Imagine winning $500,000 in the lottery, then realizing you left the ticket at the store.
That’s what happened to Iowa pastor Kevin Frey, 64, after plunking down $50 for a scratch-off ticket and winning the top prize.
It wasn’t until Frey texted his son to tell him about the win that he realized he’d left the ticket at the store, he told the Iowa Lottery.
“I was so excited and flustered that I left the ticket inside of the … store and went out to the car and started calling everybody,” he explained.
“I ran back inside and asked the employee for the ticket,” Frey said. “She was so flustered, she forgot to give it to me the first time. So, we finally got it on the right page.”
Frey, who claimed his prize a week ago, managed to contain his excitement long enough to lead his church service on Sunday.
“They told me I did a nice job on the sermon, so I said, ‘Well, I guess there was something at work in the middle of all that,'” he joked.