Hometown Hospitality

Unlike most of my friends, I didn’t grow up in an agricultural setting. I was an athlete all my childhood and throughout my years of high school. Being an athlete took a beating on my body enough that my major injuries forced me to quit the sports that I loved. I was always involved in my local 4-H and when I got to junior high, I decided to see what FFA was all about. I had no idea what I was doing in any of my Ag classes like a typical junior high student but was eager to learn more. I would always make the most of those classes because I could tell that they were making a difference in my life where other activities were lacking. Now, as an FFA State Officer, I have found the things that I am passionate about and the people in my life that mean the most to me. Traveling the state, interacting with thousands of students, and meeting families that support our communities have been the highlights of my year thus far. 

As a recent high school graduate, it can be very hard to transition from being at school and home constantly, to traveling to big cities and driving up to 1,500 miles in a week. Being away from home is part of the duties that state officers have to get acquainted with. Not many people realize the amount of time we spend away from our loved ones for the betterment of over 15,000 FFA members across the state.

While traveling for our COLT conferences, we ended up sleeping in a different bed every night of the week all across the state. One night we slept at an FFA members house in Sioux Center Iowa, the next night we stayed at a members house in the city of Atlantic down in the southwest district, and by the end of the week we ended up in Iowa Falls. We didn’t know the details of where we would end up each night. All we knew was that a family would be putting us up for the night to eat, sleep, and shower comfortably. This past weekend, I was able to travel to the city of Wapello for the annual FFA Professional Rodeo. The Boysen family from Wapello put me up for the weekend so that I didn’t have to travel back home two hours to just turn around and come back for the second day of the two-day rodeo. Not only did they let me sleep in their beautiful home, they also allowed me to eat breakfast with them, spend the day in their boat on the river, and even let me stay another night because of the long hot day on the water.

I realized that throughout the past few weeks, each of these families had something in common. They each show the hospitality that most of us experience within our own communities. These families welcomed us into their lives with open arms, wide smiles, and happy hearts because they knew there was a greater purpose for the things they were doing. They genuinely care about your well being and want to hear your story. The Bible says in Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” So that is true to the way we live our lives. Share Faith when others won’t. Have Hope when all is lost. But most importantly, give Love to those that are lacking. We should all take a lesson from these families because they embody the true love that the Lord passes on to us. As I travel around the state for activities, I will be forever grateful for those who brought me in as another family member so I didn’t feel alone while traveling away from home. I will feel the love that others have passed on to me and I hope I get to impact many more students in a way that these families have cared for me.