Reflections

This year Muslims around the world celebrated Ramaddan during the month of September.  As part of our Missions Ministry at Landmark we gave out prayer guides for people to pray for Muslims to come to know Jesus through the month of September.  Each day has a different group of people to specifically pray for and there was a kids prayer guide too.  We began praying each night through this book and explaining to Taylor that these people didn't know Jesus.  He was so cute to jump on reading his prayer book each night for people who don't know Jesus.

Well our month of prayers were interrupted right in the middle on September 15 when we went to the hospital to have Lilly.  For 2 weeks after that we were in Birmingham and our prayer guides were in Montgomery and our minds were not focused on reaching the lost.  I know my prayers were selfishly all for Lilly during that time. 

After a few days in Birmingham I for some reason started noticing that city seemed more multicultural than Montgomery.  Maybe it was the Pakistani and Indian doctors Lilly saw.  Or the one from Peru.  Maybe it was just the faces I saw on the street driving into the hospital.  Whatever it was something made me remember our prayers for Muslims had been interrupted.  I don't even remember what night it was now but I really think it was the night we went to bed after Lilly's surgery that Taylor and I generically prayed for all the people who don't know Jesus.

Well the next day after visiting Lilly in CICU we had dinner across the street at a Mediterranean restaurant.  If you know us (mostly Wes) he likes to try all kinds of things international, but we really do like Mediterranean style food.  As we entered the restaurant a man was sitting at a table reading from the Qu'ran.  The workers were obviously Muslim (at least the woman in the Hijab was).  We sat down to eat and neither of us said anything, but I know I was silently praying for them.  

Now I'm not one to break out of my comfort zone and just start talking to strangers of any kind.  However Wes is more outgoing. :)  At the end of our meal he noticed the man reading the Qu'ran had started eating a small bowl of dates.  So as we were walking out Wes asked him if he was breaking his fast for Ramaddan.  (Part of the celebration is to fast from sun up to sun down every day)  The man said yes and offered Wes a date.  They talked a minute about where the man was from (Egypt) and then we left.  

Something I noticed about this interaction...all Wes did was make a connection with the man's culture and he went from sitting all alone and quiet to a very bubbly, smiling man.  He was eager to even share his food with a stranger.  We are often so afraid to make contact with someone especially someone different than us, but how else are we going to show them Christ?I'm glad Wes is this example for me.  I pray that one day I will be better at reaching out to others.

Well most likely we won't run into that man again, but maybe he has a little better impression of a person who follows Christ?  Maybe it was just an exercise in our faith?  Our little encounter makes me more conscious too of the people sharing Jesus in Muslim countries daily.  Read Andrew and Katie's blog about what they felt during Ramaddan in Turkey.