One evening this week, I only had time for a quick pit stop to grab something to eat before heading to my next appointment.

Weighing the healthiest of quick options along the strip I was driving, I swung into a place where I could get a rice bowl without much waiting.

Here’s the strange twist though: I’d never visited this particular restaurant in my hometown in all the years it had been open. Weird, no?

Moments later, as I pushed through the second glass door into the restaurant proper, I heard a booming voice from behind the serving counter shout across the entire room: “PASTOR DDDDDD!!!! … Pastor D is in the house!”

I’m certain the other dozen people waiting in line were as shocked as I was, but I tell you, the greeting brought a gigantic grin to my face! There was no mistaking that voice!

Behind the counter was a guest who’d stayed at our shelter last year and who had left an indelible imprint on my heart, as well as on many of our staff. A much different man when he left the shelter, it was during his stay with us that his outsize personality grew with each new milestone he achieved on his path to housing.

By the time he moved into his own apartment, and began holding down a couple of different jobs, he bore little resemblance to the man who first came to our doorstep.

Thanks to the line in front of me, I got to watch him work for a while. Dishing up popular Mexican grille fair for hungry customers, he greeted every individual with that familiar winning smile and his friendly banter. … Think carnival barker style.

Even people who had been waiting in a fast food line longer than they probably wanted to were charmed by the time they had received their meal and paid their bill.

Some weeks in our organization can feel doubly long. As you can imagine, the work in settings like an emergency shelter, food pantry and permanent supportive housing can be exhausting, frustrating and frankly, even infuriating.

But then there are holy moments such as watching our former guest holding court, dishing out a little entertainment for impatient, on-the-go souls while simultaneously dishing up food for their bodies.

The burrito bowl will be $13.29, sir. … But the feelgood pick-me-up? … Well, that is on the house!

Lent seems like an appropriate time to celebrate a heartwarming resurrection story. And for three quarters of an hour the other night, I received the blessing of getting to bask in a really good one.

Not all of the days working in our organization are as joyous, but I am grateful that on a random Monday night, the Holy Spirit dropped a giftwrapped joy bomb into my lap and reminded me why this work is so critical. Amen.

Devlyn Brooks is the CEO of Churches United in Moorhead, Minn., and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America serving Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. He blogs about faith at findingfaithin.com, and can be reached at devlynbrooks@gmail.com.