Frustration and fatigue weighed down my spirits as I wheeled Malika down the hill toward the bus stop. We had just finished volleyball practice, which had been a needed break from the things-gone-wrong at home.

Earlier that morning, the water heater broke for the fourth time in six weeks. This left me heating water for baths and dishes and feeling deprived of an important convenience in a foreign culture.

As the morning wore on, I began to realize that Mika was off schedule and wouldn’t nap. I, on the other hand, was exactly on schedule and was falling asleep while sitting in her playroom. (I’m 18 weeks pregnant.) A battle ensued—between me and my tired body and between my patience and a toddler’s playfulness. When she finally went to sleep around 2pm, I no longer had the time to catch a nap before heading to the school for practice.

So needless to say, I was not my usual chipper self, and almost falling down in the bus with baby, bag, and stroller did not help the situation.

Here I was again, waiting for the bus, taking a few deep breaths and letting Mika sit in her stroller because she was squirmy and fussy and ready to go home. It was almost 6pm.

Suddenly, the bus appeared! It had been hidden by another bus then spontaneously veered around it to stop right in front of me. Frantically, I tried to unbuckle Mika from her stroller, but she fought me—and just as I was lifting her out of the seat, the bus closed its doors and pulled away.

With Mika still on my hip, I lost all self-respect and threw a tantrum right there on the sidewalk. I clenched my fist at the street and let out a child-birthing screech.

Then, the bus hit its breaks just meters away, the doors opened, and a Korean woman peeked her head out and back at me. When we made eye contact, I saw kindness and concern, and my anger was immediately replaced with gratefulness. She rushed over, picked up the stroller, and walked with me to the open doors. She must have called out to the bus driver to stop when she’d seen me throw my fit.

This one act, this one decision, redeemed me from my moodiness. Because of a day full of frustration and fatigue, I had given up on positivity and was ready to give up on others as well. But…someone acted on kindness and saved my smile. I thank God for her and for my restored faith in people, in unlikely circumstances, and in His provision and care for me here in Seoul.