by Dianne Orth
Hebrews 13:2 Don’t forget to give hospitality to strangers for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Some might think I have a case of hospitality on steroids, as each month it’s not uncommon for a handful of people to come through our revolving front door.
When we designed our house for our blended family, we put our master bedroom and a guest room on the main floor and cornered off the basement with rooms for our kids. As our kids were growing up, they experienced “strangers” in their home who came to visit the clinic, but also hosted exchange students from Switzerland, China, and South Korea – mission trips in our own home! One by one, the kids left the nest, so that meant we had more spare rooms.
Guests come to us by word of mouth, often through the church family. Stays are typically 1-3 nights while folks do what they need to do in the Med City, usually under a time of uncertainty and stress related to health, time away from work, and travel expenses that add up quickly, especially if they had to pay for a hotel.
When we host, we are just doing real life and we usually have an evening meal, so if we know the guests will be around, we might have them join us. If we have plans to be out, we let them know they are on their own, and they either get takeout or cook in the kitchenette that we converted from office space in our basement. This has been a tremendous asset to hosting people longer term and making them feel comfortable to do their own thing.
Sometimes we host people with non-medical needs. This summer two young women roomed on one side of the basement — a Baylor University student who did an internship at Mayo and a grad student from the Cities who completed her internship at Active Physical Therapy. On the other half of the basement, there was a family of four who had returned to Minnesota on furlough after serving in the field in Turkey. Hosting was easy, as all were friendly and self-sufficient.
Blessings of hosting:
Hosting is a great blessing! God gave us our house, and it is God’s to use as He sees fit to glorify Him! We tried down-sizing in 2012 and had our house on the market for 52 days, with no interest. Shortly after, we heard of a new Schaeffer teacher and his family who needed a place to stay before they could move into their house, so it seemed we were supposed to stay.
Hosts and guests experience the beauty of the Body of Christ, meeting people from around the country, encouraging one another, demonstrating God’s provision and being able to give someone shelter and a “cup of cold water” as they come to the Med City for their often very serious needs. Hosts gain many sweet friends through the years as people come one or many times. I get texts from one who offers to pray for me! Hosting for Children’s Heart Project over the years is hosting to a different degree—much to coordinate, but even greater blessings. Guests have been a blessing to us – helping us figure out techy things with our phones, computers, or tv! We hear so many faith-building stories – it’s like a mission trip without leaving home1
There is a season for everything. For us, this is the season that by the Lord’s grace and provision, we’ve been able to show hospitality. As we bless others, the Lord blesses us. We go about our own schedule, but cross paths with our short- and longer-term guests, encouraging each other daily, perhaps over a cup of coffee or a shared meal.
As others at Calvary express interest in serving this way, they are invited to join what we call the Rochester Christian Hospitality Network (RCHN). A Guest Information Form is filled out to understand if they have a vehicle, can do stairs, and if pets are ok in the home so an appropriate host can volunteer. If you’re interested, contact me!
RCHN stats for this past year:
Last year, Rochester Christian Hospitality Network met the housing needs of 94 mostly Mayo guests, providing 607 nights of free stay and Children’s Heart Project hosted eight Bolivian guests for 6 weeks as three children received crucial heart surgeries.
Dianne (Mimi) is married to Pastor Larry (Poppa). Their 4 kids live in Minnesota, California, and Washington with their 11 grandchildren. She hosts women’s Monday evening Bible study, coordinates the Rochester Christian Hospitality Network and Children’s Heart Project home stays, and is a GI nurse at Mayo.