The Power of 'Hello'

When was the last time you were a 'stranger'? Perhaps it was a time you were new to a community or city, starting a new job or transferring to a new school.  Maybe you experienced what it was like to be ‘the other' in the context of mission work in another culture or country, while travelling or on holiday. What was it about that experience of being ‘the stranger' that turned it into a positive one? And if it was not a positive experience, what was lacking?

Most often such experiences can turn from negative to healthy and life-giving because of relationships. A simple smile or 'hello' can turn the experience of being a lonely stranger into one of friendship and welcome. In the resource booklet “Inter-Cultural Insights: Christian reflections on racism, hospitality and identity from the island of Ireland”, Fr Bobby Gilmore writes, “It is those seemingly insignificant human touches that advance the process of integration, belonging and connectedness that enable different people to feel at home with each other and be recognised in a new and renewing world.

 Below is one woman's story that illustrates the power of 'hello'.

Monika recently came to Northern Ireland with her husband and two children. Her first months in the country were difficult and she remembers not feeling welcomed. She did not receive so much as a 'hello,' not even from her neighbours or from the other mothers at her children’s school. However, after several difficult months of feeling isolated and alone, her situation began to change. People started to greet her with a 'hello' and her neighbours began to ask 'how are you?'

The simple gesture of saying 'hello' made an impact on Monkia’s life in Northern Ireland and made her feel welcome.