...On Earth As It Is In Heaven: The Gift of the Table

Food is not fast in Uganda.

Every meal is cooked from scratch and takes significant time and preparation.

Even something as simple as a green salad begins with calling "Vegetable John" the day before you want to have the salad. Once you get your lettuce, picked fresh from the ground, the next step is thoroughly washing it, removing all the dirt and insects and slugs that hitched a ride. There no such thing as opening a bag of pre-washed, pre-shredded lettuce. I'm absolutely not complaining about getting locally grown, organic produce delivered to my house at a steal, I'm just saying: food takes time and effort.

In Uganda, kitchens are not the central gathering place that they are in the American home. Normally they're found in a separate shack behind the typical Ugandan home, or it's simply a small charcoal stove sitting on the ground behind the house. Though the kitchen doesn't play the same role that it does in the States, the principle is still the same: food brings people together.

Within our mission community, we spend lots of time each week preparing food and hosting people in our homes. Some weeks it feels like a full time job. Always thinking about and shopping for the next meeting or potluck gathering. Making sure there's something sweet in the freezer or fruit in the fridge that I can pull out on short notice when a friend stops by.

But it's a frequent topic of conversation that the longer we live here, the more we see the gift and value in hosting people and sharing meals with one another. We understand exactly how much time, effort, and resources go into preparing even the simplest of meals, so we have a deeper appreciation for the generosity. Sharing meals is so central to our lives here that one of the families in our community decided to collect our favorite, most-shared recipes and put them into a cookbook.

The inscription in this cookbook states:
"There is something sacred about sharing a meal together - may the practice of the communal table continue to bless and be a blessing to the furthering of the gospel in Uganda and beyond."

Those words explain so much. They touch on how important hospitality is in our lives. It deepens relationships, creates vulnerability and trust, makes room for laughter, invites others into our homes and lives, and refreshes our spirits. Breaking bread together is something holy.

This cookbook is special because it's not just about the recipes but about the people behind the recipes and the times we've gathered in someone's home to share these foods. Below are some of my favorites and frequents, and my encouragement to you is to invite someone into your home this week for a meal. Remembering that it's not about the presentation...It's about the people.
It's not about the recipe... It's about the relationship.

Breakfast:

Homemade Granola served with plain yogurt and/or diced mango

Morning Glory Muffins

Lunch:

Ainslie Salad with homemade dressing