Hospitality and Simplicity

(I can't believe I have 3G access here)

For the next few nights, the team is separated into pairs and staying at different staff homes throughout the town/village. Couple of thoughts so far after the first night....

 First, hospitality is serious business here. There is a joy in "successful" hospitality that resonates with my Chinese culture. Alex and I can see the relief and joy in our host's eyes as we ask for seconds during dinner. They have gone above and beyond in making sure we feel as comfortable as possible and it's hard not to be humbled and moved in response. In many ways, it makes me think about how we approach hospitality back home, or even in our small groups. Our hosts have little to give but their love for God, and us, is hard to mistake through their simple offerings. It's not just the food but how they go out of their way for our benefit, like waking up at 4am so I could use the restroom outside because my fear of dogs. Yes, that really happened. It's not too different from our small groups or Sunday mornings at GrX, where we put out snacks and coffee before service begins, where the power of hospitality is not in the coffee (yes, we are aware that the Sunday coffee leaves much to be desired)... it's us, the hosts.
My second thought: simplicity is refreshing to the soul of those with a cluttered life, namely me. There is a simplicity of life here that is void of numbing busyness, cynicism, and #yolo culture/jokes back home. Don't get me wrong... people are busy here. They wake up 4am to start the day. The husband cleans up the house, does laundry (by hand), while the wife prepares breakfast. They then drive off to setup their "shop" at 5:30am, selling rice and chicken from a trolley of sorts. They work hard here. They also never talk about how busy they are. They just own it and live their life with obedience and faith. I would like to think that busyness is relative because the truth is... I enjoy talking about how busy I am. As I lay here, 4:30am under my mosquito net and listen to the roosters wake up the neighborhood, I also can't help but wonder if what comes out of my mouth ends up affecting my character and soul more than I am aware of. For once, I am not feeling busy. I feel content.
-Victor
Picture is a panaramic of our living space.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone