Hospitality

The past few weeks have been about hospitality. I have been learning a lot about it, and it seeme at every turn in the road there were lessons revolving around this theme, in books I picked up to read, in Bible Studies, in conversations. And I have really been growing in this area. General ideas about hospitality are simple. It's easy to be hospitable when you are the hostess of a dinner party and everything is straight and prepared and it's your favorite friends coming over. Or when your home is all nice and pretty and perfect. Or when you are perfectly comfortable and at ease. Easy to make people feel at home and welcome them in, right? But what does hospitality mean when you do not have a finished home. What does it mean when you are not comfortable in your living space; what does it mean to be hospitable when you don't feel particularly friendly, when you are frustrated or tired or lonely. What does it mean to have a hospitable heart, to make space for people when they show up at the door (or just walk through it for lack of one!) even when your nature would go against that. What does it mean to make a space hospitable through your welcoming heart and ears and smile rather than what is in the space/house? What does it mean to love people no matter what, no matter how you feel or no matter how they approach you? These are a lot of the themes that God has been taking me through this past month, and I feel blessed to be learning and maybe progressing a little in this area. I have been reading a book by Henri Nouwen called Reaching Out, which speaks on the subject of both solitude and hospitality, the necessity of solitude and the hospitality of the heart in reaching out towards others. So applicable for Peace Corps life. It has been incredibly beautiful as well as appropriate for this time, these past months, so helpful. And I do feel that I have come to a place where I am able to put my own discomfort and wants aside and make room for others, make a space welcoming, love more. It is an incredible thing when you reach a point of being on a plateau of sorts. I feel as though I was climbing up a mountain, climbinb up, climbing up. And finally reached a plateau, and was aware of it, that hey, my heart has changed! Looking back I can see the distance and the difference. I noticed that now, when the children stare through the unfinished wall of my house at whatever I'm doing, instead of feeling frustrated or mad or sad or at my wits end, just wanting to hide or have some peace and quiet, now the response is laughter, laughter at the kids, waving, smiling. So that is indeed progress. And just one small example, and a very nice, soft, quiet praise for that lesson and growth.

love is in the sms airwaves

In honor of Valentine's Day I thought I'd share with you some text messages I've received in the past few months from random Cameroonian men, for your own enjoyment. Because yes, they are quite entertaining. Lesson learned: Cameroonian men are very, very dramatic. And definitely fall in love at first sight, even without more than three words exchanged.

12/7 17:49
bsr je suis oblige d tappelle car jai toujour envie de suivre ta voi et ce ma premiere foi decrire 1 msg. AbdulRaman

translation: goodevening i'm obliged to call you since i still/always desire to follow/hear your voice. this is my first time writing a (text) message.

1/29 23:05
slt dit je n ariv ps a control ma nouvel affection pr tw j ai ete decu m je lie ms stimt pr tw e a la patience j amrai gagne l affection d tn amite pr la suite. Ahmad the moto driver

hello listen i'm not able to control my new affection/love for you i was disappointed (when i texted to tell him i didn't need him to pick me up) i have my esteem for you and with patience i would like to win your affection and your friendship following.

1/30 16:17
slt cm va tu je sns pas 2 panse toi eliza je n une second rtard ta beaute me donne l'idee d joie tn image d ta bell face apparait dans mes yeux! bne soire eliza Ahmad the moto driver

hello how are you i don't know what you think eliza i ? one second late your beauty gives me the idea of joy and your image of your beautiful face appears in my eyes! good night eliza.

2/12 17:09
Qu tu me croi ou pas moi g pense a toi ca parai bizar ou terrifien el tu me mank. l'ocean a moin d'eau ke mon ker a? si tu poura compter ls etoil ds le ciel? Hammadou

whether you believe me or not, i think of you that seems bizarre or scary el i miss you. the ocean has less water than my heart has? if you could count the stars in the sky.

2/14 19:44
Tu a transforme ma vie en poesi e je te 2mand d'agir avec moi selon tn keur me sentiment pr toi st 6 for ke le garde secret sere impo6ble mn bb jetmmm k66666. Yannick the waiter

you transformed my life into poetry and i ask you to be with me according to your heart my feeling for you is so strong to keep a secret would be impossible. My baby I looove you. kiss.

2/14 20:03
bebe si g meurs c soir c sera d'amour et peine car au pres de toi ma vie est eternel. anonymous

Baby if i die tonight it will be of love and pain since next to you my life is eternal.


Now some of you might be wondering why these people have my phone number, and yes it's a good question. And every time I'm about to hand over the real digits I stop and think, hmm "do I really want to do this?" But every time it seems completely normal and mundane, even with no more than 3 sentences conversation exchanged...a moto driver who you need to come back and pick you up from the Bible Study and take you home. The waitor who has a restaurant next to a carpenter and said he'd be happy to bargain with the carpenter when he returned for a piece of furniture you wanted. A friend's homestay brother. And the thing is after a few weeks of non-returned lovesick phone calls and texts, they usually get over it and move on. Still, 95% of the time a man says "Well can I get your contact? Do you have a phone? Can I have your number?" the answer is NO!