WEST AFRICA: Showing Hospitality on Eid

Source: 30 Days of Prayer, June 4, 2019

Gathered on the floor, around a tray full of lamb, dates with cream, vegetables, and bread, sat an array of unlikely people. We had all come together for celebration of divine Love revealed.

The guests were a mix of local people—only some of whom knew the Love being celebrated on this day. Three different languages were used around the table as everyone was welcomed.

The host explained, “Because this feast of Eid is so important to us we wanted you, our friends, to join us in the festivities.” He went on to share the story that gives the “Love with Us” celebration its significance. He shared how even though we slaughter a lamb for our feast, we no longer need to, because Love became the Lamb, restoring what was broken.

“We decided to celebrate this year,” he continued, “by telling each other how this great Love has personally changed our lives.” After sharing our stories, the meal was enthusiastically eaten with games following. Before leaving, everyone received the gift of a flashlight with words, spoken by Love Himself, attached, “I am the light of the world. He that follows me will not walk in darkness but have the light of life.”

After this event, the host was told by one of the guests, “You know, we grow up hearing that people like you are horrible, but we have never had the chance to hear a little about what you believe right from your mouth. The time at your house was a really good opportunity for us.”

» Read full story with pictures and prayer points. As we’ve reached the end of Ramadan, pray that around the world Christians and Muslims would share meals and lives together, and that both would come to know Jesus more deeply.

»  See also an interesting article from OMF, How the Loneliness Epidemic Should Affect the Way We Do Missions.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Missions Catalyst welcomes comments, especially those that provide additional insights on a topic or story as a help to other readers. We reserve the right to screen comments and may provide light editing. Note that comments including links may be delayed so we can make sure they are not spam; we hope you will include relevant links, anyway!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.