Season Three of the Netflix Series Stranger Things has recently released. I have not yet watched it so don’t worry, no spoilers here. If you have not been sucked into the series then you may wonder why we would watch such a “weird” show. Besides the creative characters and eerie storyline, it reminds us of home. My husband and I were both born in ‘81 and grew up in a small rural town in Michigan. Everything about the show from costumes to hair to slang to the corn fields it all reminds us of “home.” Isn’t it great to have a reminder of “home” with the feeling of nostalgia? 

Six years ago we began opening our home to soccer coaches from other countries through the Challenger Sports program. At first it was only for a week at a time during the summer. Then we were asked to host coaches for six to eight weeks during the spring. This past week we had our twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth coach representing England, Ireland, and Scotland in these six years. 

The choice to open our home to complete strangers has come with many questions from friends:

• Why would you allow strangers to stay with you?
• What about the safety of your kids?
• Don’t you worry about the kind of person they may be?
• Where does everyone sleep?-You make your kids give up their rooms?
• Isn’t it weird?

By allowing these “stranger things” in our home, it has also created the opportunity to have those often uncomfortable for most parents conversations about personal space and personal bodies. But above all it is teaching our children to be gracious and giving. We do have our children give up their rooms and bunk together in one room. They do it without complaint, as they are excited to have the coaches come. 

The coaches bring new accents/dialects, interesting facts about their country, and fun. Isn’t it entertaining to get to know a new person? A new person from another country is twice as much fun! The coaches always love to play soccer with the kids outside and partake in whatever adventure the family will take them on. Having coaches has forced us to get to know our city better by exploring new places to see and bringing the coaches along for the ride. 

More than the enjoyment we having poking fun at the coaches for not having “proper English” when they use words “incorrectly,” we take what we have the opportunity to do seriously.

Romans 12:13- Take every opportunity to open your life and home to others.

In 2016, we had a coach arrive from Scotland who was Muslim. It was the first week of Ramadan and not only could he not eat any food that touched anything with meat, but he also could not eat or drink from sun up to sun down. Before he arrived Brandon determined the direction of our house so that he could pray in the direction of Mecca. I was sure to prepare all meals separately for him. We respected his religion and we did not push our beliefs on him. I will be honest with you, I was nervous before he arrived. I was nervous because I was ignorant and didn’t know what to expect. This only lasted for a short while, as he was a joy to be around. He was quiet and was hesitant to open up at first. As we both got comfortable, so did our conversations. Together we were able to talk about our faith and what it means to us. It was amazing to have open conversations and ask questions. It was also wonderful for the kids to learn about a new religion as well. It is important to us that our children learn about and respect people who are different then themselves. It was a great week.

Toward the end of that summer I received a phone call from the same coach who said he was back in the area and would like to see us. I told him that we would love to see him, but it was Love Week for our church. I explained that during Love Week we have the opportunity to serve others in our community. We were signed up to serve an event packing backpacks with school supplies. I gave him full disclosure that this event was being held at one of our church campuses and we would be praying. He decided he would like to join us. We took him out to dinner, brought him to the event, got him an Elevation t-shirt, and he even helped us tear down. I may never know the impact our family and that event had on his life, but I do know that God uses our family to plant seeds. 

Another coach participated in a Love Week on campus event in 2017. He loved it so much that we were able to get him to come back the following year to coach during Love Week 2018. He spent the day coaching and the evening serving across Charlotte with our family. My favorite event that week was hosting BINGO at the Ronald McDonald House. There is nothing like listening to a vibrant, joyful guy calling out numbers in a very strong English accent. He brought a lot of smiles to faces of people who are in the middle of their own storms. 

Even if a coach doesn’t end up coming to Love Week or even stepping through the doors of our church, we know that we are providing a home. We are not just another house for them to sleep and shower after coaching all day in a country they have never been, but we are a home filled with care and compassion. To some what we do seems strange but we believe we are only doing what God is asking us:

Hebrews 13:2 -Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Some coaches we keep in contact with via social media, some coaches we FaceTime regularly, some coaches we attend their weddings, and some coaches become family who return on their vacations. 

The best thing a coach can say to us during their stay is “this feels like home.”

God often calls us to step out of our comfort zone for others. Where is God calling you today?