It was the Thanksgiving before I moved to the field. My brother-in-law placed his homemade lasagna in the oven while I drove across our town to pick up my Muslim friends Houda and Amira.

The two women, both Iraqi refugees, were an unlikely pair. Houda was in her fifties and lived with her son. She chain-smoked and worried constantly about his work and whether he’d ever find a wife.

Amira was about twenty. She lived with her parents and siblings and took classes at the local community college.

Despite their vast age difference, the two women had an unbreakable bond. They befriended each other shortly after they had both arrived in America about two years earlier. Together, they navigated life and gathered clues about how to survive in this new, unfamiliar country.

We gathered around the Thanksgiving table and took turns sharing what we were thankful for. Someone offered a prayer of blessing. Then we passed around the lasagna, fresh bread, green beans, and salad—the trimmings of our unconventional Thanksgiving dinner.

“Do you think they liked the lasagna?” my brother-in-law asked later as Amira followed Houda outside for a smoke.

I shrugged. Maybe they did, maybe not.

I’ve since learned that what international guests really want for Thanksgiving is a full immersion experience, complete with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. They want to hear how we give thanks to God, and they want to participate by expressing their own gratitude.

Our Thanksgiving table may have lacked the traditional fare our guests were hoping for. But there was plenty of room around it for these Muslim friends to join in giving thanks to God.

At the Lord’s table, there is room for more—more people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Our dining tables should offer a foretaste of the Kingdom, where people from every corner of the earth will gather together.

And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. (Luke 13:29)

Consider making room at your table for people like Houda and Amira—for refugees, students, and immigrants. You can welcome them any day of the year—not just on Thanksgiving. Contact a campus organization or refugee agency to find internationals who’d like to be invited to an American home.

And consider Frontiers’ hundreds of field workers, who are far from the familiar comforts of home and the warm smells of Thanksgiving. Some may feel like they are still trying to navigate new cultures—just like my refugee friends, Houda and Amira. Pray they would be encouraged today as they serve the Lord Jesus in difficult places to invite Muslims to His banquet table.

From all of us at Frontiers, a blessed Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!

• Thank God for the faithful disciples He has called to shine the light of Christ in dark places.
• Ask the Lord for opportunities to welcome refugees, international students, and immigrants into your home.
• Pray for more teams of laborers for the harvest—so that all peoples would know our generous Father who invites them to the eternal banquet.

Original article: https://www.frontiersusa.org/blog/article/unconventional-thanksgiving