Miss Brenda shares smiles, prayers with McDonald’s customers in Ocean Springs

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) - “Where else are you going to get sweet tea and Jesus all in one place?”

McDonald’s in downtown Ocean Springs is one example.

That’s where Brenda Wilson works the drive-through window, handing out burgers, fries and blessings to all comers.

“We come here to see Miss Brenda, and get a coffee or an egg McMuffin,” said Karen Garner, who has been a regular for about three years.

“One morning I came through and Miss Brenda was just so cheerful," Garner said. "I was kind of not having the best of days and she just said a prayer over me and it just lifted my spirits.”

Now it is part of her routine to “see Miss Brenda and get my daily inspiration.”

Brenda Wilson is devoutly Christian, and she shares her love for God with everyone who comes through. She has some regular customers who expect her to take their hand and say a prayer with them. She calls them her “McDonald’s Babies.”

Her manager Rommel Peters knows he has a gem working his drive-through.

“There’s not a week that goes by that I don’t get a phone call with someone saying how much they appreciate her, they have turned their day around,” he said. “She just has that effect on customers and even the employees here.”

Miss Brenda first worked at the McDonald’s in 2005 but left for a stint at the Beau Rivage. She said she would see former customers who asked her to come back to the fast food job. She prayed about it and returned four years ago.

“I keep telling our customers, just trust and believe in God, because he does answer prayers and he does open doors,” Wilson said.

In 2016 she prayed for one of her customers who later returned with a crocheted angel. She called her an angel because God had answered her prayer. Miss Brenda now wears that angel on her shirt every day.

“If you listen and pay attention to God when he shares words with you, then you can share those kind words with your customers,” Wilson said.

She credits her pastor C.G. McCarter at Victory International Christian Center with being her inspiration.

Miss Brenda can rattle off stories of people who have testified to the power of her prayers, and that’s why they keep coming back.

“I love making their days and I love praying for them,” she said.

“She does so much for our community in this drive-through, and really has become a beacon in our community,” said Meredith Descher, director of community relations for the McDonald’s Descher Organization.

“They really come for her. She’s just a blessing for all of us, and we’re just really thankful to have her.”

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