William’s Home

We have a small home or at least it feels small to us and for the sheer volume of humans living in it.  I often get discouraged about how little we have people over.  I feel like maybe people don’t want to come over and step into our chaos.  I feel like maybe we’re not necessarily how someone wants to spend their evening.  When Ashley was in town she asked if she could stay at our house.  I was thrilled she wanted to, but that meant she was sleeping on a top bunk with a 2-year-old beneath her and you know what, she welcomed it.  I’m no fool in thinking her stay was similar to The Ritz, but I loved washing sheets, cleaning our bathroom and setting a little gift on the top bunk pillow for her.  I want to be hospitable.  I want to welcome people into our home.  I want when family and friends are in our home they know they are loved and we love having them.  Truthfully though, sometimes we let the size of our house keep us from filling this place to the brim with people…we let it keep us from extending hospitality.

(Alisha’s photo)

One night in Swaziland after we finished up at the carepoint, William, Ngugnwane’s shepherd, asked us to his home for dinner with his family.  William literally lives a stones throw from the carepoint.  As we pulled up to his homestead and took in the view I instantly could not shake the sincere hospitality which was being gifted to us.

William introduced us to his family.  The sun was setting fast so we took some polaroids of their whole family for them to keep before it was dark.  Then William pointed us in the direction of the quaint room which held a table lit with candles and brimming with traditional Swazi foods prepared for us.  It was quite the spread…Rice, beef stew, chicken, salad, more chicken, pop, vegetables, honeycomb from William’s bees.  This family who we didn’t really know killed and cooked one of their chickens for us.  William had only known us a few days and yet he welcomed our team into his home and fed us the most beautiful meal.

(Alisha’s photos)

We all formed a line…our whole team, all the ladies from the carepoint and William’s family… and slowly made our way around the candle lit table filling our plates.  We sat outside on mats overlooking Swaziland mountains with the most gorgeous African sunset taking place.  We ate and chatted about the day and the food.  William walked around with a water and soda bottle refilling drinks.  I sucked honey off the honeycomb, breathed this moment in deep and thought “How many people in the world can say they have shared a meal with friends like this?”  I watched as Harper lapped up food and let compliments fall from her mouth about the deliciousness.  I listened to the conversations buzzing around us as we eventually sat in complete darkness soaking in the last moments of the day.

(Alisha’s photo)

Leah wrapped this absolutely incredible evening up quite nicely by saying “This was on my bucket list and I didn’t even know it.”  Everyone just felt so humbled and honored to have been invited into this home.  William and his family stoked the fire for hospitality in my heart.  They did not let anything…not a language or culture barrier…not anything stand in their way of extending the most gracious hospitality I’ve ever been shown.  They shared so much with us and it was a most precious gift.

We left in the dark…hugging necks and all our thank you’s echoing around.  Our words felt not nearly good enough for what we had just experienced, but we did our best.  We drove home overwhelmed by God’s goodness and absolutely lovely feeling from the lavish love just bestowed on us by our new friends.

Happy Thursday.