Southern (Africa) Hospitality

This past Sunday I had the chance to go to the church of my youth with my Mom. The priest shared about his experience living in Haiti and about his non-profit that helps orphan children. He told us about “mud pies” which are literally dirt fried in oil that the kids eat in order to overcome hunger (temporarily). He talked about how parents will leave their children in public places in the hopes that someone will pick them up and be able to feed them. The plight the priest described brought tears to my eyes and his plea for our hospitality to these kids was quite effective! Hospitality, he said, was the theme of the scriptures we read and the theme of his purpose in speaking to us that Sunday.

When I hear these stories, I feel a strong desire to be more in a position to do something. This time, I also felt really excited about being blessed to go to Malawi and to contribute – even for a short time. The people who have gone before us have told us that just sharing the experience of the moment with the people is a great gift (for both parties) even if it’s a moment colored by suffering. It seems that being able to forget and step outside of yourself and connect with another person – no matter what your life situation is – is something we all crave and need. I think it’s "connectedness" that satisfies. Otherwise, what's the point of “it all”? The ironic thing is that we've heard over and over again that the people of Malawi (aka "The Warm Heart of Africa") extend such touching hospitality to us even when they have little to give from a material perspective.

For the second time this week I got a message about hospitality – that exact word, in italics from a friend who was asking for help on behalf of refugees in need of basic household items.

This week God's message to me is hospitality. Loud and clear. More will be revealed, I'm sure.