A few years ago, I joined a small group at my church focused on evangelism and discipleship. We gathered weekly for prayer, Bible study, and encouragement to share the gospel. Together, we built friendships with international students from a nearby university.
An opportunity arose for our group to host a Thanksgiving dinner with these students on behalf of a campus ministry at that university. About a week before the holiday, our group gathered at my house, welcoming about 25 international students. We all were shocked at the surprisingly good turnout and just how grateful those students were to be hosted in a home in the United States. Likewise, we were all grateful that simply inviting international students to a meal led to gospel conversations.
Hospitality is a Way to Show Christ’s Love
While already forging relationships with some of these students, the campus ministry empowered our group to take the skills we were practicing and invite these students into our homes. Because of this, I was reminded that opportunities to share the gospel and invite non-believers to observe your life in Christ aren’t hard to find. It can be as simple as inviting others into your home on a holiday or sharing a meal after work one day.
Opportunities to share the gospel and invite non-believers to observe your life in Christ aren’t hard to find.
Most of the internationals that came to celebrate Thanksgiving with us had little to no idea of what the holiday was. Many hadn’t eaten turkey or stuffing before, and none of them had been welcomed into an American home. The simple gesture of inviting them into my house and meeting new people meant the world to these students.
The night was filled with beautiful conversation and lots of gratitude. The students explained how they hadn’t had a home-cooked meal prepared for them since they were in their home country, and for most, that had been months or even years. I got the sense that they never expected to be hosted in such a way while being away from home.
Many told stories of how this was common in their home country but just thought it didn’t happen here. These kinds of statements broke my heart to hear yet made me feel grateful for our small group and our ability to host these students.
That night, I heard stories about how some of them felt ostracized by many in our community and felt cared for for the first time in a long time that Thanksgiving. They emphasized how unfamiliar our country was to them and felt they needed the connections created that night at my house.
Develop Relationships to Engage in Gospel Conversations
All the members of our small group left that night feeling encouraged, and glad that we could offer those students something they hadn’t experienced before.
That night relationships between Christians and non-believers blossomed into gospel conversations and curiosity about God’s Word. For some in the group, that night led to the Bible being studied one-on-one with an international student. For others, our Thanksgiving meal opened the door to sharing the good news of the gospel with someone who had never heard it.
As you consider inviting international students into your home for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, be ready to answer questions about your testimony and the Bible. Likewise, if they seem interested, invite them to read the Bible with you or visit your local church.
Hospitality is a Way to Steward our God-Given Resources
1 Peter 4:10 reminds us to “use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” Proverbs 3:9 calls us to “honor the Lord with [our] possessions.” Hospitality is one way we can steward the resources God has so graciously given us for the sake of the Kingdom.
Whether you are a college student living in an apartment or a large family with lots of space, I hope you consider hosting internationals for Thanksgiving. The Lord calls us to be hospitable people to all.
There is no better time than this to invite someone in; when you have an open seat at your table and plenty of food to go around. For many, it may be their first time eating stuffing, and for most, it will be one of their first experiences being welcomed and cared for in an unfamiliar place.
Grayson Pease is an MDiv student at Beeson Divinity School. He formerly served as the Executive Director of Multiply Groups in Birmingham, Alabama. He is a member of Redeemer Community Church.
