Practicing Hospitality Together | Trinity Talks Podcast

Hello everyone and welcome to this week's episode of Trinity Talks. I'm so glad that

you are here joining us today. And I'm excited here to be joined by Rachel and Nishant, who

are two members of our church here at Trinity Streetsville. And they have a really cool

story to share with us. So welcome Rachel and Nishant.

Thanks, Kina.

So maybe I'll just get you to start by introducing yourself. So maybe Nishant, you want to go

first?

Yeah, my name is Nishant Niklas. I've been coming to Trinity for around 15 plus years.

So I enjoyed coming to this church all these years, being a part of the board for a bit

and then that church committee. Being a part of, I think, the stewardship campaign as well

a couple of years ago. So I thoroughly enjoy coming to Trinity.

Okay, great. And Rachel, what about you?

Okay, so Rachel, Massey and me and Erin, we come to this church and we found Trinity online.

Like we just searched on Google and it's been like seven to eight months coming here and

it's great to be here. And we love pastor Rob's sermons. So we decided to just stick

around here and yeah, so that's all. And I'm also in the worship team. So that's great.

And yeah, there are a lot of connections here. So yeah, it's awesome.

Oh, that's great. Yeah. So I understand that shortly after Rachel and Erin started attending

Trinity, you've shared with me, Rachel, there's been a number of folks who have invited you

in and been really kind and welcoming to you. And Nishant and his family was one of those

folks who invited you in for dinner. So Nishant, what prompted you to want to do that?

That's a very valid question, Kyla. So please bear with me if it's a longish response to

a pretty straightforward question, but it was kind of a deja vu moment when I first saw

Rachel and Erin. It's been a very similar situation with us, myself and my wife, Nimmi

a few years ago and being to a new church. We lived in Germany for a few years and we

used to go to a local church there, traditional local church, amazing pastor and everything

was great, very passionate. But the only problem was my German skills at that time was like

next to nothing. And it was a pure German church. So it was like a traditional King

James version of the most complex part of, you know, Epistle of St. Paul thrown at you

in a different language. So literally everything bent about my head, you know, and likewise

the same situation out of the church as well. People were very friendly, but you know, to

any question, my response was typically monosyllabic. I mean, I had no clue. It was like, yeah,

no, kind of stuff. So I knew how it was to be lost in a new church when you first came

in. And of course, Rachel and Erin was a lot more at home than we were at that point. But

you know, I thought maybe it's a good break, ice breaking point. Maybe we can just meet

up and, you know, unwind a little bit. And so, yeah, it is basically a past event, you

know, dictating the current behavior kind of stuff. So yeah, for sure. That's really

cool that you sort of know what it feels like to be new and want to welcome other people.

So that experience of hosting, what was that like for you and your family?

It was good. It was good. So it was a nice get together, kind of talking about God and

everything else. So yeah, it was a nice breaking moment for us. And I was pretty impressed

with Rachel and Erin, you know, being such like youngsters, being so disciplined and

regular to church and stuff. So yeah, we did talk quite a bit about, you know, everything

and yeah, including God and, you know, spirituality and how what kind of gets us together. So

it was an amazing experience.

Oh, that's great. And Rachel, what was that like for you and for Erin?

You know, like in what being invited by someone is like, you feel so welcomed. And so and

it was like, you know, because we it was our first time here and we didn't know anyone,

you know, but he reached out to us, his whole family. And it was I remember it was Easter.

So we had nowhere to go. But they invited us and it was so amazing. And it was so welcoming.

