March 25, 2025

I take a handful of flour and sprinkle it so that it falls like snow onto the countertop. Ruth sets the pizza dough down and begins to knead it. The smell of the warm dough makes my stomach rumble, and I hope the pizza will be ready soon.

After getting back from a whirlwind ministry trip to Europe, Ed and Ruth were craving their favorite Argentine pizza, so I volunteered to come over and help them make it for dinner. As we spread the tomato sauce over the dough, I smile, thinking of another time Ruth made this dish. “I hope the pizza won’t be too sweet tonight.” Ruth laughs and shakes her head. “Oh no, not again!” she says.

The incident we’re referring to happened when Ed and Ruth’s daughters were in high school. Back then, the girls often brought their friends over for dinner at the family home. One such time, Ed and Ruth’s oldest daughter invited her friends over to try her mom’s Argentine-style pizza. “It’s the best pizza in the world; you’ve never had any pizza this good!” she told them.

That night, Ruth began making the house beautiful for the guests: she spread a white tablecloth on the table, filled a vase with red carnations, and finally, she pulled out all the ingredients for her famous pizza. Bags of flour, salt, and yeast lined the countertop, and the kitchen was bathed in golden late-afternoon sunlight. Everything was perfect.

What Ruth didn’t know was that her other daughters had been playing chef in the kitchen earlier that day. As they’d played with different ingredients, some of the white sugar had gotten mixed with the bag of flour. Blissfully unaware, Ruth scooped the sugary flour into the bowl and mixed it with the other pizza dough ingredients, and soon, the pizza was rising golden brown in the oven.

That night, the guests sat down at the pretty table, eager to start eating. Each person took a pizza slice and dug in. “So, what do you think of the Argentine pizza?” Ruth asked expectantly. One boy nodded thoughtfully and spoke up. “Your daughter was right, Mrs. Silvoso. I’ve never had a pizza like this before! It’s so interesting, it’s almost…sweet!” Ruth raised her eyebrows. “Sweet?!” She took a bite of the pizza and gasped. He was right! How could she possibly explain this strange flavor?

Suddenly, one of the teens exclaimed: “Wow, I never realized Argentine pizza was almost like a dessert; this is so cool!” The whole group began to chat enthusiastically about how interesting and different the Argentine pizza was. Despite the mishap, it ended up being a wonderful night of fellowship and fun.

This story makes me think how even in the imperfect moments, God can do something beautiful. When we open our homes to others and generously share what we have with them, we are doing something that God commanded us to do (1 Peter 4:9). When we show hospitality to people and make them feel welcome, it is a tangible expression of God’s love for them! When we pray and invite God’s presence into our homes, it can create an atmosphere of peace for everyone who comes through the door. Even if the food is simple or the home is small, our hospitality can be a tremendous blessing to others and can help them come to know the Lord. Here at Transform Our World, we have many testimonies of people whose hospitality helped people get to know Jesus!

Jesus said: “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:42)

Remember, whatever we share with others, whether it’s a cup of cold water or a slice of pizza (sweet or otherwise), can have an eternal impact!

– Eutychus