Saying Grace
04/10/2007 3:15 pm
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As I was walking down the street, in a small town, I met a woman who owns a convenience store. She motioned to me to sit with her at the front of her shop. They were just making lunch and invited me to eat with them!
A few days later, I managed to find the shop again. My new friends were surprised that I had remembered them and once again we enjoyed a meal together. It was during this visit that I learned that my new friends work as prostitutes at the karaoke bar next door.
They were very kind to me and the next time I visited them. I began to ask them more about their lives and careers and they both told me about how they used to work at massage parlours in Bahrain and how the men there treated them very badly. I also learned that one was a widow and nearly committed suicide at the time of her husband’s death. The other had a twelve-year old daughter and used special injections years ago to make her face look more “western”. My heart broke as I heard stories of how these women had been hurt. I wanted to tell them more about the story of Jesus, but the language barrier always seemed to get in the way.
Despite my struggles to relay the story of Jesus to my friends, I believe that one message did come through - the message of grace. They did not understand why I kept coming back – especially after I knew that they worked as prostitutes. What they did understand was that I loved them no matter what.
I cherished the meal-times I shared with my new friends. Saying grace at meals took on a whole new meaning.
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