Hospitality to Total Strangers

 

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1 Peter 4:9 Contemporary English Version

⁹ Welcome people into your home and don't grumble about it.

 

Oliver and Geraldine Lien were the foundation of the Adventist church in Iowa City. Oliver was head elder, and Genevieve was the church treasurer. While we were there, I was elected an elder in the church. She told me that one of the duties of an elder in a small church was to be hospitable to strangers who came into town and called the church seeking hospitality—usually a bed for the night but sometimes just a meal.

One time he passed a call on to me from an older couple who were Adventist missionaries in a far eastern country. They were on furlough and just passing through. They were full of the grace of God and stories of their experiences. They had served there for many years and were quite mystified by modern American life. They drove an old car that looked like it had more than the usual number of miles on it. I didn’t learn how they got the car, or who owned it. They were headed east to visit family and friends and planned to be there for several months.

Having recently returned from five years of mission work in Tanzania, we understood a lot of their feelings and empathized with them fully. We encouraged them to stop by on their way west. They did, indeed, stop by on their way west several months later. They were headed back to their mission field and another three years or more of service. They exuded a glow of the joy of the Lord which they shared liberally with us.

All visitors were not of the same caliber as these. One such stole a sizable sum of cash from my brother, who was also visiting us. He had spoken glowingly of attending his Adventist church back in Texas and sharing in their Sunday church potlucks. That should have warned me that he might be dangerous. Christ spoke of having naïve followers, and I have been made aware that I have fallen into that classification on more than one occasion.

We still rejoice in that special visit from our missionary friends. We value the experience immensely and wouldn’t trade it for anything. In our current situation in a California metropolis, we sense only too well the problems the unhoused bring to our community. What would Christ have done and how would He have lived if He had come to America in the 21^st century?

Lord, thank You for encouraging us to show hospitality even though it backfires on occasion.

 

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[1] https://media.swncdn.com/via/22746-1-pet-4-9-fbjpeg.jpg

Victoria Falls Bridge

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Psalm 143:8 Good News Translation

⁸ Remind me each morning of your constant love,
    for I put my trust in you.
My prayers go up to you;
    show me the way I should go.

 

We had long dreamed of taking our children back to Africa to touch base with their heritage. When I mentioned it to them, they all thought it was a marvelous idea. One of them couldn’t join us for several obvious reasons. Esther stayed home “with the baggage,” and so deserves equal shares with those who went “into battle.”[2] When I contacted my physician niece, Andi, about what inoculations we should get, she instantly yearned to join us, which she did.

Sylvia and I have often traveled to places and even taken an extra person along. When it’s far away, we get off a plane, rent a car, and drive until it’s time to sleep. We find a camping spot or motel and then drive on in the morning. Now with seven of us it was impossible to be so spontaneous. Furthermore, there were unpredictable problems, including more extensive crime than we were used to. We couldn’t just sack out anywhere and expect to find our car waiting for us in the morning.

We met on more than one occasion to discuss a desired itinerary. We settled on two definite goals: First, visit Helderberg College where my Dad and Mom had spent over 20 years and I was a child. All three of our kids had been there at least 4 years while they were very young. Second, travel to Solusi University which Dad had founded and where my Mom lies buried. The rest of the trip was devoted to sightseeing and experiencing the natural wonders of Africa.

Special thanks to our daughter, Julia, and our daughter-in-law, Uni, for tirelessly searching the web for the best accommodations and rentals. All of us have expressed an appreciation for a marvelous time reconnecting with our common heritage and experiencing some of nature’s African marvels. The success of our trip was not without a lot of prayer on many sides.

Thank you, Lord, for the chance to see and experience the love and sacrifice our family gave in Africa. Give us their spirit in our daily lives now.

 

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[1] Our Group overlooking Victoria Falls Bridge: Wil, Sylvia, Uni, Fred, Andi, Julia, David

[2] 1 Samuel 30: 24.

The Hand of God

 

 

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Romans 15:13 Contemporary English Version

¹³ I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.

 

A couple weeks ago I was visiting Solusi University in Zimbabwe. Dad had gone there in 1954 to turn this mission station into a university to train local leaders to take over the work. Adventists in the country now number over a million members—a witness to the success of this endeavor. As I stood in the church Dad built, the Dean of Students, Dr Ndlovu, asked me preach for the Sabbath service there in two days.

I should have said no right then. As a professional mathematician, I can’t make a sermon with an otherwise full schedule in the next 36 hours. But I let him twist my arm. I decided to simply tell the story of Solusi as I remember it. So, between all my other engagements, I stole a few minutes here and there to jot down the history on my phone. I was twelve when we went to Solusi. So I remember much of that famous African Adventist mission from that time forward. I concluded my talk with the great hope of Christians everywhere: Jesus died to forgive us our sins and cleanse us form all unrighteousness. I felt inadequate, to say the least. Adding to the stress, electricity went out Friday night and caused me several extra sleepless hours.

At 5:12 Sabbath morning the alarm on my phone went off. I got up to shut it off before it woke my wife, Sylvia. But the alarm shut off by itself in my hand. Then I searched my phone—I found no evidence that any alarm had been set. After about 12 more minutes, I said to myself: There’s no way that I’ll go back to sleep now. Furthermore, I need to go through my sermon, which I haven’t had a chance to do yet. It must have been set by the hand of God. He must want me to think about the notes I have written.

The electricity was still off. So I went into our bathroom, closed the door, and spoke out loud the message I wanted to deliver later that morning. Of course, the phone had its own power. I rearranged things, deleted some and added others. I thanked the Lord profusely for giving me this time. When I stepped in front of the believers later, I did so with confidence and enthusiasm.

I count this experience as a real privilege to deliver a message in the church Dad built over 50 years ago.

 

Lord, thank You that we can follow in the footsteps of the pioneers who served you so sacrificially.

 

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[1] Picture of me preaching in the Solusi Church that Dad built. ©Uni Clarke 2023