My heart's desire is to have this kind of home. A home that is a refuge. A home that says WELCOME! I hope you enjoy Laine's Letter.

Dear Sisters,
As many of you know, we have been a home away from home to many Marines
coming to visit with our Marine sons for the past two years. It is not
uncommon for us to have three or four guys under our roof within a twenty
to thirty minute cell phone call - if we get that! ~Smile~ On Mother's
Day we had a new Marine visit us who said our home to him was like an
oasis. I am so thankful. We also had three other kids visiting with us
that day as well (who Abbie was watching) while their parents were in
Hawaii. They loved celebrating with us as I know they were missing their
own mom.
Hospitality is very humbling.
Why do I say that? Because so often it is not a "convenient" time to be
hospitable. Entertaining, however, is something of a different nature.
You set it up; you invite the chosen people; and then they come and enjoy
what you have provided. You also set up the convenience based on your own
timetable and pocketbook.

Hospitality, however, is something of a different nature.

Rather, the LORD sets it up.

Take the other day for example. I was working in my kitchen when I heard
a car drive up in my driveway. It was one of my friends with her
daughter-in-law and grandbaby in tow. I didn't know they were coming, and
my kitchen was a bit of a mess. I had two piles of laundry in the hallway
ready to be washed. I hadn't cleaned my bathroom yet. But my living room
was all "parlor" clean. So I escorted them into there and got them some
cranberry juice in my fancy blue goblets. Then I went to the bathroom and
quickly wiped it down in a two minute tidy in case they needed to use it.
For the next two hours I sat and talked with them both, encouraging my
friend's daughter-in-law as much as I could as she grapples with being a
new mom in a new town.
I am always surprised by hospitality.
I am almost always humbled by hospitality.

Why do I say that? Because I struggle just like every other woman who has
an agenda for her day or her week, and yet finds herself instead helping
someone else who needs encouragement and love in their day or their week.
I know of no other way to do it than at Jesus' Feet focused on Him. He
shows me the way. I am so very helpless without Him.
But with Jesus, all things are possible!

"Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of
my lord." 1 Samuel 25:41

Even when people invite themselves to our house to eat. In the past month
I have had two families from our church ask to come over to our house for
dinner. Art says that everyone wants to come to our house. But he says it
with a big smile. My husband is the most hospitable man I know. He has
taught me so much about having a hospitable heart - which I know he
learned from his own wonderful, hospitable mother.

For as Mama Tweten says, "Ven you have heart room, you have house room."
And that was definitely Art's mom, Rachel. She had the heart of a Hearst
castle in a two room home in East Los Angeles.

Recently I became the receptor of sweet southern hospitality. Abbie and I
flew to Nacogdoches, Texas to stay with my dear friend, Vicky. Vicky
taught Abbie cake decorating while doing a four-tiered bride's cake and a
groom's cake (that resembled a drum) for a wedding the weekend we were
there. It was not a convenient time for Vicky to have two guests while
putting together all those wedding cakes and teaching Abbie at the same
time, but she did it with such love and grace that I will never forget.
We had a fabulous six days. I came away incredibly renewed and refreshed
to return to my own home and start working again focusing on my Savior.
Abbie did, too. We both marveled at Vicky's refreshing of our spirits -
which is the true meaning of hospitality - a virtual living encouragement
from one to another in a miraculous sort of way.
Hospitality is a slice of one's day or week that brings inner refreshment
to the one serving and the one being served.
It's really an amazing practice.

While we were at Vicky's, we had the pleasure of being hospitable to one
of the Marines who used to come to our house quite frequently last year.
Andrew is out of the service now and drove two and a half hours to see
Abbie and I in Nacogdoches. We had the privilege of taking him and
Vicky's family out to dinner on Memorial Day. We were thrilled to have
Andrew meet Vicky and her family, as we were thrilled to "serve" Andrew
on Memorial Day. Andrew had been blown up ten times in the beginning of
the Iraq war and is a bronze star medal holder.  We were so glad that God
allowed us to be a comfort to him many weekends in a row after God led
him miraculously to our family. He told us how much our home meant to him
every week when he was able to come off base and stay with us, to hang
out with our boys, to eat Abbie's pies and cakes, and to have deep
conversations with Art in our kitchen. Hospitality often opens the door
to more hospitality, as we have served our boys' friends, so those
friends have brought more of their friends to our home.
" Peter invited them in and lodged them." Acts 10:23

"Be hospitable to one another without grumbling." 1 Peter 3:8-9

I wish I could say that I never grumble when it comes to hospitality. And
I am working on it. But just this past month I found myself grumbling.
God sent a beautiful "Martha Stewart" to my door with only a 30 minute
notice. I had four Marines over besides my own son. I had been to
Martha's house a few times, and it is picture perfect inside and out.
This was the first time she was coming to my house. Did I pray how I
could be a help to her? No, I wish I could say that I did. Instead I went
around the house like a whirlwind trying to tidy every room while
grumbling to my husband on the side. Finally, I gave it up when I saw all
the Marine gear and laundry drying around the fence outside my living
room window and also strewn about my living room floor, my boys' bedroom,
and even in the bathroom. Then I started laughing inside. Really
laughing! By the time she arrived, I was almost giddy with joy at being
able to serve her in the Marine-midst of it all. I thoroughly enjoyed her
visit, and she ended up staying for lunch with us, which was even more
impromtu than her visit. By the time she was leaving, I was so thankful
God had sent her my way. I have so much to glean from her, and humbling
hospitality once more opened the door.

She had no sooner left than one of Gabe's friends arrived. His parents
had recently divorced, and he needed to talk. I was pretty tired by this
time, but I recognized he needed a listening ear. So Art and I sat in the
kitchen and talked with him for over an hour encouraging him and feeding
him. The Marines all headed back to base, and Art took Gabe and his
friend into the living room to watch an old movie together while I tidied
up.
Hospitality is a humbling practice, but an incredible gift when you
receive it or give it away.
No wonder we're all supposed to share it with one another.

It still never ceases to surprise me.

Love,
Laine