This past month, I flew from Atlanta, Georgia to Lilongwe, Malawi. The total travel time from Atlanta to Lilongwe was around 56 hours- my longest flight to date. My flight left Atlanta at 5pm (11pm Malawi) on Friday and I arrived 7am on Monday in Lilongwe (Atlanta- 1am Sunday). The extra-long flight was due to a 12-hour layover… and the fact that I fell asleep at the airport, didn’t realize the different time zone, and missed my flight. There were no other flights to Malawi that day, so I had to spend a night in Nairobi, Kenya. Luckily, I have friends that live there. So, I called my friend Carla and invited myself to her house. She just moved to Kenya; her new house was relatively empty, since she was waiting for her furniture to arrive.
After Carla received the call that I was stranded and coming over, she dragged her mattress up a flight of stairs by herself to the empty guestroom. And an hour later, I showed up at her door and walked in like it was she who invited me over and we had planned this visit months in advance. As soon as I walked in, her two daughters ran and jumped in my arms to welcome me. They had so much to tell me. They wanted to show me their new house. That day, we jumped on the trampoline, and they rode their bikes while I walked beside them. At three am the next morning, I left their house to go back to the airport. I think I was there for only 12 hours.
In my thirties I had a consultancy assignment in the West Bank. There was no guesthouses for me to stay in, so the plan was to commute around 2 hours from Jerusalem each day to conduct my assessment of the project. The project manager, whom I have never met, heard about this and offered to let me stay with him and his family. His youngest daughter gave up her room and I stayed there a week, eating with them, playing with his daughters, and enjoying his hospitality.
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2)
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12:13)
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. (1 Peter 4:9)
Whether as a friend or as a stranger, I’ve been shown affectionate and generous hospitality. I didn’t feel like I was imposing, rather, I felt like I was welcomed in as part of the family. I love that I have friends that I can show up practically unannounced and they welcome me in with screams and hugs. I love that I don’t feel like I am imposing because I know I am always welcome.
In Palestine, hospitality is still a valued practice, and I am honored that I experienced it. I, a Christian stranger, was welcomed into a Muslim home and I broke bread with them every evening. They shared their life with me and helped me to understand the struggles in Palestine. They told me stories about their Hajj- their pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. I received so much from them. I was a changed person after this experience. And 12 years later, we still communicate over whatsapp.
God encourages us to practice hospitality, not just giving people a bed, but loving and caring for them. He wants us to love and care for people so much that it changes them. The love shown to me by Carla and the Palestinian family changed me. It encourages me to also show hospitality. How are you changing people by the way you practice hospitality?
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