“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” 1 Peter 4:9
With Unsung Heroes, we are basically nomads wherever we go, having no set ministry to work consistently with. We must trust that the Lord will provide and hold on to the meaning that we “make our home with Him.” John 14:23
I will admit, not having any consistency in our lives this month has caused our team to battle with feeling homesick. Feeling lost without having any place to call home for the month. This really taught our team to view God as our comforter and home. We also were able to experience true hospitality within the body of Christ.
Our first experience of this was in Burgas. We were able to stay for free at a church thanks to their wonderful pastor, Simeon. I had mentioned them in a previous blog, but I did not have the chance to brag on how amazing they truly were. Every day we were overflowing with produce from all of the neighbors' gardens, along with having some type of baked good from this sweet family across the street. They went so far as to pulling out a bench in the shade for me to sit on when I would come panting back after a morning run. They worked their schedules around us and I was floored at their overly generous hearts. Even though we could not understand a word the neighbors said, they would pull a chair next to us and talk to us for hours. Not caring if we understood or not, rather simply appreciating that we all were one in the body of Christ; expressing their love through their actions. When we left Burgas, the sweet family brought us a bar of chocolate, a banana and a necklace for each of us as a farewell gift. Which meant the world, especially knowing that they come from a simplistic life and these things were definitely considered rare treats.
This makes me reflect and ask, how much do I put myself out to make others feel comfortable? Not only when they need a place to stay but also when they are simply feeling uncomfortable. We as Christians have a duty to always put others before us, as Kanakuk says, “God First, Others Second, I’m Third”. This is a way we can create a home among ourselves, providing comfort and trust in each other.
Another example of God’s people showing extraordinary hospitality was when we came back to Sofia. We stayed with Pastor Scott and Sandy, who we had met our first week in Bulgaria. Even though they had an apartment that was a good size for three people, they opened it to our entire team of seven, packs and all. Not only did they let us overtake their apartment, Sandy cooked us amazing meals, they had air conditioning cooling us off and let us use their washing machine to wash clothes (actually clean clothes and no hand washing clothes?? Praise the Lord!)
With this blessing from Scott and Sandy, it was so cool to see how God romanticizes us. Here our team was, feeling homesick and having no familiarity around us and then He opens doors of a Southern family with all the comforts and love we are used to getting from our homes back in the states.
After experiencing this amazing comfort from a simple act of kindness, I realized that I need to be more aware of those around me desperate for comfort. Not only are we supposed to open our homes to people we love, but to anyone and everyone in need. We should be fighting to make people feel comfortable in the house of the Lord. As Heidi Baker states in a documentary my team just watched, (Finger of God), “It’s not complicated. Just love the one in front of you.”
