A FEW weeks ago I encountered a familiar sight on the other side of my garden hedge which overlooks the car park at the Lido. Several families with caravans had parked on the grass area and families setting up in such a way that showed they were planning to stay for a few days. After a gap of several months, some members of the travelling community had arrived for an unauthorised stay, something that happened on at least three occasions last year.

As one of the houses most directly impacted by their presence, (we usually have at least one caravan parked right up against our hedge) I wanted to tell you about a significant lesson I learnt from their visit this time. To be honest last year I was quite negative about them being there because I saw it as an inconvenience to myself and the local community, and I also avoided personal contact with them as I wasn’t sure how that would be received.

But this time I felt God prompting me to take a more positive approach by going to speak to them, and He also gave me the perfect opportunity to do so because one of the children’s footballs had been kicked into our garden. So with a slight sense of trepidation I picked up the football, opened the back gate, walked around the caravan to where they were sitting and said hello.

Over the next 10 minutes I had a very friendly conversation with a welcoming group of adults and children. I was offered a sausage sandwich, we talked about being good neighbours for the time they were there, and they insisted that if I had any issues whilst they were there to come and talk to them. I also discovered that they had a Christian faith when I told them I was the vicar at All Saints. I had some more conversations with them over the next few days (usually when I was returning the football) and they’ve now moved on, as they said they would, to the Appleby Horse Fair.

Now, this isn’t the place to debate the big issues concerning the travelling community in Ilkley and I know there are a variety of views and opinions amongst local residents about their visits. But my meetings with them this time reminded me of some Bible verses which is are very easy for Christians to either forget or only selectively put into practice - “When a stranger resides among you do not mistreat them. Love them as yourself for you were strangers in Egypt and God rescued you.” Leviticus 19:33-34

Basically, the verses tell us that whoever we encounter in life, even if you don’t know them or have anything in common with them, we should treat them in the same way that God has treated us – with a compassion and grace that is often undeserved and unmerited. That’s not always easy to do (especially when you’re woken in the early hours by a crowing cockerel!) which is why we need to ask for God’s help and wisdom to do it. And the really good news is that when we ask for it, God will give it to us freely and willingly.