Home -- A Ministry

A few days ago found my brother and sister-in-law dropping by for an overnight visit. They feel comfortable and welcome here and that's just the way I like it.

Today we have a list on our counter of various chores waiting to be done. Heading the list are these two items: prepare for Mennonite Your Way guests arriving at 6:00 pm; prepare for College Dinner tomorrow.

Mennonite Your Way is a B&B hospitality ministry founded through the Mennonite Church in fairly recent history. Rick and I have been members for over a decade. The benefits? Travel is cheaper (especially when you travel by the dozen like we do), more fun (you meet all kinds of people and get to peek into their lives by staying with them), and definitely more adventurous (none of this chain hotel cookie-cutter stuff for me!) On the other end, people call you and stop by while traveling from one place to another -- we are the benefactors; we hear all their latest travel adventures hot off the press! And we meet one more family. Always interesting!

So today we'll prepare a bedroom to receive two travel weary guests for the night and a house to receive 65-70 zealous young students, who are always eager to partake of homecooking, tomorrow afternoon. Better fill at least two huge pots with chili. These kids definitely come with appetites in tact. The benefits to this? We are fulfilling the scriptures to minister hospitality. We also partake of the enthusiasm for Christ and service to Him that these young men and women exude. As they sit around the table they laugh and share stories like all young people their age. But they also strategize evangelism exploits, plan Bible study times, and share testimonies. My children, like all children, are sponges -- let them be saturated with this kind of zeal!

Meanwhile, I will continue to purge the closets -- the hallway coat closet, toy cupboard, and book cupboard are on the list for the day. I make the mess and the kids help clean it. Seems like a good deal to me!

Home, sweet home...