This is radical hospitality (a big thanks to my best friend)
If you had the opportunity to invite a family of five to live with you for two months, would you open up your doors and let them in? This would mean allowing a family to be in “your space” and probably often sacrificing your time and focused attention and valuable resources. Hospitality like this would be called radical, maybe even crazy. During our last days in Ethiopia, we received an email from our best friends asking us to consider living with their family for the two months we were home in the states, instead of trying to find a place to rent. At first, Roger and I couldn’t imagine someone offering something so big, and we didn’t want to hurt our friendship or be an inconvenience. We tried to come up with every excuse why this might not be a good idea, but in the end they sent several more amazing emails and convinced us that living as a family of 12 would be a wild, fun adventure!
“Something unique happens when we serve in our homes, something that cannot be replicated in other places. Whether it is ministering within our own family, the great Body of Christ, or to unbelievers, I believe that our home is one of the most powerful arenas to affect a life for God. Hospitality is our faith in action. It is prayerfully preparing a meal, inviting the Holy Spirit to lead and bless the conversation and fellowship. Christ brings people into our homes and seeing each one as Jesus does- because hospitality is really all about the way we see people.”(Natalie Overturf, missionary in Sudan Live-Dead Journal)
We moved into the Neal home when we arrived back to the states and found a safe haven to recuperate and catch our breath from our time in Ethiopia. Missionaries call this time of rest, taking furlough. Yes, we were physically tired, but we also missed our adopted kids and village of Korah so much, it helped our hearts recuperate, too. Julie and I have been best friends for over 13 years, but living together took our friendship to a whole different level. We joked constantly calling each other, sister-wives. We helped each other with the daily routine of mommyhood, but also helped ease the load of carpools, cooking dinner, grocery shopping, watching the kids (we have 8 kiddos together) and cheering each other on as moms. Caleb, their oldest son and a senior in high school gave up his space and offered his room and teen cave in the basement. He never batted an eye. He was gracious and thoughtful every single day to our family. We bonded as a family of 12 and the time spent at their home will be one of the sweetest memories of my life.
“We are told in Scripture (Romans 12:13) to practice hospitality. Hospitality also defined the lives of leaders in Scripture (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:8) To not seek to grow in the practice and grace of hospitality would be nothing less than disobedience.” (Live-Dead Journal)
A few days before moving to Haiti, their youngest son, Cruz told me that he was really going to miss our family, but was realllly going to miss Zoie. The two of them played non-stop everyday until it was time to go to bed. I had the honor of telling bed time stories of “Jimmy the Mouse” to the 3 little ones every night, and had a blast making up crazy forest tales of the adventures Jimmy had in the enchanted forest near the magic marshmallow mountain. I told Cruz when he missed us the most, he needed to look up at the moon and say a prayer for our family, we would be looking at the same moon in Haiti and praying for his family, too. I overheard him telling a friend that the same moon shining on him, was the same moon shining on Zoie in Haiti … and we would always be in his heart. sniff
“Hospitality isn’t about me. It is rarely, if ever convenient. It isn’t about appearances. It has everything to do with the way we see and receive people, in our homes and where we are. It is Jesus’ heart alive in us extending an invitation to all who will come. Come, live out the kingdom by learning to lavishly love and serve one another.” (Live-Dead Journal)
We can never find the words to thank the Neal family for opening up their hearts, home, and family to our family. I cried so hard pulling out of their driveway on our last night in Hotel Neal. Our 3 children were deeply affected by their hospitality, but most importantly they gave Michael, Hannah, and Zoie a safe, fun, beautiful home to call their own during our break on 12 months of mission-adventure. Living homeless to live on the mission field is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. We understand there are many people who don’t understand why we are taking our children all over the world to serve in Ethiopia, Haiti and Nicaragua, but we know if we aren’t willing to take a big risk, we’ll miss out on the greatest adventure of our life.
God has provided EVERYTHING we need. When you tell Jesus, “I will go anywhere and do anything …” these altars where we commit our lives to God in this way are critical. However, when we find ourselves having gone to that place called “anywhere” and we are living out what often seem to be mundane tasks, we must regard these as holy before the Lord. It is here where ALL the details of Christ’s character being formed in us are put upon the canvas in much smaller strokes. If we are not careful, we can find ourselves busily trying to paint a beautiful picture for God instead of aligning ourselves with the Spirit and allowing Him to take the brush and have His way.(Live-Dead Journal)
Rob, Juju, Caleb, Josie, Rylie, Caden, and Cruz … we want to thank you for opening up your hearts and home to our family for the past 2 months. We love you with all our hearts, and will never forget your radical hospitality. You held our hands during some of the most challenging times and cheered us on and supported our big, crazy mission-dreams. We will miss Sunday pizza nights, late-nite cookie dough bakes, Hallmark Christmas movies, preschool days, soccer & cheer & birthday craziness, power clean-ups, and sitting on the floor eating an insane amount of Halloween candy. Thank you for decorating your home for both holidays we were missing in the states … Thanksgiving and Christmas!! The laughs and tears were healing to our family and gave us the courage to keep going. There is no way to express our gratitude for your grace grace and kindness. We love you!!
If you would like to follow our Gibson family mission-adventure newsletter, please sign up here. Support us with your prayers and cheers as we are His hands and feet in Haiti for the next 2 months. We can’t wait to see what God has planned for our family… living out-of-the-box missions! Your Love God is my song, and I’ll sing it! I’m forever telling everyone how faithful you are. I’ll never quit telling the story of your Love. Psalm 89:1
If you would like to invest in our mission-adventure and give a one-time gift or monthly contribution to our non-profit ministry, Simply Love: : donations are tax deductible
- OPERATION: HAITI (Paypal)
- Simply Love Fund– click here
- Mail a check to: (ID 1048362)
Simply Love
National Christian Foundation
706 North Lindenwood Drive
Olathe, Kansas 66062
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