Our first hospitality story comes from Katelin Williams:
"I am a thirty-year-old recent Orthodox convert who lives in Kentucky. I married my wonderful husband last October in 2024, and as of June this year, I am a new mother to my vibrant and sassy son. To say there have been trials is an understatement, but in those trials, we have found the most supportive people.
"This year, while very pregnant and very sick with borderline hyperemesis, gestational hypertension, and gestational diabetes, my husband and I moved across the state of Kentucky. We had a home full of boxes and a fridge bare with only the essentials. We didn't have the chance to attend a service at our new parish because five days after our move, I went into preterm labor and delivered my healthy baby boy five weeks early. After a five-day stay in the hospital, our son’s godparents had arranged a meal train and placed it in the bulletin.
"Almost immediately, people we had never met signed up to prepare enough three-course meals for us to last a month, in addition to receiving nearly $500 in donations for groceries and meals. Together, we felt very welcomed and loved during what must have been the hardest life transition we've had to make. I felt, and continue to feel, very inspired to be generous unto others as our fellow parishioners were to us."
Katelin is a former first responder living in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and son. Together, they enjoy going on walks, spending time with friends, and finding new coffee shops.