I was a teenager when my parents first arrived with the family in New Zealand. Initially we lived in Orewa just north of Auckland. Two days after our arrival my mother marched us to the shoe shop to buy gumboots. In our first month in New Zealand there were only two days without rain. But we enjoyed going to the beach anyway, even though in winter we did not swim there. While we were living in Orewa we attended the Red Beach Bible Chapel and were warmly welcomed. A couple at the church invited us for tea a few days after our first visit. That was quite courageous by them, because at that time we were a family of nine. But they were not intimidated by that at all, after all they also had seven children, even though by then most of them had left the house.

There was a debate in our family about what “tea” meant. Was it just a small afternoon tea with some cupcakes and biscuits or a full meal? We were very hungry that day, because we had visited the Waiwera Hot Pools. My mother gave us a little bit of soup just in case we would embarrass her by wolfing down all the biscuits.

Well, we soon got to know what “tea” meant in that house. It was a sumptuous table spread that could not even have been consumed by our family at its most hungry. The food was plentiful and good and the company welcoming. Both husband and wife made every effort to speak to every one of us who could speak English and were great at making us feel welcome. That couple remained friends of the family throughout the years. We visited them later in Red Beach and they visited my parents when they were in the South Island. Christmas letters were regularly exchanged.

I was therefore surprised when I learned that our synod representative Rod Wintour is related to this family and has also experienced their hospitality and encouragement. From them I learned how important a welcome is in a strange place. We do not always have to provide a sumptuous “tea”, but welcoming people to a new place is important and can leave a lasting impression. And then we might also realise how small the world is!