WAR AND PEACE

Nate was 10. Ginger was 7. The twins were four. It was an unusual Thanksgiving Day and Matt was either having his 9^th birthday that very day or the day before or after. The setting was our Keeler House with its red, yellow and dark-stained cedar kitchen, patriotic wall paper and bright red curtains on the three six-foot high windows in the dining room, and a newly remodeled living room filled with very old furniture!

Friends of mine from my Moody days had recruited us as a host family for Thanksgiving Day. They would take care of all the details to send a couple of students from other countries to our house…we would provide the hospitality and the meal. We all got into the spirit of things and began to prepare for an unusual Thanksgiving.

One of our students was from Pakistan. The other was from India. In passing, someone mentioned to us that the two countries were at war. Hmmmmm. We were also told that one of them didn’t eat ham and one didn’t eat meat at all. That added another interesting consideration!

The special November day dawned and we all sort of hovered around the front windows watching for our guests. At last, one came and shortly thereafter, the other one knocked at the door and we opened it in true Heldman style. The kids were like the ones you see in old English movies where everyone stands together welcoming visitors and repeats the ritual when the guests are leaving.

It was awkward at first, but both of our visitors became immediately attached to the kids. Out came all the show and tell stuff and I think, even a little talent show. We have photos of the twins “playing” chess with one of the students.

Then came dinner. We seated our guests next to each other, not for any other reason than to give them each other as somewhat of a force against the rowdy Heldmans! We bowed our heads to pray and thanked God for many things, it being Thanksgiving, including our new found friends. I can’t remember what the two of them ate. I think one of them ate turkey and trimmings, and the other at “trimmings.” What I do remember is that they were like old buddies, enjoying each other’s company noticeably.

What a grand day! It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I know the kids thought it was super that our family had reached out to these two guys who would have had nowhere to go on Thanksgiving.  They thanked us quite gustily and as they left, we were touched with the truth that people are peaceable when one on one. At home, back across the oceans, the countries were in a constant state of war at one level or another and the interpersonal hatred was out in the open. At our house, Kush and Asghar had a day of friendship.

We kept in touch for a good long time afterwards. In fact, just a year ago, I tracked them down, sent them and email and heard back from one of them. The best part is that shortly after our international Thanksgiving Day, my Moody friend called us to give us the news that one of them had trusted Christ as Savior. Did we have a part in that? Oh, yes! We did! Hospitality is one of the best ways to reach the lost! Here were two foreigners, at war in their homeland, at peace in our happy home, and offered the chance at eternal peace.