The Imprint Left on my Heart from The Congo - Hospitality
Accepting the invitation to celebrate with Congolese ladies - Photo by MacKenzie Kuhn
The Imprint Left on my Heart from The Congo - Hospitality
In July, I took a two-week mission journey to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was a trip I will remember as long as I live.
The purpose of the trip was to visit ministries the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church engaged in through our partnership with the North Katanga Conference of the UMC.
The two-week emotional ride in the land of my ancestors with a rich, complex history, can’t be fully explored in a single blog post. But, there is one thought that rises to the top of the entire experience:
What does it mean to extend hospitality and what does it mean to receive it?
“Jambo” – Swahili for “hello” – Each morning during our first 5 days, we stayed in Kamina. Each morning, my roommate and I (jokingly named Mary and Martha by our travel mates, long story) received a knock on the door at 6:30 am. A petite woman about 80 years old was at our door with a bucket of hot water for us to bathe saying “jambo” as she carried the water to the bathroom, not allowing us to help. Leaving our room she would say, “merci” before we could share our gratitude to her. You may not understand the enormity of the gesture until you stay in a location that lacks infrastructure for running water as we know it in the U.S. The work it must have taken for that water to be collected, boiled, and delivered to each tenant at 6:30am daily is not lost on me.
Welcome! – Exiting the plane in Lubumbashi after 14 hours of travel, an enormous crowd greeted us with singing, dancing and children smiling. Quickly we became participants in the festive atmosphere as individuals pulled us in to celebrate. I became emotional and tears began to fall as I sang and danced with them.
On another occasion, a crowd greeted us on a road as we were driving to a church. The crowd was so big, we had to stop our vehicles and walk the rest of the way. We joined the beautiful brown faces wearing colorful shirts, dresses, and headwraps in joyfulness as they sang and danced around us. The crowd looked to be in the hundreds, mostly children. Again, I cried tears of joy but also shame. Joy because I was a guest but felt like I was with family and became just as excited. Shame because I cannot remember the last time I welcomed a visiting church, pastor, or choir with this type of excitement.
Relationships are built around the table – Many meals were served at the homes of our ministry partners. Each meal was meticulously prepared and displayed at a table where we gathered. I felt at home. At the table, conversations took place which deepened our relationships with our hosts and each member of the team. At the table we laughed, tried new food, shared experiences, and cried. We were served greens prepared with palm oil and light seasoning, sweet pineapple, fresh fish scored and grilled to perfection, strong hot coffee for breakfast or tea after dinner – just to name a few delights.
Twice we were surprised with popcorn and Coca Cola. One day a beloved retired bishop hosted a meal for us. He served hamburgers and pizza in addition to the spread of fresh shrimp, fish, vegetables, and fruits. He said, “I know you Americans like your junk food.” We all laughed.
When I host family or friends, I am likely to take them to my favorite restaurant because I rarely have time to prepare a feast. Yet after my experience in the Congo, I am forced to reconsider ways I can extend hospitalty. Extending hospitality can be offering a cold bottled water to a guest when picking them up from the airport. Hospitality can look like providing a quiet place for them to rest. In addition, I can find an easy meal to prepare (or have delivered) at home instead of being distacted by noise and people in a restaurant. In doing so, I can embrace a chance to nurture relationships around my table and also make memories that last.
Top left to right- Delicious dish made by Jeanne Ntambo; one of our hosts, welcome at Lumbubashi airport (Photo by MacKenzie Kuhn), crowd leading us to a house of worship after exiting our cars and women who provided hospitality in our Kamina hotel. The woman in the center provided water each morning to our rooms.
