The following post comes from Marc and Kim Wyatt, CBF field personnel who are currently on Off Field Assignment and serving in North Carolina. Learn more about the Wyatts and their ministry here.
UNO Japanese-style
by Marc and Kim Wyatt
Mark 9:37 (New International Version)
37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
Over the Labor Day Weekend we hosted five international students from a local university in our home for dinner. It was the first time any of our new friends had ever been in an American home.
The connection was made by applying through the school’s Host Family Program (HFP). The HFP matches students with families from the area who share in hospitality and friendship designed to further the student’s cultural experience while in the United States.
It just so happened that our daughter, a college senior was also home from school. She jokingly told us before they arrived, “As soon as my brother and I head off to school you guys go out and adopt five international students.”
We had a good laugh. But it was true—the empty nest wasn’t empty very long.
We made a nice welcome sign with everyone’s name on it. I used it as a cheat sheet to help pronounce their unfamiliar names. We enjoyed a good old-fashioned American favorite for dinner – tacos.
We shared with our new friends that we were Christians and that it was our tradition to read from our Holy Book after dinner. After we had yummy brownies with ice cream and fresh strawberries, Kim asked Yulee, an education major, to read from a Japanese translation of Matthew 5: 1 – 13 that she found online.
We love the Bible online.
It was the first time any of our guests had even heard of Jesus or anything he had ever said.
We finished the evening enjoying a few games of UNO; learned some new rules Japanese-style and made lots of funny faces. It was a wonderfully awkward and joyful evening.
Mother Theresa once said, “Joy is a net of love by which we catch souls.”
We’re having the boys over again on Friday.