After cleaning, organizing, and putting our house back to the way it was, we had a family debrief about hosting our latest guests. We discussed the areas we did well and what required improvement. Since we were preoccupied with our guests, we didn't have much free time to discuss the hiccups that were happening. So, the debrief gave us an opportunity to explain the reasoning behind our choices. For example, my daughter asked why her dad had to cook all the meals instead of catering food since an area of contention happens in the kitchen when we're frantically trying to prepare everything before our guests arrive. She brought up an excellent point that deserved an answer. So, we explained that her dad did have everything ready, but the guests changed their ETA a few times, requiring my husband to shift his schedule to ensure the food remained hot and prepped for consumption. Yes, ordering food is always an option, but when your dad is gifted with cooking and serving others, why not ask him to bless others with his gift? Plus, who doesn't love a home-cooked meal?
Anyway, that tiny but big detail caused me much frustration and forced me to have a pretty intense conversation with God. My questions looked like this: How much do you die to yourself to serve others? How do you create healthy boundaries as a host to your guests? How much do you extend flexibility to accommodate others and their schedule? What about your time? Those were a few of the questions that I'm still processing. Regardless of those provoking moments, being with our guests was such a gift, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to open up our home to them.
We discussed other areas of hospitality, and one of the points we brought up that we did well was welcoming our guests with open arms and hearts. Even though there was a slight language barrier, I could tell my kids tried to communicate with their new friends. It was heartwarming to watch them play games together and hear the barrels of laughter coming from the other room. I appreciated the way my kids accommodated their new friends by rearranging and declining outings with their friends so they could be home and available to our new friends. They interacted and played with their youngest friends, ages 5 and 6. One was so attached to my youngest son that he would go up to him and hold his hands whenever he had the chance. (I tried holding his hand, but he didn't want anything to do with me.☺)
I try to read a new book every month, and the most recent one Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, which I coincidentally finished last month, provided me with some solid pointers that I was able to use. The concept of 'Unreasonable Hospitality' is about going above and beyond to make guests feel welcome and comfortable. One of the suggestions from the book was to create welcome baskets with the essentials. We included slippers, floss, gum, mints, chocolate, etc. Our fellow hosts made personal hygiene packets that included an adorable bear made from a towel. She even included festive Fourth of July gifts so they could participate in our Independence Day celebration.
The baskets were done, but it wasn't complete. I kept asking my daughter what else we could do to personalize their baskets and if we were missing anything. I wasn't sure what it was missing until my daughter suggested the best item we could add; a note of what we heard God saying to them and personalized scriptures. That very night, we looked at the photo that we had of them and asked God what He wanted to say to each person. We jotted it down along with the verses that were highlighted to us. We stepped out in faith and believed what God wanted to say was what we heard. Some didn't make sense to us, but we included it anyway. Well, the night they arrived, after dinner and their evening meeting, we gave each person their note from God. The other hosts and I agreed to give it to them earlier than later in case they had any questions. From what we could discern from the people who came up to us, they were surprised to read something so specific from people who had absolutely no idea about them. We reminded them that God loves them so much that He would tell strangers like us something unique about them. It was such a special moment for them and us. I was thankful God would use us to speak life into someone else in that way. It was truly one of the highlights of my time with them. To hear God and to share His heart with those listening.
We had several opportunities to pray for people who came in as guests but left as friends. During our family prayer time, we each picked one person from the group and have been praying for them. We don't want this trip to be just another visit for them or us. We hope to keep making a difference by interceding for them and seeing God's plan unfold. We pray we can remain in touch and hear how far and wide of an impact they are making in their spheres of influence.
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