Hospitality, Community, and Home
I’ve been a Greensboro Fellow for four months now, and my time here has already been very formative. My classes and peers have challenged me to think more deeply, which has made parts of this semester feel uncomfortable as I navigate living out my Christian faith. Yet, getting to experience the abundant love from families in this community has been a constant source of joy. Multiple families have opened their homes to me and the Fellows, and each time I visit, I leave in awe of their hospitality. As a result I want to spend time giving thanks for their generosity so I thought I would share two of the most impactful moments from this semester.
The first moment I’ll share takes place at the Meriwether’s home. The Meriwethers currently host a fellow, and they often open their home for us to come and hang out. One night, all eight of the fellows gathered in their living room. Ben, the fellow they are currently hosting, made us all brownies and ice cream. As we sat and ate together, two of the Meriwether children got up to perform a concert for us. Their lovely performance featured songs from both Taylor Swift and of course the beloved Hamilton soundtrack. Eventually, all of us ended up singing and dancing together to their music. It was such a silly and warm moment to see the Meriwethers allow eight twenty-two year olds to sing and dance in their home with them. At that moment, I felt so loved and safe, as if I were home in Minnesota with my own family.
The second moment takes place at the Hill’s home. Each time I’ve visited, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing the rhythms of their family. One of the sweetest moments was when they invited me and another fellow to join their evening Advent practice. We began by gathering in the living room around the Advent wreath. The room was so inviting, with the Christmas tree twinkling in front of me as I sat on their comfy couch. The evening continued with a moment of silence, a song, a reading, a question, and prayer. When we were done, I left feeling so filled up by the beauty of God and His people. I felt truly honored to be invited into such an intimate moment with their family. It was a privilege to witness a Christian family living out their faith through their Advent practices.
Both of these memories are such vivid images of Christ’s love for His people. I am so grateful to both of these families and all the other families that have opened their homes to us in the last four months. The love from our Greensboro community has greatly impacted my time as a fellow and I couldn’t imagine doing the program without them!
With gratitude,
Madi Dewall