Christian Retailing

LifeWay employee leads hearing-impaired customer to Christ Print Email
Written by Christine D. Johnson   
Monday, 30 June 2014 10:13 AM America/New_York

VictoriaCano-webLifeWay Christian Stores employee Victoria Cano tailored her customer service to a hearing-impaired shopper at the chain’s Amarillo, Texas, store—which led to the customer’s commitment to Christ, according to a Baptist Press report.

The shopper came in when Cano, a 20-year-old student at West Texas A&M University who works part-time at LifeWay, was about to close the store one Saturday. The shopper, who didn’t leave her name, motioned to Cano, asking for paper and pen to write a note.

"She asked if I could help her find a book about accepting Christ," Cano said. "I nodded my head and wrote back, asking if it was for her or for a friend."

When the woman pointed to herself, Cano led her to a section with books on prayer. After making some suggestions, the woman said she wanted “a prayer to God, asking Him into her heart," the LifeWay employee said.

After looking for other books for the customer, Cano got enough paper to have an extended conversation with the guest.

"Can I help you write your own prayer?" she wrote, which brought a smile to the customer’s face.

The two corresponded about God's love, Jesus' death and resurrection, and how becoming a Christian starts with a simple act of faith.

"I started by writing out that God loves her very much and that I thought she had come into the store for a reason," Cano said. "I told her, life may not always be easy, but God will always be there for us. All He wants to do is to come into our hearts and be the Lord of our lives."

When the guest realized how simple it is to give her life to Christ, Cano helped her write a prayer that she then prayed.

After their conversation, the woman took the piece of paper with their correspondence, thanked Cano and bought several books on prayer. Cano also gave the woman her name and number as well in case she needed additional help.

"This is the coolest experience I've ever had," Cano said. "I've been on several mission trips with my church and never had something like this happen."

The store’s general manager, Matthew Burrow, was impressed with how Cano was able to think on her feet and meet the customer’s need.

“You never know what a customer might ask," Burrow said. "But that's the reason we're here.”