My Little Mat in the Shade

The day I met Mounira, I was so sick from a case of parasites that I couldn’t be more than a few feet away from the hole in the ground that is my bathroom.

A kind neighbor heard I was sick and sat with me while I rested on a mat in the shade. She was fanning flies off me when a visitor arrived and sat down with us. I apologized for not being very hospitable and just listened to the two women talk.

The woman asked my neighbor the questions locals often ask about me: how long I had been living here, what I do for work, why I don’t have any children, and why I’m not yet married. Then she asked me about my language learning. I’d been studying the local language for over a year but knew I needed help understanding it and communicating more deeply.

“Do you need another teacher?” the visitor asked. I nodded yes, and she said she had someone who could help. Picking up her phone, she called her sister Mounira and told her to come and meet me.

My neighbor sat and fanned flies off me while I rested on a mat in the shade.

Mounira arrived—along with a couple other women and their children. Suddenly my little mat was full of local women discussing the details of my future language lessons with Mounira. My illness made it difficult for me to think and speak clearly in Arabic, so I left it to them to sort out. I was more concerned about making it to the bathroom in time while visitors swarmed my courtyard.

The next week, Mounira and I sat on the mat for our first lesson. I learned that she is a mother of five and loves coffee. When she was a child, her family lived in Saudi Arabia, where she learned to read and fell in love with books. Books are hard to come by in our small town, but she collects every one she can get a hold of. She’s read about different countries and could list dozens of places she wants to visit.

She hadn’t ever seen a Bible, but she was hungry to read the Word of God.

“It’s one of the holy books, and I want to read it for myself,” Mounira explained. “I don’t want to rely on what others have told me about it.”

Now we spend our language times drinking coffee and studying the Bible in the local language. She loves the stories of Jesus and always wants to keep reading more.

Suddenly my little mat was full of women discussing the details of my future language lessons.

I’m thankful that Mounira has become so much more than my language helper. This coffee-loving, book-reading friend has introduced me to her friends and family, helped me tell the carpenter how I want a shelf built, and has explained parts of the local culture that I never before understood.

In the short time we’ve known each other, we’ve laughed and cried together—sometimes laughing until we both cried. I’m thankful for this dear friend who is sharing her life with me.

Pray with me that God would open Mounira’s mind and heart to the truth of the Gospel as she studies the Bible. And pray that she will so love the Word that she invites her friends and family to join her in learning about Jesus Christ.