Last evening we hosted a family at our home for dinner. The dad of the family works at a local engineering firm. His wife, a stay-at-home mom, brought Nancy a bouquet of pretty flowers. Their two sons, 9 and 12, are smart and energetic. They are beginning to notice girls, they love basketball, and they think “Sunday School is boring!”
When Nancy inquired about why Sunday School is boring, the 9 year old expressed his discontent with how his teachers make him memorize verses. Then the conversation shifted to a discussion between Nancy and the boy’s mother. Nancy told her about several techniques she uses to make memorization fun for kids.
After we finished our dinner and dessert, (The boys loved Nancy’s brownies!), we taught them Desert Dice, a game that has been a family favorite for many years. We broke into three teams: the dads, the moms, and the boys. It was a close game, but the boys won. They were enthusiastic champions!
During the evening we talked about topics such as how the couple met and their courtship, how to help kids who have trouble getting started in the morning, and camping. We had a humorous disagreement about camping. They described camping as going to a campsite during the day and returning to a hotel room for the night. Nancy and I boisterously disagreed with them, declaring that staying in a hotel was not camping!
We had a wonderful evening. It was a delight to get to know this young family and to share our dinner and a piece of our lives with them.
Oh, did I mention that these friends are Muslims, their Sunday school is at the Mosque, and the verses they are memorizing are from the Koran? Are you surprised? We had a delightful evening and now have a deepening relationship with new friends.
Maybe there are potential friends waiting to be invited into your home … “I was a stranger and you invited me in.” (Matt 25:35)
Ok. Here goes….. Hope you get this this time. Yes, I totally agree we need to be inviting “strangers” into our homes. I am in the process of trying to set up a time to have my dear Muslim friend here this summer. We didn’t get it done last summer because of Ramadan. So starting earlier this year to get a date set up. I love her and her children so much and we are missing a great deal if we don’t get to know these dear people.
Thanks for the good example of welcoming “strangers.”
Great story! You showed the unconditional love of Jesus through your hospitality, conversation and care for this family. I’m sure the learning and love went both ways. Thanks for sharing!
Keith Tanis, Interim Pastor of WhitPres, Spokane WA