“The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous: the LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down” (Psalm 146:8-10).
“Fatima” once again reached out today. Apparently, her nephew and only immediate family in the U.S. changed his mind about having her come out to live with him in Ohio. While it would have been sad to see her go, I cannot help but see this somewhat as a blessing in disguise for her. While we are but “unprofitable servants,” we are the only devout Christians in her life and have shown her an abundance of care for her outward affairs and especially for her soul.
Once again, her landlord wants to evict her. She works full-time as a security guard (not exactly the best job for a lady, but she will take what she can get). It’s unclear to us whether her defaulting on the rent is purely her fault, or whether the housing market is making her little apartment a much hotter commodity, and the new rent is beyond her reach. In any case, she has tried to get roommates, but she ends up having men and even lesbians express interest. She became emotional when she related this to me. Poor “Fatimah” is a stranger in a strange land, and a woman to boot.
I took the opportunity to pray with her and to read from Psalm 146. I pointed out to her in the words above that Jehovah far transcends the selfishness, forgetfulness, abusiveness, and prejudices of man. Those whom society forgets He does not. I then told her — once again — that Jehovah actually took flesh and became man in the person of Jesus. I told her how full of love, compassion, and pity He was, especially towards the poor and afflicted, “the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.” And Jesus had no carnal angle! And then, because He knew that the only way to solve the radical problem of sin and to purchase everlasting life for sinners, Jehovah-incarnate surrendered Himself to the cursed death of the cross. I told her also of the infinite love of the Father, who Himself “gave His only-begotten Son,” that His heart is so large and compassionate, and that by the sacrifice of His Son, He would adopt and take her as His precious daughter. She would also gain a new family, even the family of faith. I assured her that we would do what we could to help her with her living situation. But I pressed upon her the fact that in God’s all-wise providence, He brought her in our life. She survived war in the Middle East and came here, to Providence, Rhode Island. And even her being forgotten once again by her nephew meant that she remained near us. These things weren’t accidents! He is personally calling her through me to surrender, to take Jesus as her Savior and to follow Him to the end. “I want you to think of these things after this call, o.k.?” “Yes,” she replied, with some tremor in her voice. “I will think of these things.”
Please pray for “Fatima.” She is not far from the Kingdom. She has heard the Gospel, and the Spirit appears to be striving with her.
If you would like to make a contribution for Fatima’s housing needs, you can do so here. (Everything donated for the next week will be taken as a gift towards her.) And if you live in Rhode Island and know of some Christian family who has a spare room to rent, or possibly a single Christian woman who has space to rent with a roommate, I can personally vouch for “Fatima.” We’ve known her several years — she is hardworking, harmless, and very sweet. Feel free to contact me directly at mjives dot refparish at gmail dot com or by phone/text at 515-783-5637.
West Port Experiment 
Leave a Reply