Not that different

I had been anticipating hosting a special guest for Global Missions week for over a year and the time had finally come. What would he or she be like? Would they like us or would my children drive them crazy? What kind of food should I serve? These were the questions that were rolling around in my mind as I waited to meet him as I found out that our guest was to be one man. I found him to be nothing like what I expected. He looked and acted like an ordinary traveler complete with a backpack just like the one I like to travel with. He was gracious, thanking me for our hospitality in letting him stay with us. He was wearing regular clothes, nothing out of the ordinary there. Also, when he spoke, he did not speak in Bible passages. Both of these things began to intrigue me.

When he finally came to our house later that night, as luck would have it two of our busiest kids were asleep. We would be able to break him in easy. We visited around our kitchen table and he told us where he was serving and how exactly he is going about it, fascinating! He also told us about himself and his family. This would be the first of several conversations we had with him that would forever change my perspective of what a missionary is.

I found our guest to be nothing like my pre-conceived image of a missionary, roughly someone who looks like Crocodile Dundee and talks like Jimmy Swaggart. Instead I found someone infinitely more complex and compelling. Beneath his everyman outward appearance was someone who considered it a "no brainer" to live his life across the world in service to Jesus Christ.

Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.  1 Samuel 16:7

We were both newbies on the scene, his first time to a conference and our first time to host. Perhaps this made sharing easier. He was transparent and forth coming about his life and work and we were also with him about ours.I realized though we were across the world from each other and have different itineraries, our final destination and goals are exactly the same! His visit reminded me of the common bond we all share as believers. It's unspoken, beautiful and a gift from God.

We fed him a healthy diet of tilapia and salad and he spent time getting to know our children. He insisted he enjoyed both although I will never really know on either account. We were sad to see him go, and so very grateful for the opportunity to get to know him.