House guests who are now friends

We had a couple from India spend the last several days with us.  There is too much to write about to do it in one post so I'll be doing several over the next couple of weeks.  I want to make sure I get all the memories down!

Remember how this blog is not just about making sure our memories are stored somewhere other than my mind, but how it is to also show that we're not perfect?  Keep that in mind folks!

Hubby is on the board of a group that sponsors many different works of the spreading the Gospel in India.  Most years, 2-4 men from America go over to India to conduct a training work for men who want to become preachers and to check on the different works they are sponsoring over there.  One man over there, who we will call Brother, is the main contact with most of the work that is done, especially when our guys travel over there.  His wife, who we will call Sister, cooks most meals for our guys and takes care of their laundry and probably a bunch of other stuff.  Our guys also stay in their home the majority of the time they are in India.  Hubby has had the chance to go to India three times and so has gotten to know Brother and Sister fairly well. 

Brother and Sister were able to come to America this year in an effort to travel through many states and visit different congregations who have helped with the work in India.  We weren't sure what their exact schedule was going to be for a while, but Hubby finally told me that they were scheduled to arrive at our home late Thursday night and stay until Monday morning.  He was very excited that we would get to spend that much time with them. 

I would love to say that I handled that news with grace.  But I did not.  Refer to the top.  I wouldn't say that I was necessarily upset about it, but I was certainly cranky.  It's not that I was cranky about them coming.  More along the lines of getting bent out of shape thinking about the work involved in getting the house cleaned and ready for guests, including moving #1 and #4 out of their room and into their sisters'.  (Please note:  we are going to stay with some friends this week.  Their preparations for us coming have involved major cleaning and moving children out of their rooms.  The irony is not lost on me!) There was also some trepidation on my part about there being a language barrier and having it just be awkward for all of us.  And quite frankly, I was at a complete loss as to what to fix food wise for them.  One of Hubby's biggest complaints when he goes to India is all the different food he has to eat.  I didn't want them to feel that way in my home, but I had no idea what to make for them.  Hubby was helpful in his suggestions that they have KFCs and Pizza Huts and Chinese food in India.  Beyond that, he wasn't a lot of help.  Oh yeah, he did tell me that they don't like Mexican, which seriously removes like 90% of my recipes.  In the end we ended up buying a lot of different things and hoping that something sounded good to them. 

"Nani" braiding #1's hair

But you know what?  By the time lunch on Friday rolled around, I felt like I had known them for years.  The cleaning and the moving were not as difficult as I imagined thanks to #1 and #2 who are amazing at helping with housework now.  Brother and Sister speak excellent English and I didn't have a problem understanding them after I got used to their accents.  As for food, our wonderful Elders wanted to take them out to dinner Friday and Saturday night, which took the burden off my shoulders of cooking.  I made pizza one day for lunch which they enjoyed and the next day we had rice with a bunch of fresh veggies. And Sunday night sister taught me to make an Indian dish that was AMAZING!  I can't tell you what it was because I can't pronounce it, much less spell it, but it wasn't curry.  I have it written down and I'm sure I'll be making it again in the future.

Brother trying on a hat at Wal-mart

 So I hope what I learned with this whole episode sticks with me.  I learned that I no longer have to bear the brunt of housework when we have guests over.  Not only does Hubby help as much as he can, I have two other helpers who work as hard as I need them to without complaining.  I also learned that worrying about what something might be like or if someone will be comfortable in my home is not only exhausting, but it also steals the joy of anticipation of something new happening.  I learned to trust my husband's judgements of people, even if I've never met them.  And best of all, I learned that there is a bond we share as brothers and sisters in Christ that transcends so many barriers that we would have without it.  I'm also thankful that God forgives me each time I fall and fail him when it comes to my inflexible nature. 

I not only consider Brother and Sister my friends now, I might even consider joining my husband in India eventually, something I never wanted to do before!   I'm so glad they came!