“They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God” Isaiah 35:2

Dear Friends,

Seeing is Believing.  Waiting on the platform at South Station for my train to be announced, I had the most amazing encounter with another commuter which prompted me to write you.  I bumped into a young Islamic woman student who was also finishing up the semester.  We shared a booth once on the commuter rail in September, so it seemed fitting to end the semester together.  She remembered me.  We remembered studying together for school— Me, a Christian woman studying the Hebrew Bible; Her an Islamic woman studying world religion.   
 
Tonight, Munleia and I decided to share a seat again.  We talked about school, finals, family, geography, religion, and her safety in this post-election landscape.  Her courage was evident by the red hijab and clothing which accented her smile and bright eyes.   She told me about the amazing color and warmth of the Indian Ocean. I told her about the cold yet refreshing Buzzards Bay.  We googled on our phones about sacred stories of our faith. In awe of our quick discoveries and similarities. Maryram mother of Isa in the Quran is Mary mother of Jesus in the Bible. A virgin woman, pregnant with a prophet sent from God.  A messenger to guide the children of Israel with a new revelation. A messenger of peace.   “Don’t be afraid”, the Angel assured.   
 
We talked about this crazy world, our addiction to coffee, our hopes for the future.  We had a lot in common despite our outwardly differences.  The biggest commonality we shared, was that we both want to help people see, see the beauty, see the love, and see the joy in God's creation. 

You see, she is studying optometry and I am studying ministry.   The train was unusually quiet, hopefully listening.

In Faith, Patricia