Random Hospitality

1 Peter 4:9

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

⁹ Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

We were living in the smallest house on Ikizu Mission in Tanzania. We had one small baby and so pretty much filled up the home. The room we used as our “dining room” had bookcases from floor to ceiling and a table and several chairs. It also had a crack that ran from floor to ceiling about an inch wide all the way through the 18 inch thick mud-brick wall caused by one of the many earthquakes the rift valley area of Africa frequently experiences. We had a bathroom and kitchen with cold running water and had one of the old ringer type Maytag washing machines.

One day a Land Rover piled high with personal possessions and towing a trailer filled with more things pulled up outside our house, and a man and woman got out. As some kids tumbled out of the Rover behind them, they introduced themselves as Robin and Diana.

Robin was on a surveying mission in East Africa for one of the universities in England. On a clear night he would haul his equipment to the top of a mountain and carefully pinpoint the exact astronomical position of 50 to 100 stars. Then he would spend long hours calculating--without a calculator. His purpose was to determine the precise position of that point on the surface of the earth. These points had been surveyed using triangulation methods decades previously. But his methods were regarded as being more accurate than the old method. This all happened before global positioning satellites and actually helped perfect the new system.

Diana explained that they needed to spend upwards of two weeks in each place. All they desired was a place to set up camp near a bathroom and washing machine. We welcomed them, and they camped in the shade of the jacaranda trees in our back yard. This helped us get to know them pretty well. We had occasional meals together and became good friends. We left the back door unlocked so they could access our bathroom any time of day or night.

We did not push our religion on them, nor did we have Bible studies. I don’t remember whether they sat in on our daily family worships occasionally or not. They certainly didn’t seem religiously inclined at all. Yet as we kept in touch with our annual Christmas cards for years, we noted with joy their descriptions of becoming very involved trying to interest the young people in Christ and the gospel once they returned to England. Decades later on a trip around the world, they stopped in and spent a night with us. Robin was very excited about his lay ministry with the young people and spoke of it at length.

Thank You Lord for allowing us to work with You by using our little bit of hospitality to encourage Robin and Diana in serving You. May we continue to show hospitality to the people you bring our way!