June 2nd, 2022: Welcome Strangers Into Our Land

"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." - Hebrews 13: 2

Canada is a nation of new migrants and refugees. Sometimes we forget that there are many tongues spoken in our land. As much as we can appreciate the history of bilingualism in this nation, we also need to expand our horizons of Canada.

This verse reminds us of the importance of welcoming strangers into our country. Here are some of these angels that I encountered during the years I worked among international students.

A) Andre M. was a Ph.D. student from South Africa. I met him in 1986 when apartheid was tearing his homeland apart. We had many conversations about his hope and desire to serve his people. Andre could have stayed in Canada and become a Chemistry professor. His faith in God is steady, reflective, and engaging. I cherished the time we had together. Christmas 1987 was one of those holy moments as we stayed up late by the fireplace at a campsite and talked about what God can do with our lives.

B) Margaret A. came from Kenya to do a Ph.D. n Agriculture Science. She is an intelligent woman with a great sense of humor and joy. She taught me how to dance while singing "The Glory Train". She and I talked and prayed about some of the deep personal struggles she had to face after returning home. We could feel her love for God and people whenever she was around.

I have many more stories about these "angels" in my life. Let us welcome foreigners and strangers to our land. They can be a more tremendous blessing to us than we can imagine. Be generous with our finance and time. We will learn a lot more about the greatness of God. The worst thing we can do is to be indifferent towards them.