Meeting New Friends at the Feast
It is easy to make plans with people you already know. But what about the people you don't know? What if you transfer to a site and hardly know anyone? How do you meet new friends and find someone to spend time with other than at services?
Years ago when our children were young, we transferred to a Feast site where we hardly knew anyone. We soon found out that if we didn't make plans at church services to meet with someone later, we would end up spending time alone. In Proverbs 18:24 we are told, "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." In time, I found that making new friends was a must in order to have a better Feast.
Not everyone can make new friends easily, however. It was easy for my husband to go up to strangers and talk to them. But not me. I made a conscious decision that each Holy Day I would have to meet four new families. On a day where there was only one service, I would meet two new people or families. We would arrive at the hall at least an hour before services and stay afterwards too. Looking around the auditorium I would look for a person or couple usually sitting or standing alone. It was a bit difficult for me to go over to introduce myself and start a conversation, but I did. After talking to them, I would return to my seat and write down their names and a little something that I learned about them.
During the Feast I would seek out the people I met and talk to them again. New friendships developed over the years, and we would often see the people we met at another Feast site. While meeting new friends at the Feast, plan to go out to lunch or supper together or take in a local activity. It is especially important for your children to meet and make new friends, so find families that have children with similar ages. Years later after our children were grown, we found that meeting people and spending time with them also gave us an opportunity to serve. When attending a Feast overseas with a couple from our area, we decided to each invite someone we did not know over to our condo for dinner. We would plan a simple meal by picking up a roasted chicken or two, a salad, potatoes to bake and a dessert for an evening meal. Because we shared this meal with our good friends, we also met their new friends. It gives someone who may be alone at the Feast an opportunity to make new friends as well. If our budget can afford it, we always try to have accommodations where we can entertain. When attending a site where we really do not know anyone, we meet people at services and then make plans as soon as we can to have them over. After the meal, we visit or sometimes play games, including ones that children can also play.
Be sure to search out someone who is alone at the Feast. It is a great way to make new friends, share the Feast with others and help make their Feast special too!