And we felt like we're at home and talking about our stuff, school stuff, and just having

a little bit of a chit chat. It was like, you know, talking to a family member and he's

like a brother to us. And he shares a really great bond with Erin, like talking stuff and,

you know, all this stuff. So yeah, coming here and being invited or just, you know,

talking to someone sharing our life experiences. It felt really, really good. And that's what

we all do. Right. Especially at church. It's like a family. So and there are a lot of families

who invited both of us, like Libby and David. And, you know, there are a lot of people who

help us in many ways, like because we don't have a car. Like people ask us, do you want

to ride or something? Do you want to go somewhere? Like because we're heading the same way. You

can come with us or, you know, like coming for dinner or, you know, just having a nice

dinner like even on Thanksgiving. We went to Libby's, so it was really, really good.

So like, you know, I'm saying like for Easter, we were at his place. For Thanksgiving, we

were at Libby's. So everyone is like a family. Like him is like a brother. Libby's like a

sister and David is like a brother as well. So there are a lot of people out here at Trinity

who are like very, very welcoming and like very friendly. So that's a very good part.

Yeah. Yeah. No, that's great. Yes. Does it feel maybe intimidating or scary at first

to go be invited by someone that you don't know very well? Honestly speaking, sometimes

it, you know, feels like that, you know, but once you get inside the house, you'll feel

all the vibes and, and, um, a friendly spirit. I can say that, you know, um, you feel welcomed.

So I think that just happens for a while, but when you talk to them, it's just goes

away. So you're just talking to like a friend or a family member. So that just goes away.

So yeah, it was, it was exciting. Yeah. Yeah. That's great. And, um, so for you Nishant,

this experience of inviting people in and having them in your home, how has that impacted

your relationships and your experience at Trinity? Oh, yeah. So, you know, that's again,

a very valid point, Kyla. We've been talking about other church members. I mean, generally

about it, right? So the whole risk factor about inviting somebody over who's brand new.

So I know that's where the magic of the bond within the church comes into play. I would

have been, I guess, a lot more apprehensive had it been done in a secular world, you know,

where you don't know somebody, you know, what's the risk. And it's, it's the same risk either

ways though, you know, the risk for the invite or at least he's got the advantage of being

on the home ground and, you know, still within the comfort factor, whereas it could be a

daunting task for the invitee to actually walk into something else. But then, you know,

it might be my personal take, but then within the whole church world, pitching our hopes

on the one who's who deserves the highest form of faith, trust and faith, you know,

so both the parties do. And that kind of builds in a level of trust among the creation itself.

So kind of brings us to a, again, could be a little too idealistic, but we'll see as

Louis kind of, if you can't trust the man who's taking the communion as besides you,

then who else can you trust? Ah, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And one vote for you, Rachel.

Can you repeat that? Yeah, no, just how, how has this experience, you talked about it,

you know, making more friends, being like brothers and sisters. And so how has this

helped to make you sort of feel more at home here at Trinity? You know, as I mentioned,

like talking, that's the main part, like coming, cause we're international students. So we

come from India. So we just leave our family behind. So we need some people around here

to talk to or to help us or just, you know, giving us a shoulder to, you know, just rely

on. So that's very necessary to talk. And coming here, it feels like you're not away

from home, but you're at your home. And that's a very good part. And especially as we were

talking about coming here. So it's like, cause here we are all, we're all, we all belong

to the same kingdom, right? So sharing our beliefs and talking about God and just praying

together and that just brings us close to God. And that's the main motive, right? So

yeah, that helps a lot. So yeah. Yeah. And what about in, in your experiences for both

of you of, of your faith, how has, you know, extending hospitality and being, being welcomed

into this family, how has that helped to shape your faith or your experience of God?

Oh, yes. That's a pretty deep question too. I just realized that, you know, the faith

and being, being to this belonging to the same kingdom as Rachel alluded to brings in

people closer and let's let the cultural differences vanish. Then the other way around, like people

in the same culture, but if they have a different belief system, you know, obviously the unity

and the bond is not the same. So I guess it just kind of strengthened, you know, our belief

and also the whole realization that the, the same belief system, you know, belief in the

same God can bring people a lot more closer than the cultural, you know, commonalities

can. So in a sense, I mean, in layman's terms, I think God brings people together a lot more

than the culture does.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Do you have anything you want to add?

