Awakening to the smell of fresh pancakes powdered with sugar, fresh homemade jams, herbal teas, and Irish Cream French press, my teammates and I looked at the table wondering if we were all experiencing the same fantasy. Alla, flour upon her floorball T, laughed at our expressions as we asked if it was a holiday. Her response “No, this is normal.” The boys made their way to the kitchen greeting their little sister with a morning kiss, and sat with us to laugh over the previous floorball practice. Tolic came in just as we began a round of ‘baby shark’ and joined in with a full theatrical performance, that brought us all to our knees laughing.
Family [n]: a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household.
The dictionary maps it out plane and simple. A definition that is politically correct, but lacks the depth that comes from real family.
Family [n]: those who do life together, who live to strengthen and serve one another, those who one fights for no matter the cost.
This month we have been taken in. Adopted as six new sisters to a family whose joy comes solely from Christ; a family whose faith streams love. As sisters and brothers in faith we are called to exist as such a family. We are called to exist as a place of refuge and joy to the orphaned heart, the seeking, the lost, the wanderer, etc.
“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors: if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
~ Luke 14: 12-14
Our host family in Ukraine is not only a family to our team; they are a family to this community. The joy they live in creates an environment of peace and refuge. Neighbors and friends enter the embrace of our Ukrainian family at all hours of the day. Some for a pot of tea, some for a yard tool, some for a boost of encouragement, some for a shoulder to cry on, some for a little sister they never had, some for an older brother they need, some for a bite to eat, some for tips on floorball techniques, some for advice on family, and some for discipleship. The reasons they come are endless, but the trust they have and they joy this family brings is enduring.
REFLECTION:
Has God gifted you with the blessings of hospitality? How has he called you to share the blessing he has given?
