My History of Hospitality

My most memorable hospitality experience was when I first started to serve the guests in our church, the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle, in 2009. Before that, I was not really a hospitable person, even though I am from India, a very hospitable country. In India, as soon as the guest arrives, the host serves that person water and then asks for their food or drink preferences.  This hospitality is based on the principle “Atithi Devo Bhava”, meaning “the guest is God”.  Indian people treat their guests with proper warm hospitality, which certainly requires extreme care and attention. In fact, we are even friendly and hospitable to strangers on the road. If anyone asks us for directions, we will likely not only tell them where to go, but also accompany them to their destination, especially when the place is nearby  Yet, despite these good hospitable qualities, I never fully understood the relationship between the host and the guest. 
I was not really a people person until I arrived in New Zealand. 

It was here in New Zealand that I learnt the meaning of hospitality and its key characteristic of service. I learned that friendships happen naturally as people sit and talk, cook, and share food. I learned from the Bible the high value of hospitality. In my church’s international service, the main attendees are international students and visitors coming to Auckland. Welcoming them with an open heart is one of the key aspects of showing hospitality. This is most evident in giving them a gift pack and introducing them to the leaders. Most of them have never been to church before.  After the service, there is a shared lunch for everyone. This is the time when we really get to know each other. 

This was a whole new experience for me when I first came to this church. The food is mostly cooked by volunteers who come to the church regularly and is supported by donations given by regular church members. 

As time passed, I became a part of the church community and got involved in helping the church run their service and show hospitality to people in many different ways: from making 
gift-packs and welcoming people to food preparation. Being multi-ethnic, our church helped me to mingle and serve people from different backgrounds and cultures. Every morning when 
I come to church, I make sure that the round tables are cleaned, neatly arranged and set up for the 10:30 am service, and then I go to the kitchen and look around to see if anyone needs any extra help with food preparation. For me, hospitality means serving others before yourself, showing respect to guests, and providing their needs and looking after them.