Of the Past and the Future

I didn't join the fall reading challenge. But I read constantly. Right now I'm re-reading the Zion Covenant series by Bodie Thoene. This series was written in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I am on the 5th book of 6 in this series. These books chronicle the march of Hitler across Europe, chasing the Jewish people out of each country he overtook. They are painful to read and make me angry. But I can't put them down! Prior to this series, she wrote one called Zion Chronicles, about the Jewish families who were able to get to Palestine, their "promised land." They were written out of chronological order, so I had to go back and read them in order. Now I'm reading the Covenant series again. I don't know if I'll be able to go through the Chronicles again, because they are so sad and frustrating and so much like today's newspaper.

For some reason, this reading of some of the Middle East history, together with the news all day every day about Iraq and Iran, and the fact that my niece is married to an Iranian young man, has led me back in my memory to early high school in Minnesota.

We were living in a suburb, out on a county road with only about 6 houses near us. Across an empty field, there was a subdivision of many more houses. We had to ride the bus to school and in that way my sis and I became acquainted with Maryam and Elli Ali Abadi. Maryam was my age and Elli was hers. They were living with a U of M professor, because their parents wanted them to go to school in America. We learned, as we became better acquainted, that their father was the Deputy Prime Minister of Iran - 3 pegs below the Shah. Remember what happened to the Shah? He escaped because of his health and ended up over here, but all of his regime was killed. I am sure their father was among the victims.

I am certain Maryam and Elli were Muslim, but we didn't discuss that. I remember meeting their mother, who was very beautiful. She didn't wear anything to cover her beautiful face. The thing that stands out the most in my memory is riding the bus every day and talking to Maryam. I didn't try to convert her. But I did plant some seeds. I was in teen quizzing at the time at our church and really enjoyed it. This was before quizzing became as big as it is today, and there were not workbooks written yet. I was a new typist, and spent hours going through the book of Matthew, creating over 100 questions of my own (or maybe it was Acts, I can't remember for sure). Every day, Maryam would help me study by asking me the questions. I was a pretty good quizzer, and I can never forget the wonderful things I learned. But I often think that this was possibly the only time Maryam was exposed to the Holy Scriptures. I wonder where she is and what has happened in her life.

All of this leads me to the future - and how much longer our Lord can wait before His return. Even so, Lord Jesus, come!!

IF YOU DIDN'T READ YESTERDAY'S POST, PLEASE GO BACK THERE AND TAKE NOTE OF THE URGENT PRAYER REQUEST. THANK YOU! MICAH AND HIS FAMILY THANK YOU.