by Teri Hughes
“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby
some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2).
We were traveling over in Medford for one of my son’s games, and afterwards
we were on our way to a restaurant called the Apple Peddler for a quick dinner
before heading back home to Klamath Falls. On the way to the restaurant we talked
about that verse in the Bible that instructs us to be kind to all strangers
because you never know when you might be entertaining angels. We agreed that
we do believe in angels because God created them but that God is the one and
only God, and that we pray to God, not to angels.
As we walked up to the door of the restaurant, there was a man sitting on the
ground by the door. He was dressed in shredded, dirty clothes, and had matted
hair and a beard. He smiled up at us, and we saw that he had missing teeth,
but that his eyes seemed to be glowing a bright crystal blue. I got shivers
up my spine. We walked past him to go inside. My son turned around to look at
him, and he said, “Mom, can we buy him dinner? He looks so hungry!”
I said OK. The restaurant was very busy, but we told the waitress to let him
have a table by himself, and to let him order anything off of the menu he wanted,
and to give me the bill. Ryan went out to get him, and brought him inside. The
man had tears in his eyes. Then the restaurant manager went to him and roughly
told him to get out! Ryan got in his face, and said that he was with us, and
we are paying his bill! As we ate our dinner, we noticed that the man was thoroughly
engrossed in savoring each and every bite of his dinner. He had a bowl of hot
soup, a chicken and dumplings dinner, and a big piece of apple pie with ice
cream on top for dessert! He must have drank 3 tall glasses of milk and 4 cups
of hot coffee, too.
Others in there were staring at him, pointing and giving him dirty looks, but
he never noticed! We finished at the same time, and I paid, and we all walked
out together. He smiled and said thank-you so very much. We took ONE step towards
our car, and turned around to wave goodbye, but he was gone. No where in sight
could we find him in that great big parking lot with a big open field next to
it! He just vanished into thin air! Hum, an old beggar, or an angel? Ever since
then both my children have a soft spot in their hearts for people like that,
and they always give them food when they can. I believe God sent an angel to
prove His point to be kind to all strangers, because you never know when you
might be entertaining angels!