“What’s in a name?” That was a question William Shakespeare once asked in “Romeo and Juliet.” For one woman, her answer to that led to her life changing in ways she couldn’t have imagined. When Bishop Eusebio Phelps wanted dinner one night, he called his local Waffle House in Stockbridge, Ga. From that moment on, he and the young woman who answered the phone would forever be linked.

Phelps, the pastor at nearby New Faith Christian Church, knew when the waitress started talking, that there was something special about her. “She was so nice over the telephone, and when I got there I paid for my food and I told her to keep the change,” Phelps told 11Alive News of his first impression of Hannah Hill.

Bishop Eusebio Phelps met Hannah Hill at his local Waffle House. After learning the name of her unborn son, he knew he had to help her out. Photo from YouTube

“And then when I looked at her, I asked if she was pregnant. She said yes so at that time I was just really urged to give her the rest of the money that I had in my wallet, which was around $40,” he said. “And so, I gave her the $40 and I told her that I just wanted to be able to bless her so she could buy something for the baby.”

The pair chatted, and Phelps learned that the young woman was 7½ months pregnant with her second child. But the chance meeting became something more Phelps said, when she told him the baby name she had chosen: Samuel.

Well we lost our son Samuel seven years ago in Atlanta,” Phelps said. “It’s coming up on the anniversary. I went home, I told my wife what happened … my wife and I were talking, I was like, ‘listen I wanna raise a thousand dollars to give to Hannah so she can buy whatever she needs for the baby.’”

So he set about doing just that. On the church’s social media site, he posted Hill’s story and his desire to help her. And when he woke up the next morning, his church and their friends and family had passed his goal. And nearly one day later, they had raised more than $12,000. “So, we threw a surprise baby shower at Waffle House,” Phelps said. “It was just an epic moment.”

Hannah Hill was surprised with a baby shower by a local pastor. Photo from YouTube

Hill, who had not told Phelps that she was living with her mom, said the money would change her life. She, and the father of her child, had been struggling to find a place to live. “I had a lot going on, and I don’t really pray that often — I’m not necessarily that religious, I wasn’t really raised in the church, don’t go to church a lot, haven’t cracked open a Bible in forever. But lately I have been praying,” she said.

“I’ve been really stressing lately … I’ve been worried about the baby getting here … I’m so grateful and that’s all I can say. I’m so grateful and appreciative to everybody, God is good all the time.” “You gotta show the love of God to people you come into contact with, and it was her kindness ‒ she was so kind and so pleasant, she’s just a real sweetheart,” Phelps said. “And that touched my heart. And I feel like the Lord has really allowed our paths to cross.”

Hill used a portion of the money to buy a car – the first vehicle she has ever owned. She and her boyfriend plan to use the rest of the donations to find a place to live together. Phelps and his church have also told her they would help with childcare for a year. Watch this amazing meeting below.