hashgocha protis

we're always told these amazing hashgocha protis stories that happened on mivtzoim or merkos shlichus or whatever.

this one could probably be just as cool but I'm not a speaker. :)

it happened on Sunday, the third night of chanukah.

my brother wasn't going to go on mivtzoim because it was raining and it was really cold, but he had no way of letting his friends know that so he ended up going.

my younger brother wanted to go with him, but my mother didn't want him to get sick, or start complaining about the cold and be a pain in the neck. My father said to wrap him up and he went.

they went on a mitzvah tank and once they got to Queens my brothers went with another boy as a group to approach people.

at one point, they were in a building. they went to every apartment that didn't have x-mas decorations and did not give out one menorah. either the people weren't Jewish, lit already, didn't want to light, or were afraid of having a bunch of people talking to them because they were alone.

They left the building and were already back at the mitzvah tank when one of the boys realized that he'd lost a glove. they went back to the building and found it in the front of the building.

they continued back to the mitzvah tank and on the way they were asking everyone if they were Jewish. One person they asked was a middle-aged businessman.
"excuse me, are you Jewish?"
"why?"
"because we're giving menorahs out to Jews who don't have. today's chanukah, blah blah blah."
"who told you to light menorah?"
"G-d."
"I don't believe in G-d."
big argument...
he was asking my younger brother questions to see if he learned it in school or if they were making it up on the spot to trick him.
"where did you learn this stuff?"
"in school, from my teachers."
"where did your teachers learn it?"
"from G-d." (basically that goes back all the to G-d on mt.sinai)
"because he learned it school, i believe that you're not making this up and I will light this menorah - I don't believe in G-d (yet), but I will tell people about it."

so good thing my brother couldn't let his friends know that he didn't want to go
and good thing my younger brother went despite the cold
and good thing they spent all that time in the building without giving out a single thing
and good thing the boy lost his glove and they had to go back to get it
and good thing we learn this stuff in school ;)
because otherwise they wouldn't have met the guy and convinced him (and maybe others through him) to light the menorah!

L'chaim