Hospitality

For Lent in Garnerville we are looking into famous Celts and what messages we can take from their stories. I was in charge of Brigid and sharing her story which conveyed generosity and hospitality.  As a part of this, I shared my encounter with hospitality in Belfast and how it has impacted me. Below is what I said at today's church service.

"When I first arrived in Belfast, I knew no one and no one knew me, yet that didn’t matter. I was invited into homes for meals, given lifts to and from work, blankets to keep warm, and if I needed anything I was looked after. It was overwhelming to feel such warmth from people who had only just met me. “There is just something incredible about being welcomed into a stranger’s home especially when you’re a foreigner.” And because of all this I have felt truly welcome here, and when asked if I am homesick... it’s really hard to miss home because with this wonderful hospitality, there isn’t room to feel homesick. Receiving such kindness has been eye-opening for me, not that people back home aren’t hospitable but they know me and to me that makes a difference. Because for me, I was a stranger and no one owed me anything, yet I received such warmth that made me forget I was new here. As it has been read before in Hebrews chapter 13 verse 2 it says “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Now, I am not saying I am an angel but it is amazing to be a witness to the Bible being lived out. It is something I want to take back home with me because now being on the receiving end of gracious hospitality, I would love to be the one to bestow that upon someone else."