What could be better than sharing Jesus in a country full of stunning landscapes, rich culture, and very welcoming and caring people? Doing it in a country where the people share my love for delicious food!
From a simple homemade couscous to a complex stew, I’ve found that food is one of the best ways to connect with people. I’m often invited by my female students who share my passion for cooking to exchange traditional recipes from our countries. It’s an activity I really enjoy, but I never expected God to use it to teach me a valuable lesson.
Aisha* was one of my neighbors and had been studying with me for about six months. She and her eldest daughter and I had formed a close bond. They made me feel like part of their family. They included me in their celebrations and brought me food when I didn’t have time to prepare my own or just because they thought I needed to try a recipe.
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One day Aisha offered to teach me how to prepare an easy, homemade lemon pie. I watched as she carefully prepared, baked, and decorated the dessert. The result was a masterpiece!
Aisha cut the pie and wrapped half of it for me to enjoy later. Since I was only a block from where I teach, I took it with me when I left to prepare for my next class.
A few minutes later, I heard the sound of quickly approaching footsteps, followed by an abrupt knocking on the door. I opened it to discover Aisha and her daughter standing there, greatly distressed. Aisha had tears streaming down her face.
“What’s the matter, Aisha?” I asked, afraid something dreadful had happened.
“Please, bring the pie that I gave you and destroy it in front of my eyes!” she implored. I couldn’t understand what was happening, so I retrieved the pie and gave it to her. Immediately she began apologizing. She explained that she wanted to throw it away because she had tried a piece at home and thought it was much too acidic. She and her daughter had come as soon as they could to warn me because they were mortified by the thought that it could make me feel sick.
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I told Aisha that everything was OK and that there was nothing to worry about. But I couldn’t console her. As she turned to go home, she was still crying.
During my class, I couldn’t stop thinking about how Aisha had gotten so upset about something that seemed so harmless. I was worried about her, so when my class was over, I went to visit her. She continued to apologize as if she had done something terrible to me. “Why are you so upset about this, Aisha?” I asked.
Her answer touched my heart deeply. She said, “My beautiful girl, God has given the responsibility to all of us to look after people who surround us the best way we can. While you’re here, away from home, it’s my responsibility not only to be nice to you but also to give you a place where you feel safe and loved because you’re God’s child.”
Aisha’s response left me speechless. How seriously she had taken her responsibility to take the very best care of me that she possibly could! It was a beautiful and profound reminder of the huge responsibility I have to share Jesus through small, disinterested acts of love and service every day. God used that pie to preach me a sermon I’ll never forget!
*Name has been changed.
Editor’s note: This author served as a volunteer Spanish teacher in a country in the 10/40 Window. For the security of the project, her name has been withheld.