“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Victoria Quintanilla is an angel, serving other angels.  Let me explain why.

Tonight we took a group of our youth to volunteer at the Road Home.  The Road Home is a non-profit organization that operates the largest homeless shelter in the state of Utah, providing beds and warmth to men, women, and children.  They never turn anyone away and they operate 365 days a year.  This time of year their Community Winter Shelter is packed with families needing a warm shelter, especially with the temperatures of 17 degrees and colder outside.  The main areas of the center are large open spaces filled with mattresses for families to sleep on.  And the building was packed with families in need.

We brought food to feed around 300 people dinner at the winter shelter.  We had arranged our visit with Victoria, the Volunteer Coordinator for the Road Home.  When we arrived at the center Victoria pulled our group aside to explain to our volunteer youth group the importance of showing respect for the privacy of the families staying at the Road Home and the importance of being sensitive to the difficulty of their current circumstances.  Victoria led one of our groups to setup the food we had brought for the dinner and prepare to serve the family’s dinner.  Then she led our second group into a large empty room where we were to do games for the little children staying at the Road Home.

I watched Victoria as she gathered the groups of children together and brought them into the playroom.  Victoria knew the name of every single child in the entire facility.  She knew who each of their parents were and who their other family members were.  Now keep in mind that there are 300+ people staying in this building, yet she knew the name of every single person and she treated each of them as if they were the most important person in the world.  She showed so much kindness and respect for each person there, yet she stayed organized and in charge of directing everything going on.  Her name was constantly being called by everyone around as they asked her for this or that.  Watching her work was truly amazing.

The little kids at the center were as cute as I have ever seen.  I wanted to hug each one of them and give them the whole world.  It is heartbreaking to know of the difficulty they face in their life right now.  It makes you recognize how blessed you are and how important it is to help other people, starting in your own cities and towns.  You don’t have to travel to a third world country to find people in need of homes and food.  You can find them in almost any city in any country if you just look for them.

When we finished serving the dinner and playing games with the children Victoria came over to me and gave me a huge hug and thanked me profusely.  Her gratitude was as genuine and sincere as it could ever be.  You could literally feel her appreciation for the love that was shown for these families and their children, who she deeply loved.  You can see that she truly loves each of them.  She is incredibly positive and she sees every person as equally important in this world, which is exactly how God sees them.

Yes Victoria is an angel, taking care of other angels.  One of my very favorite scriptures from the Bible is in Hebrews 13:2 which states:  “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Tonight we entertained angels at that center.  No question about it.  And to Victoria, who entertains angels every night, you are the best kind of Angel!  Thank you for all you do.

If any of you want to help donate your time, money, or talents to the Road Home this is the perfect time of year to get involved.  Their website has awesome information on how to help and what items they are most in need of right now during the holiday season.  Please consider helping.  Their website is www.theroadhome.org/

~Amy

2 Comments

  • Bob Ligget says:

    Great post and the needs are there all year long. It’s good to use this season to build awareness. I’ve come to know The Road Home well from my own church service at the SL County Jail, as that’s where many go after their release. Thanks for a needed reminder.

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