The Coronavirus Blessing

“Mom, I’m coming home” my son said. My heart cringed from the unexpected disappointment in his voice. It sounded colder than the icy March temperatures outside.

College athletes juggle their tight schedules between training, playing and school, so home visits are few and far between. I wait for those phone calls that also include lists of meals and activities he wants to squeeze in during the weekend. Even though my work multiplies compared to my regular empty nester schedule, I embrace it and wait for it like a child waits for Christmas.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“The school decided to go fully online because of the Coronavirus,” he responded. “But I don’t care about that. They also cancelled our Spring season. And even though this is technically soccer off season, we can’t play scrimmages or even train on the field. We had games scheduled with a couple of professional teams, mom.”
His frustration traveled faster than the speed of light. Athletes who want to go professional long for those games because of the attendance of scouts looking for young players to add to their rosters.
“And, I don’t know what my teammates are going do. Most of them are from foreign countries and most flights have been cancelled. They’re hoping the school will let them stay in the dorms and eat at the cafeteria. They’re all on scholarships, you know.”
The heaviness on his heart transferred to mine. My mama heart ached imagining all those mothers across the world worrying about their boys.
“What’re they going to do?” I asked.
“Some of them are trying to get flights back home before their airports are closed. Others are scared that if they leave, they won’t be able to return to school in the Fall. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I invited a couple of them home this weekend.”
“Ok, honey, see you soon” I responded.
I sank into my chair as if pulled by a ton of bricks. My shopping list and meal planning dropped to last place on my mind. There were so many questions and so little answers concerning that virus. All the possibilities and implications swirling around in my head made me dizzy.
“Lord, what do You want me to do?” I pleaded. Uninvited thoughts dropped in my heart.

Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.

Like the clear sky after a summer shower all my confusion lifted. After sharing it with my husband I picked up the phone, called the coach and offered our home to host any of the boys for a few days while things were clarified.

And so, our journey began.

Our son came home with two boys, one of whom was able to fly home to Germany within a week. Others came for a couple of days, some for a few weeks. Our neatly organized house succumbed to an unexpected whirlwind. Our empty nest suddenly felt tight. The garage morphed into a makeshift gym and locker room, the fridge got more crowded than a train station and the TV worked overtime playing professional soccer games from around the world. The boys trained and worked on school as they waited for the coach’s phone calls to learn about their future.

Winter turned into Spring and as we served our Easter lunch I said to my husband:
“You know how the Lord commanded His disciples to go to the nations to preach the Good News? Well today the nations came to us!”
We held hands around the table with our children and boys from South Africa, Colombia and Scotland as my husband shared about Jesus, His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection.

A month later we were joined by boys from England and Holland. We shared our food, our home, our love and our faith. We listened to their frustrations, fears and dreams. I cooked more than I’ve ever cooked in my life, washed more towels than any hotel and smelled more soccer cleats than any locker room. Spring gave way to Summer as we celebrated birthdays and holidays and nursed injuries and sicknesses. We ended up hosting boys from ten countries for a total of five and a half months.

All my boys drove back to school the second week of August to begin pre-season training.  Fall soccer season remained uncertain  but classes started as planned. As I’ve done with each of my three children, I went along to help them get settled in. This time, however, I made more than one bed and cleaned more than one dorm room.

I returned to find that our house remained quiet and tidy, the food in our fridge finally practiced social distancing and we didn’t have to kick stinky cleats out of the way in the garage anymore. Somehow our empty nest feels emptier and much larger than before.

What began as an act of obedience to God became a journey of discovery. I discovered that a mother’s heart never stops growing. I discovered that love in a mother’s heart is not divided but multiplied because every one of those boys carved a place in my heart as they entered my house. Unbeknownst to us, the strangers we graciously hosted became part of us, part of our children. Coronavirus has brought chaos to people’s lives, including ours. But through this experience we have tasted firsthand

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

And our family will never be the same.