{"id":20462,"date":"2026-03-11T09:26:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T09:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/why-this-military-wife-invited-10-teenagers-to-her-home\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:10:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:10:09","slug":"why-this-military-wife-invited-10-teenagers-to-her-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/why-this-military-wife-invited-10-teenagers-to-her-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Why this Military Wife invited 10 Teenagers to Her Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

My idea of fellowship is gathering around the table for a home-cooked meal. (Have you ever noticed how often in the Gospels Jesus is sitting down and eating with someone?) \u201cCome and eat,\u201d I love to call out to my husband, Jeremy. To our friends. Our neighbors. Our church family. Other military wives, especially when our husbands are deployed. I\u2019m so passionate about coming together over meals that I write a blog\u2014and have written a whole book\u2014about it.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t even know how to cook when Jeremy and I got married. He had to sit me down and tell me, \u201cWe can\u2019t get Thai takeout every night because of our budget.\u201d Several weeks later, he said, \u201cWe can\u2019t eat hot dogs every night because I have to be physically in shape for my job.\u201d After that, I was on the phone with my mom every day at 5 p.m., having her talk me through the most basic recipes.<\/p>\n

There was a lot I had to adjust to early in our marriage. The biggest thing was Jeremy\u2019s deployments. Part of the reason I fell in love with Jeremy was his deep sense of commitment\u2014to his faith, to me and to serving our country. I knew his work would take him away from me for months at a time. Yet I struggled with the whole idea of it.<\/p>\n

During our engagement, I came across one of the laws God gave the Israelites in Deuteronomy. In chapter 24, verse 5, it says that when a man is newly married, he should not be sent to war, but rather, for one year, he is to stay home and bring happiness to his wife. I clung to that verse.<\/p>\n

Not long after our wedding, Jeremy and I left our family, friends and church in Colorado and moved to his duty station in Florida. I wanted us to have time to establish our life in our new town. \u201cJesus, give us one year,\u201d I pleaded. \u201cJust one year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three times that year, Jeremy was up for deployment. The first time, just three months into our marriage, I was a wreck. We\u2019d barely gotten involved in the community. We were still new at our church. Why hadn\u2019t God heard my cries? When the deployment didn\u2019t end up moving forward, I was limp with relief.<\/p>\n

The second time, I was annoyed. We just dealt with this, God. Why are you letting this happen again? <\/em>That deployment passed us by too.<\/p>\n

The third time, Jeremy\u2019s bags were packed and in the car, and I was driving him to the base when he got a call. \u201cWe can turn around,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cThe deployment<\/a> got canceled.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was beside myself with joy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBri, at some point, I\u2019m going to deploy. It\u2019s part of military life,\u201d Jeremy said. \u201cThis is what service is like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Service. <\/em>Then it hit me. I\u2019d made everything about me and my wants. What about what God wanted? Would I be a partner in his plan for Jeremy and me, or would I be a stumbling block? I\u2019m going to trust you, God, <\/em>I promised. Show me how to serve you, not myself.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jeremy didn\u2019t deploy until April 9, 2012. One day after our first wedding anniversary. God had answered my prayer and given us exactly one year.<\/p>\n

Still, I was very sad to see Jeremy leave for Afghanistan. Our townhouse was quiet without him. Lonely.<\/p>\n

I was feeling sorry for myself when our pastor announced that a group of high school students would be coming to town in June for a Christian summer camp. \u201cWe\u2019re looking for people to open their homes and host these kids on the weekends,\u201d he said. \u201cGive them a place to do their laundry, eat some good meals and use Wi-Fi.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hadn\u2019t I asked God for an opportunity to serve others? \u201cSign me up,\u201d I said. Jeremy and I ate at a high-top table I\u2019d bought in college. It sat four\u2014enough to host two or three kids.<\/p>\n

I wanted my home to be a haven for them. I stocked up on snacks, pulled out some of my favorite movies and planned a special dinner\u2014my mom\u2019s famous pot roast.<\/p>\n

Then I got my hosting assignment. I wouldn\u2019t be hosting two or three kids. There would be eight to ten!<\/p>\n

I e-mailed Jeremy in Afghanistan<\/a>. \u201cTime to get our first dining room table!\u201d We searched online and decided on a wooden farmhouse-style table with eight matching chairs.<\/p>\n

The new dining set arrived the day before I was leaving for a quick trip out of town. I grabbed our tools, opened the boxes and laid out all the parts on the dining room floor. I tackled the largest piece first\u2014the table. Just putting that together took two hours.<\/p>\n

The chairs were a whole other story. You really needed two people\u2014one to hold the frame, the other to screw the legs in place. I tried leaning chair parts against the wall, wedging them against my hip. Finally, I called it a night. I\u2019d ask a neighbor to help me when I got back from my trip.<\/p>\n

While I was out of town, I got a text. \u201cThis is Jenny, one of the girls you\u2019re hosting. Would it be okay if we came by to use your washing machine and Wi-Fi this weekend?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course!\u201d I texted back. I told her to get the key from my neighbor and gave her my Wi-Fi password. \u201cHelp yourselves to anything in the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later that day, Jenny texted me again. \u201cWould you like us to put these chairs together?\u201d<\/p>\n

I was mortified. I\u2019d left the chair parts strewn across the dining room floor. \u201cGosh, no!\u201d I replied. \u201cI want my home to be a place of rest for you all.\u201d I returned to find all the chairs put together and in place around the table. There was a note (which Jeremy and I keep on our fridge to this day): \u201cYour home was such a needed place of rest for us. We are so grateful for your hospitality. We hope you don\u2019t mind we put these chairs together. We can\u2019t wait to share meals around the table with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next weekend, they did. With Mom\u2019s long-distance coaching, I made a delicious pot roast with buttery mashed potatoes. I had the best time with the kids.<\/p>\n

For the remainder of that deployment, I\u2019d wake up in the morning with tears in my eyes from missing Jeremy. But in the evening, I\u2019d throw open my door and invite new friends to come and eat. Our table became a place of celebration, love, hope and fellowship. And it\u2019s been that way ever since.<\/p>\n

Try Bri’s Best Pot Roast at home!<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Find out more about Bri\u2019s new book,<\/em> Come and Eat: A Celebration of Love and Grace Around the Everyday Table, at comeandeatbook.com<\/strong><\/a>. Visit her blog at oursavorylife.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

For more inspiring stories, subscribe to <\/em>Guideposts<\/strong><\/a> magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My idea of fellowship is gathering around the table for a home-cooked meal. (Have you ever noticed how often in the Gospels Jesus is sitting down and eating with someone?) \u201cCome and eat,\u201d I love to call out to my husband, Jeremy. To our friends. Our neighbors. Our church family. 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