A ‘village’ in our home
When our family lived in the Philippines from 2012 to 2018, we hosted our Peace Church community in our home every weekend and opened our doors to countless friends throughout the week. I remember reading articles about the absence of “the village” in today’s society and how families struggle to feel cared for and connected.…
Welcoming the stranger at Christmas
The Christ Child has arrived. We’ve waited through four weeks of Advent to light that fifth candle, the Christ candle, symbolizing the presence of Christ in our midst. And we feel ready to welcome this baby with open arms. Don’t we? It’s easy to forget, I think, that the Christ Child received rather contradictory messages…
A washroom smelling of stale beer
At 9:30 a.m., the church door opens. A young woman, a girl really, slips in quietly. She asks quickly, “Can I use the washroom?” My reply is to the already closed bathroom door. Two hours later, I decide to investigate. The visitor has not reappeared. I knock, asking if she is okay. A mumbled voice…
Diana’s Sugar Rolls
Diana Shaw grew up watching her mother express love and caring by preparing and sharing food. Diana says, “This recipe from my mother is easy to make; it can be frozen, thaws quickly, and is easy to eat!” It makes approximately 90-100 sugar rolls, depending on the size. (Read “Following my mother’s example” here.) 1½ tbsp.…
Encountering hospitality in rural India
For the past year, Sara Wyngaarden of Elmira, Ont., has been in India, participating in the Serving and Learning Together program (SALT) of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). This reflection originally appeared on her blog. Last week I had the privilege of visiting Jharkhand, a state in eastern India where MCC has partnered with local Mennonite…
Gifts of the table
Recently, my husband and I sat with friends at a table in an Ethiopian restaurant. As we dipped pieces of injera (sourdough flatbread) into the tasty sauces, we reported on our lives: a new business, a new grandchild, past school experiences, current professional realities. Consider what happens when people gather around the table: We…
An empty bowl
“Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with…
On meeting St. Francis
‘The Ecstasy of St. Francis of Assisi,’ by Blas Muñoz, painted circa 1683-86. (Google Art project photo) I wouldn’t normally invite a stranger to stay in our house, but there was something about Jane (a pseudonym) that changed me. I was waiting for my son to finish a late hockey practice when she approached. She…
Take, bless, break
The Evansons were out of our league. We were a plain old missionary family coming from rural New Hamburg, Ont., and they were über-educated university professors from glamorous Colorado, U.S.A. But as she so often did when newcomers arrived in Brazil, my mom took the Evansons under her wing. She picked them up at the…
Ramadan delights
It’s been a couple years now, but the experience stands out in my mind as if it were yesterday. Engin Sezen, executive director of the Waterloo, Ont., Intercultural Dialogue Institute, invited my wife Marlene and me to share a meal with his and his brother’s families after dusk during Ramadan. Even though Engin was a…
