Two Sisters at the Table

April began with Eid, the month-long Muslim fasting was over for another year, and it was time to feast and party. Neither my teammate nor I had any solid plans. So, we took to social media and started texting basically any U person in our contacts and wishing them a “Happy Holiday”. Soon the next 2 days had filled up with 8 visits back-to-back. What a blessing to be invited into so many homes, homes that often don’t o􏰀er table fellowship to non-Muslims. It seems like a small thing, but we praise Him for opening a place for us in this community.

In one home we sat with two sisters. My teammate and I fell into separate conversations each focusing on one sister. The sister across from me was bent on boasting to me why Islam is the best religion, how it cares for your physical health by encouraging exercises as you raise and lower the body in prayer positions, how it cares for the stomach health by setting aside times of fasting, how it facilitates personal hygiene as each follower must wash before prayers,andsoon. Itwasinteresting...unlikesomanyof my devout friends, she wore jeans and her head was uncovered, so I thought she might be open to a di􏰀erent way of thinking, rather than bragging about her religion.

Suddenly snippets of my teammate’s conversation at the other end of the table reached my ears. The sister my teammate was talking to was not filled with the same empty bravado: in fact, she was close to tears as she asked open hearted questions, seeking to know how she could be clean in God’s eyes (a health condition keeps her from maintaining the ‘purity’ reached through ritual washing at prayer time). I prayed for my friend in that moment. “Lord, thank you for giving my teammate the opportunity to speak your truth into this woman’s brokenness. Give your wisdom and words in this moment. May it be your Spirit speaking through her. And Lord, help me to keep the woman in front of me engaged enough that she won’t interrupt their special moment or stop her sister from earnestly seeking you.”

While my conversation continued in the same seemingly pointless vein, I was now encouraged by the fact the Lord sends His followers out in pairs, I could pray and listen quietly while my friend was blessed with an opportunity to share.