Barbara Didn't Make It to Church—But She Didn't Miss the Service
For 76-year-old Barbara, Sunday mornings always started the same way. She woke up early, got dressed, and looked forward to attending church with friends she had known for years.
One Sunday morning, however, her plans changed the moment she walked into the driveway.
Her car had a flat tire.
Barbara wasn't sure what to do next. She didn't want to change the tire herself, and she didn't have anyone nearby she could call. Her daughter lived in Elgin, South Carolina, so she picked up the phone and called Faye Markos-Leach.
How Faye Markos-Leach Helped Barbara Stay Connected to Church While Waiting for AAA
Faye answered right away. After hearing about Barbara's bad start to her morning, she called AAA and gave them Barbara's address. The representative explained they were running behind and estimated it would be about two hours before a technician could arrive.
Rather than asking Barbara to wait alone, Faye got in her car and made the 20-minute drive to Barbara's home.
When she arrived, Barbara looked relieved.
Faye reassured her that AAA was on the way and everything would be taken care of soon. Barbara smiled, but she admitted she was disappointed about missing church that morning.
Church Came to Barbara
Instead of letting Barbara miss the service, Faye had another idea.
She opened her laptop, found the church's live stream, and helped Barbara settle into
her favorite chair. Within minutes, the Sunday service was playing on the screen.
Barbara sang along with the hymns, listened to the sermon, and even recognized familiar faces from the congregation.
Although she wasn't sitting in her usual pew, she still felt connected to her church family.
Turning a Delay Into an Opportunity
While Barbara enjoyed the service, Faye noticed the tablet Barbara's children had given her for Christmas sitting on a nearby table.
Barbara admitted she had never really learned how to use it.
With time to spare before AAA arrived, Faye connected the tablet to the church's live stream and showed Barbara how to find it herself. They also practiced adjusting the volume, joining the live service, and returning to the home screen.
By the time the service ended, Barbara felt much more confident using her tablet.
A short delay had turned into an opportunity to learn something new.
One More Thing Before Leaving
AAA soon arrived and replaced the flat tire.
While the technician worked outside, Faye helped Barbara create her own AAA account. Barbara had always relied on others to make those calls, but now she had her own membership and knew exactly how to request roadside assistance in the future.
Later that week, Faye called Barbara's daughter with her regular update.
When she explained everything that had happened, Barbara's daughter couldn't thank her enough.
"Knowing Mom has someone she can call for situations like this gives me tremendous peace of mind," she said. "Setting up her own AAA account was invaluable."
Helping Seniors Stay Independent
For Faye Markos-Leach, helping seniors isn't always about solving major problems. Sometimes it's about being there when an unexpected challenge interrupts an ordinary day.
A flat tire could have meant a stressful morning and a missed church service. Instead, Barbara received the help she needed, learned how to use technology with more confidence, and gained an important resource for the future.
That's what HeyFaye is all about—helping seniors remain independent while giving out-of-state families peace of mind that someone they trust is nearby when they can't be.
