Angel, or Beggar?
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!