Grandma On A Mission
At 100, Virginia Toews Starts Every Day with a Prayer and a Purpose to Love the Hurting
At 100 years young, Virginia Toews has seen a thing or two in her long life. From milking cows every day before school while growing up on a North Dakota farm, to lobbying in Washington, D.C., for the Northern Cheyenne tribe, to serving people who are homeless in Billings, Virginia says the most important thing she’s ever seen is the power of Jesus in the lives of those who are hurting.
“Every day I pray, ‘God, use me today,’” says Virginia. “Working with the homeless has taught me who Jesus is,” she adds. “Many are maimed by their lifestyle, but giving them a pat on the back, telling them, ‘You’re doing a good job. I like the way you’ve faced this. Keep it up.’ Why, that just perks them up like nothing.”
Five days a week, you’ll find Virginia at the Montana Rescue Mission Bargain Center in Billings’ West End, combing through donated household supplies to prepare them for sale. She calls herself a “chaos coordinator,” and it’s a role she relishes. But her favorite part of working at the center is the opportunities it gives her to pray for the many struggling people she encounters each day.
“We have volunteers coming from the mission downtown and we train them hopefully to get a job,” says Virginia. It’s awesome working with them and encouraging them.”
In every season of life, Virginia has made it her mission to love and encourage those around her. Before moving to Billings, she and her husband, John, spent 38 years living on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation and caring for people there.
“We had just built our own home in North Dakota when my husband told me about a need for someone to go to Lame Deer for six months on a mission to help out a church there,” says Virginia.
Once they arrived, they fell in love with the Cheyenne people and knew they were there to stay. During that time, Virginia’s life took an unexpected turn when tribal leaders asked her to help them lobby the federal government to improve housing on the reservation. She had no formal training as a lobbyist but soon found herself alongside the tribal chairman in Washington, D.C., voicing their concerns. Virginia began working for the Northern Cheyenne Housing Authority and earned her pilot’s license so she could fly to meetings with federal authorities.
After her husband passed away in 1993, Virginia and her daughter moved to Billings. When she first arrived, she wasn’t too impressed with the Magic City.
“Billings was the most boring place, and I was sorry I had moved,” says Virginia.” The Cheyenne people are ever so loving and kind and gracious, and I missed them terribly.”
When she visited the Montana Rescue Mission to try to donate items after her move, she felt a strong calling to help the nonprofit serve people who are homeless. Now Virginia’s days are anything but dull. She started off as a volunteer, but before long was a full-time employee.
“God gave me a longing to bring up the destitute,” says Virginia. “It was heart-rending to see what was happening.”
To many co-workers and mission volunteers, Virginia is known as “Grandma.” Each morning, she leads them in prayer and it’s clear she has had a powerful impact on their lives.
“She’s truly one of the best people there is,” says store manager Dan MacIntyre. “My own faith was shaky when I started working here. But you cannot be around her and not have a strong faith. You just can’t.”
Co-worker Ruth Cross says Virginia keeps the morale up at work. Her strong worth ethic also inspires those around her.
“She’s probably the busiest one here, doing all of the pricing and getting all of the housewares out,” says Ruth. “You feel a little tired one day and see her and it’s like, ‘oh my goodness, I could do more.’”
For many years, Virginia also led a weekly Bible study at the Montana State Women’s Prison in Billings. Although she has pulled back from teaching because of hearing loss, the prisoners are still close to her heart. Her message to them and to others who struggle with the mistakes of their past is simple.
“I tell them not to look back, because they’re not going there,” Virginia says.
Conversations with Virginia are filled with wisdom and wit. Her strong faith sustained her through two successful battles against Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, but she says there’s another reason she’s had such a long, productive life.
“I’ve never smoked, I’ve never drank, I’ve never chased men,” says Virginia with a laugh. “Clean living!”
Virginia is now undergoing treatments as she battles cancer a third time. She says some days are harder when she lacks energy. But she has more work to do, and she trusts God will heal her again.
“It’s the work and the joy and the fun of it all, and thinking, ‘I can’t wait to see what God’s going to do today,’” Virginia says. “I’ve had 28 years of fun. This place is anything but boring!”