Yeah. Like sharing, like Jesus came eating and drinking and that's what we were talking

about in the last sermon series as well. So yeah. So like sharing a meal together just

brings people close, not just to people, but to God as well. So, cause we can just share

our beliefs, our fates, we can just pray together and sharing a meal is a very deep thing to

do. It's like you're bringing hospitality, you're inviting someone to your place, to

your heart. So that, you know, helps them to feel important. So yeah. And I think that,

you know, everyone should do that. I know it feels sometimes scary to invite someone

who's new or it's for the same person, like going to someone's place who's new, you know,

you're going to say, I don't know, like, what if someone is doing something that you don't

like or what if you're doing something that they don't like, what if, cause you, or maybe

like your culture is different than them. Like you eat something different, I eat something

different, right? But I think that, you know, just eating together and sharing your stories

or just talking about God, it's not just about the culture. It's about, you know, being in

the same place and being together and just being one as we are in, you know, as we are

in God, cause we are one body. And you know, yeah. So yeah, that helps a lot, especially

for Christians to stay motivated, to stay, you know, in touch with God. So yeah, that's

just, you know, builds your faith cause you're talking to someone else. They'll tell you

their story or their testimony. So it's like, you know, so yeah, that's a great way to continue

in the service of God. Yeah, for sure. And I think, I think that's a really good point

that for both the host and the guest, it can feel really awkward. Yes, of course. Especially

if it's your first time. So yeah, but you know, we just need to break the ice. We just

need to take the first step and that's what, you know, yeah. Yeah. And one of the biggest

challenges, Kyla, which is so amusing, I mean, and the thing is it's less of a challenge

to get the right people is less of a challenge to actually get the right location time and

less of a challenge even to get the right food and wine and everything else. Then it

is to actually talk the relevant stuff, you know, we get so distracted, you know, and

we would end up talking about the wine and everything else and then forget to bring God

into the picture. And you know, that, that is a struggle. I mean, I'm sure for most and

especially as somebody like me who gets distracted, we kind of end up talking something else a

little, it goes off the handle, you know, totally else. But yes, to come back into the

spirituality and that part of the conversation within the hospitality part is, is always,

I mean, it's a challenge actually to moderate the conversation back into the real topic.

Yeah, for sure. And I think, yeah, one of the great things about, about faith and about

God is that even if we're not always directly talking about God, I think there are so many

things in our lives that bring us back to our faith. Right? Yes. And we think about,

you know, the meals with Jesus where he was talking about wine or talking about fish or

bread or whatever. But actually that, that brings us back into fellowship, into community

with one another and ultimately with God as well. Totally. Because we're doing something

that he used to do. So yeah. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And so there might be some people who

are, who are listening or who are watching, who are thinking, well, you know, that sounds

very good, but that can't be me. You know, they're thinking, well, you know, it would

be too scary to invite someone into my house or to, to go to someone else's house. So what

might you say to those people? Okay. Okay. Okay. I'm saying, or you're saying,

yeah, since, since I was the invite or here, maybe we'll just go ahead and say that. So

as I kind of alluded to earlier, yeah, in a secular world, of course you got every right

to be, you know, you know, kind of weighing in on risk and, you know, see it is, I'm going

to make sure whom you invite to and stuff like that. But that becomes a lot easier in,

in if you are doing it within the congregation, within the church or the Christian world,

because as Rachel said, we are, you know, worshiping into the same kingdom and you know,

we are like looking up to the one who's got the highest trust and faith. So that also

laterally has said kind of brings in some amount of, you know, trust in each other because

we're in the same community. We kind of, you know, same church worship the same God. And

so that makes it a lot easier to trust somebody from the same congregation or, you know, Christian

or whoever it is than somebody who's like totally brand new. Sure. Yeah. So yeah, what

