In part one of this letter, I told you about my struggle with gluten and how it affects our ability to have table fellowship. I discussed some specifics about what I am able to eat, and a basic protocol for food and fellowship times in our home. Here is part two of the letter…
Now, all of this works just fine as long as the meal is taking place in our home, but what about the times that you would really like to have us over for a meal in your home? How can we make that work? (As a side note, please know that I understand the inconvenience of dealing with my situation, and I will never be offended if you feel like it is more than you are able to accommodate. If you don’t have a strong desire to open your home, we are always happy to open ours!)
To be honest, we haven’t quite worked out all the details in this area, but there are some basics that will help keep me safe. Let’s start by addressing a couple of things I might encounter in your home (outside of the kitchen) that could cause me to have a reaction. One big issue would be flour in the air. If you’ve ever done any baking, you’ve probably noticed the tendency of flour to end up in places that you don’t expect. You may have also seen the little poofs of dust that fly as you drop a scoop of flour into your mixing bowl. According to my research, gluten can actually hover in the air for anywhere from twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Once the flour is in the air, it has the potential to end up in my system and make me sick. With that in mind, if you have used any significant amount of flour in the previous day or two, please don’t let me come into your home!
Continue reading »
