Wednesday night I went to my friend, Tamara's, house for a meal ... not with food, but rather to "Eat this Book" by studying Psalms together.
Tamara came to the US from Cuba in the early 60s, one of 14,000 youth who lived out Operation Peter Pan. She speaks so fondly of the Cuba she remembers, knowing it as a beautiful, tropical country rich with arts and culture. Her demeanor always turns to sadness when she talks about the Cuba she now visits as an adult.
Tamara loves God so much, but she has never read the Bible. She grew up Catholic, so what she knows about the Bible came to her second hand. What an amazing thing to watch a woman in her 60s read God's words written directly to her for the first time. Highlights:
1. I said something about "praying on our armor." She had no clue what I meant. It was refreshing to share Eph. 6, a passage I've known since I was a girl and have probably bragged about at some point in my life that I knew what all the pieces of armor were. Tamara began to really understand that all the struggles she's experiencing are not really about flesh and blood, and that God will fight for her.2. Tamara is helping me with my Spanish, so I read from the Spanish NVI and she read from the English NIV. An unexpected benefit came as, when I stumbled through some of the Spanish words, Tamara would begin to explain to me what the scripture meant. She was learning and teaching and growing right before my eyes.
3. Tamara wants me to pray for her to have peace in her heart and faith that God is fighting for her. Will you join me in praying for her?
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