"Always be eager to practice hospitality"

"Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality." -Romans 12:9-13

Whether you’re religious or not, these words are powerful. I think we live most of our lives forgetting the absolutely incredible power of a hello, a hug, or reassurance that we aren’t alone. We’re always taught to “be kind” but how often do we live by the minimum standards of what that means? I feel like “be kind” today often means ‘just don’t do anything bad,’ but it doesn’t mean DO something kind.

Coming to Siles has socially been one of my life’s greatest challenges. It is difficult, no matter how much you want an experience like this, to leave everything and everyone that you know. Moving to a small little town in the mountains, where people don’t live, speak, eat, commute, or dress like you is a total shock to the system. It makes you very aware of yourself, and feels as if there is a spotlight upon your every word and action. It makes every little ‘hello,’ every small, taken-for-granted little act of acceptance absolutely precious.

There have been days here that I feel like I’ve won a great victory because on the way to school some little old lady exchanged ‘holas’ with me. Those ‘good mornings’ made my entire day and made me feel like even in this different world, I could be apart of something; I could be a part of this community.

Everything worth anything requires some work and potential discomfort. The greatest gifts in life require work and stretching of one’s limits, especially in relationships (romantic, friendship or otherwise). In the U.S. I considered myself fairly independent. I didn’t have a problem going to dinner or a movie by myself but going to bars was usually where I drew the line. Here, if I was going to meet and connect with people my age, I had to go the bars by myself. It was so much more uncomfortable than I could have imagined. You can not even imagine the sigh of relief that floods one’s body when someone accepts and reciprocates your strained efforts at communication.

There have been several people here in Siles that I consider to be my little gifts from God. Through them I have seen hospitality unmatched by most. The things they do are not outwardly extravagant. They will never make the paper. They won’t win any awards. However, their hospitality is enough to bring an overwhelming, flooding sensation of love, acceptance, friendship and happiness into my heart and soul.

Inés: Before my trip even started Inés was my one connection in Siles. From the very get-go she tried to make me feel comfortable and reassure me that no matter how many questions I had, or how many things were up in the air, it would all be ok. When I arrived and she knew of an open apartment she called the landlady for me, negotiated a price and arranged for me to meet her and look at the place. When I needed to go to Jaén two and a half hours away to do paperwork she hopped in her car and drove me there and back. She was in the midst of caring for her 1 year old, teaching, entertaining out of town family, being pregnant and renovating a house. In spite of all that she still offered to give me a call if they decided to do anything during the long weekend since she knew my plans had fallen through and I was going to be hanging out alone. Even though I feel like she would do or give anything she could, what I am thankful for most is how excellent she is at reassuring me it will all be ok, and making me feel like I’m not actually doing anything here alone.

Pepe: I met Pepe my first day in Siles. He was walking down the same street I was on, wearing a smile and stopped to ask me where I was from. Siles doesn’t get many foreigners, so it’s obvious when someone is new. Most people will stare, but very few blindly try to start a conversation with me. I understand. They don’t know who I am, why I’m here, or if I even speak Spanish. They don’t know that I can understand them. It’s personally risky to try to start a conversation. Pepe did, and then his excitement and generally happy demeanor was contagious. In the following days he bought me coffee, took me on mushroom gathering adventures and offered me rides from the grocery store to my house so I didn’t have to carry the groceries up the hill. He brought me into his home and let me have dinner with him and his daughter. He gave me a cell phone to use until I could get one of my own. He gave me different foods to try and told me how to prepare them and introduced me to his friends. Pepe was like an adopted grandfather. He didn’t have to do any of that, but he did, and he transformed my first few days in Siles.

Gloria: Gloria is my “twenty-somethins savior.” A friend introduced us at the bar and she pulled up a barstool and talked to me for hours. She would get close, and speak directly to me so I could understand her. She was instantaneously caring and empathetic of the fact that I was alone in this town and hoping to make friends. When she found out there was the possibility I would be alone for the holidays she insisted that she was going to call me all day long to make sure I wasn’t lonely. She introduced me to people, opened up the door for me to have conversation with other people, bought me a drink, danced with me, make me feel comfortable, pulled me into pictures with her and her friends and made me feel like I was with someone that night. I wasn’t alone at the bar anymore. I was with a friend.

There are many others too. This just scratches the surface. I've had people offer me rides, offer to let me spend the holidays with their families, offer to let me stay in their homes, and every day...more and more 'hellos.'

I really, really can’t express to you how emotional experiences like this are. To describe it just doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of how much it all means. You really can change someone’s life this way.

In relationships, in love, in friendship, there always has to be someone that makes the first move. Why not make it you? Why not be that person who brings such happiness, or at the very least a glimmer of hope, to another being? Even on days that you have nothing else to give, give a “hello.” IT MEANS SO MUCH. You’ve acknowledged someone’s presence in a positive way, and may have given them exactly what they needed in that moment. And when you can…when you have more to give…BE kind. Give someone a hug. Make that phone call. Open your house to someone who’s alone for the holidays. *Express genuine interest in another human being.* You may not ever understand the elated joy you can bring someone by going just above and beyond until you’re in need of that same kindness.

So today, please, embrace the hope found in hospitality...and be kind.