about you? No, he's totally right. And I agree with him. And what I'm going to say is that

maybe there is a family who really needs this. So it's very good to, you know, just welcome

someone into your house. It might feel strange, but I, I'm telling you, it will just go away

because you know, the person like, you're just talking to them. Like he mentioned, like

being in the church. So it's not just brand new person, you know, that person, because

you talk to them, you meet them every Sunday. So you know who they are and then you're inviting

them. So I think, you know, that's a very good way because there are some people who

might need it because being in this world, it's this world is too harsh. You know, sometimes

people feel lonely and what we need is we need each other. Right. So I think it's a

very, very good step to invite someone whom, you know, it will be good, especially like

from the congregation. It's like, you know, you know, they are Christians and you can

just invite them. It will be a very good time, like for both of the parties. So yeah, I think

it just depends. So it's, you know, it depends on person to person, but that's what I feel.

Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And I think the point that you both brought up of, you know, you're

already in the same faith community, you're in the same family. And so if nothing else,

you have that in common, right? Right. So that, that becomes maybe a starting point

for a conversation when otherwise it might feel awkward to start conversation. Right.

Even when like kids, they go to school, right? They don't just don't go and invite someone.

They know them and they talk, they meet them every day and yeah, then they become friends

and then they call each other, you know, at home or something like that. So yeah. And

for an icebreaker kind of, that's the objective. You know, the tab that we get to it is as

we said, okay, let me know those people, you know, that person better and better and better.

So, so at some point that I'll invite, but then, you know, then the whole time factor

is lost, right? So you want to find the sweet spot where you do that, do diligence, figure

out, you know, get an idea of sense of how the other person is. And, but don't drag it

on for too long because then there's no point, right? The ice is broken by somebody else

or maybe the person is like lost rope and like moved away. So yeah, you got to kind

of do that sweet spot and then go ahead and, you know, take that plunge.

Yeah, no, that's, that's great. And I think church provides us with a lot of good opportunities

to start some of those small conversations, right? Like there's all kinds of people out

there having coffee together right now. And you know, that provides a really good space

to start some of that conversation and then maybe continue it over lunch or dinner later

in the week or something like that. Yeah.

Yeah. I want to add something as well. What I feel is it's not just about Christians.

It's all about, it's about every person in this world because we need to be an example

to others, right? So, we're not just telling everyone just, you know, believe in Jesus

or something like that, but what we are doing, they'll see that and they'll come to know

like, Oh, they're the same, but they feel something, you know, different. There's something

different about them. So, cause what I, what I say to myself is like, when I go up, like

when I die and when I go up, God's going to ask me, how many souls did he bring to me?

And I don't want my answer to be zero. Sorry. I want at least one. So, it's a very good

way to invite people to your house, having a friendly conversation. So, they will just

know that, yeah, there's something different. I want to know what's different. I want to

feel that comfort that you guys are having. I'm having money and everything, but there

is something different about them that I don't have. I just need to know. So, that way, you

know, it's not just like Christians, like people who don't know about God, they'll know

about God just by doing that very small step. So, yeah.

Yeah, for sure. Yeah. It's about how we build community with all kinds of people. Yeah.

Yeah. No, that's great. Good. Well, thank you so much to both of you for taking the

time to share your story and your thoughts with us. It's been so good just to hear, Nishant,

from you about, you know, how your experience of isolation and not sure how to fit in, how

you, that's inspired you to sort of come and be a welcoming presence for other people.

And yeah, just to hear from you, Rachel, about how welcome you feel here. And yeah, just

your passion for creating a community and inviting people in. So, thank you both for

joining us. And if you're listening to us or watching, maybe you can think about who

are some people that you can invite in, whether that's for a meal or just for a cup of coffee

or even a conversation on the sidewalk. What are some ways that this week you can extend

hospitality? So, think about that. I hope you can go out and do that. And then join

us again next week for another episode of Trinity Talk.