September 11, 2001 is a day that will be remembered for many things—the cowardice of a few, the bravery of many and the hospitality of Gander. This small city in Newfoundland became one of the epicenters of “Operation Yellow Ribbon.” This operation was enacted to keep planes coming into U.S. airspace. These planes were rerouted to small towns with airports large enough to handle the traffic. That’s where Gander came in. With an international airport and a population of 10,000, they hosted about 6,500 people from 38 flights. While people waited on the planes, mayors from the surrounding towns gathered to decide what they could do with the plane people.
So for 5 days the people of those towns housed, fed and clothed the plane people. They set up banks of phones for them to call home free of charge. One ice hockey arena became a walk-in food storage unit, as so many from across Canada sent supplies and aid to those stranded. As a result, there is a continued connection with many of the passengers and the people of the Gander area. Shirley Brooks-Jones helped start the Flight 15 scholarship fund from donations of the passengers that is now worth close to $1.5 million and has put 134 students through school. “Since nobody would take any money from us there, we wanted to do something so that those people there would never forget what they had done for us. They just put their lives on hold to take care of the plane people.”
As Christians, we talk about the power of love, mercy and forgiveness, all of which are central to who we should be. Here is a great testament to the power of hospitality. The literal meaning, “lover of strangers,” is stressed in Hebrews 13:2, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.” This echoes the admonition of our Lord of the love we should have towards our brethren, “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me’” (Matt. 25:37-40). This quality, that also must be named among elders (Tit. 1:8), is something that helped the growth of the first-century church. The church saw to the needs of many that were destitute and those that traveled to teach the gospel (Acts 2:44-45; 4:34-37; 3 John 5-7).
The hospitality of Gander had a huge impact on the lives of the passengers. Your hospitality toward others could have an eternal impact. There are plain people all around you. Hospitality isn’t a burden but it is love.