The Morning Walk That Turned Into a Scavenger Hunt That Was an Answered Prayer

Remember that old expression: “We make plans, and God laughs?

Whelp...I lived that today. But wait...just in case you are new here...

I'm TeeJ, the founder of Move-In Day Mafia. We provide decked-out dorm rooms and monthly care packages for HBCU students who have aged out of foster care, are unhoused or grapple with severe financial hardships. And every Friday, (mostly,) I write about the miracles that we regularly walk in.

Typically, I write this report late Thursday night, so it drops first thing Friday morning.

But yesterday? I had nothing. No words. No energy. Nada.

We’re deep in interviews for the upcoming class of Mafia scholars, and these stories are heavy. Beautiful, but heavy. I was emotionally drained.

I even said to myself, "We might have to skip this Friday," and went to bed. But God, in His perfect timing, made other plans.

See, I normally do my daily walk around Atlantic Station in Atlanta much later in the day. I’m a night owl by nature, so a 9:00 a.m. meeting today qualifies as "early." But since I was already up, I decided to get my steps in sooner.

And that’s when it happened.

As I rounded a corner around the pond, I noticed two kids and an adult wearing blue shirts from the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta. The man was looking at a paper and motioned for the boys to stand by a statue, and snapped a picture. For some reason, I immediately thought, "They are on a scavenger hunt!" I don't know why, but that made me smile. And guess what?

I was right!

As I passed by, the counselor called out, "Excuse me, can you help us?"

God appointments always get me hype, so I stopped immediately. "Of course I’ll help."

Turns out, one of their scavenger hunt items was to do an act of kindness for a stranger.

I told them, "Well, I AM a stranger for now, but I don’t really need help with anything." Then, it occurred to me, maybe they could record a video that HELPS me get the word out about Move-In Day Mafia!

Now pause.

You need to know this backstory.

You might have heard me mention that we are gearing up for Mafia's first in-person fundraiser, THEE HBCU BINGO EXPERIENCE on July 12, 2025.

Well, we are 30 days out, so time to cross some t's and dot some i's. Lately, I’ve been praying (but not really praying-praying) about where we’re gonna get enough volunteers. I had specifically thought, "I wish we had more kids around who needed community service hours," as we don't have a lot of scholars in Atlanta.

But it was more like a passing thought that needed to be addressed at some point soon.

So back to the scavenger hunt...

While I’m filming this little video with my new friends, Chance and his two mentees, I hit the part where I say what Move-In Day Mafia does. Before I can even finish saying "we help students who have aged out of foster care or are unhoused," Chance’s eyes light up, and he starts jumping up and down.

"YOU WERE ON THE SHERRI SHOW! I SAW YOU!"

Y’all. Chance was literally bouncing, and my heart melted. It was all on camera, too, because he never stopped recording.

*I need to blur the kids' faces, so I'll drop the video next week.

Afterward, we got to chatting, and he casually mentioned that he’s working on returning to Morehouse.

So naturally, I asked, "Do you know any students at Morehouse, Spelman, Clark, or Morris Brown that Mafia might be able to help?"

His face lit up again. "I think so!"

Then an idea hit me, "Do any of your Boys & Girls Club teens need community service hours?" and I explained THEE HBCU Bingo Experience. He loved it.

"Yes! All the time. Juniors and seniors always need hours. Let's do it!"

BADA BING BADA BOOM!

We exchanged info right there.

Whew! Just like that, God checked off something I didn’t even properly ask for. A divine appointment on a sidewalk. We parted ways with a hug and a "talk soon."

And as if it couldn’t get better, when we met again at the other end of the pond. By this time, Chance's phone had died, which meant they couldn't document the rest of the items on the scavenger hunt.

Say less!

My phone was fully charged, so guess who happily got roped into a scavenger hunt? I am smiling even as I type because it really was a fun way to unexpectedly kick off my Friday. ​

I started my Friday on a literal scavenger hunt with two amazing teens and a fired-up counselor. Only God could orchestrate something that perfect.

So yeah...that’s how God dragged me outta bed and dropped me into a scavenger hunt full of answered prayers.

​Now I've got to run. The next round of scholar interviews is starting. In the meantime...

🧾 ADOPT A SCHOLAR KICKS OFF TOMORROW

Summer Survival Season starts June 14 through the 21st.

That means in most cases, we’re sending $25 Visa gift cards instead of Amazon packages, because many of our scholars don’t have stable housing right now.

Our goal? $200 per scholar, per month.

Y’all already know what time it is.

Get your heart ready. Get your wallet ready.

The miracles move FAST when you do. MoveInDayMafia.org/AdoptAScholar

The more I obey, the less I trip.

I’ve racked up enough God receipts to know this for sure...

Obedience doesn’t always make sense in the moment, but for me, it has always made miracles.

When I’m doing what I’m supposed to do, even when I feel incapable, even when I don’t have the full picture, even when it makes absolutely no sense and borders on insane, even when I feel like skipping out completely, He still shows up.

And the more I obey, the less I find myself panicking or spiraling. Because I’ve seen how He moves. I’ve watched Him drop answers in random sidewalk conversations and send confirmations through scavenger hunts. Precision isn’t a problem for God. He is never late. Just strategic.

So now? I’ve learned to relax. Not in a lazy, passive way, but in a faith-filled, peace-rooted way.

I do my part. I prepare. I show up.

And then I watch Him breathe on it in ways I couldn’t have scripted if I tried. That’s why I say: The more I obey, the less I trip. Because once you've seen God's track record? You stop pacing and start praising.

Hope you have a great weekend and hug yourself for me.

Next week, I will tell you who has agreed to be our DJ for Thee HBCU BINGO EXPERIENCE! He fell into our lap. It's another Miracle story! Grab your ticket at MoveInDayMafia.org/HBCUBingo.

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