Christian Teens 'Pay It Forward,' Secretly Shovel 57 Driveways after Heavy Snowfall

Feb 24, 2015 02:11 PM EST

Good Samaritans - Christian Teen Shovel Driveways to Pay it Forward
The teens cleared 57 driveways in an effort to share the love of Christ in a practical way. Photo Credit: Screenshot from 9News

In a heartwarming move, a group of Christian teens shared the love of God in a practical way with those around them by secretly shoveling the snow off of 57 neighborhood sidewalks and driveways in Colorado-for free.

On Sunday, homeowners on South Olive Way in Denver, CO were shocked after waking up to find their driveways and walkways completely cleared despite heavy snowfall the night before. However, there was no sign of the Good Samaritans--except for a flyer attached to their front doors that simply read, "You've been served."

"You just don't see that in this day and age," one resident, Jeff Mostellar, told USA Today. "They did everything. The whole driveway, the stoop, the whole sidewalk up to the fence."

"My daughter came and woke us up and said, 'look outside,'" added another resident, Darcy Peterson. "I mean, I can't believe it. I cannot believe it."

The six teens responsible for the act of kindness woke up at 6:30 am Sunday morning to shovel the neighborhood's driveways. According to them, they simply wanted to "pay it forward" through the selfless action, which was coordinated by their church youth group.

"We wanted to get out before anyone woke up," said Nick Mirabella, one of the participating teenagers. "We just felt it was a really good idea to serve the whole neighborhood and shovel as many driveways as we could."

Although the teens refused to take any monetary reward offered by the neighborhood residents, they gladly accepted hot chocolate before "cooling off" by sledding down the nearby hill.

"It's just kind of the best way I think we could spend a Sunday," Mirabella said, "We work hard, we play hard."

 In recent years, the "You Got Served" movement has spread to dozens of churches across the United States as a unique way to share the Gospel with others through various service projects. Church members often participate in random acts of kindness including paying for someone's meal, raking leaves, or buying groceries for a stranger.

Reads a description of the "You Got Served" initiative on one church's website, "This is a way for you to anonymously be a blessing to someone...be sensitive to situations where the Holy Spirit might move you to do something nice for someone. You never know how much one small act can have an influence on someone's life at just the right moment."

To learn more about the "You Got Served" movement, click here.