event they were speaking at later that night.

Honestly, I wasn’t too eager to join the meal because I was scared to be seated so close to a family I’ve been admiring from a distance for so many years.

When we arrived, I was relieved that the last seat was at the end of the table. My plan was to be quiet, eat, listen and be as anonymous as I can be. Then I can get out as fast as I can before I do or say something stupid.

Obviously, that never happened.

The moment Edric and Joy shook our hands, talked to us and called us by name, I felt a warm connection, something indescribable, a fuzzy good feeling like we’ve known each other for a very long time.

Funny thing was, I ended up sharing my life story to them. God knew exactly what I needed that day and he led me straight to this family.

Whenever I see celebrities and I get starstruck, I’d always walk away feeling so small and insignificant compared to them.

Meeting the Mendozas was a completely different experience. They were down to earth, easy to talk to and so humble. They didn’t just listen to you, they cared.

In those few hours, I felt I mattered. And I’m sure everyone in that table felt the same way too.

There are people you meet and you’re instantly drawn to them. You’d want to be in their presence, to soak in their words of wisdom, to watch how they walk and talk. You see God in them and you want to have what they have. God-struck.

Only God can turn a lunch buffet into an a la carte life experience just for me.

“We draw people to Christ not by loudly discrediting what they believe,
by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are,
but by showing them a light that is so lovely
that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.”
– Madeleine L’Engle

Find out what makes the Mendoza Family special: