“Enter his gates with
thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him
and praise his name. For the Lord is
good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues
through all generations.” (Psalm 100:4-5)
For Thanksgiving this year, my parents and I decided to
celebrate at my apartment and invite some of the refugees I work with. I invited a family of 5 that recently arrived
from Nepal, and we cooked and set the table accordingly. As I was driving over to pick them up, I was
wishing my apartment was bigger so I could have invited a Sri Lankan family
that lives nearby, too. When I got to
the Nepalese family’s home, I found out the mother wasn’t feeling well and the
daughters were going to stay home to care for her. That meant only 2 of 5 were going to come.
We got in the car and started driving home, but as we were
about to pass the Sri Lankan family’s apartment I decided to stop and see if
they wanted to come over. I didn’t have
their phone number in my phone to call them, so I just knocked unannounced
(which I don’t usually do). I asked if
they had plans and invited them over.
They said yes and I waited while they got ready to leave.
I arrived home with 6 people instead of 5, so we slipped
another chair around the table and put the food on the table. My mom and I cooked a pretty traditional
Thanksgiving meal—turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables,
cranberry sauce, a spinach salad. At
times, conversation seemed strained, since I was the only person that really knew
everyone. But as the meal went on, it
got easier. Everyone helped clean up
(except maybe my dad because one of my Nepalese guys told him in their culture
the young people serve the older people) and participate in the day. My parents told them stories about life in Michigan
farmland. My mom played with the 3 year
old. He had discovered my baskets of
toys and games, and one of the young men asked my mom how to play Phase
10. She explained it and then I heard
him enthusiastically say “let’s play.”
He has been through an incredible amount of pain in his short life, and
it made my heart glad to hear him excited about a game. So we played a few phases of Phase 10 before
it was time to go home.
As we were saying goodbye and leaving the house, several of
them said they felt like they were a part of a family today.
That is about the best thanks I could receive. The day wasn’t quite what I was planning, but
it worked out well. I am thankful for
this opportunity to share home, food, parents, games, a holiday, and love with others. I am thankful to be able to share “hospitality
with strangers” (Hebrews 13:2).
