Bread for the Sojourner

We walk to the “Window Bakery” every week, sometimes a couple of times, mostly to pick up pita.

Three items are on the menu at the window bakery, four during the Islamic month of Ramadan. The main item is pita, which is called hobuz, the generic Arabic word for bread. Most days, shrak bread is available. Shrak is pliable flat bread that we use for making wraps or shawarma. Some days, to our delight, we find date bread, which is shaped like a bagel and filled with date paste. Finally, during the month of Ramadan, small pancakes, or qatayef, are mass-produced to be taken home, filled, and fried.

The owner of the bakery is Muhammad Abu Omar (Muhammad, father of Omar). If Muhammad is working, when our family arrives, he always gives us something extra for free. Pita hot out of the oven, a package of date bread, some shrak to rip apart and eat on our walk home—Muhammad never fails to bless us with something.

We have observed that Muhammad does not give bread away to everyone who walks up to his window, but to our family, he consistently shows kindness.

Muhammad is Egyptian. Likely, he came to this little village because he could not find work in his home country. Muhammad does not live in his home country, and neither do we. You could say we and Muhammad are sojourners.

Other sojourners live in our town too. We have met people from Yemen and Syria. These have come to escape wars, bombings, and political unrest. Regardless of our motivation to live in this small, quiet town, we are among the sojourners here.

The Bible teaches us to love the sojourner or stranger.

Deuteronomy 10:19 “And you shall love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Mitsrayim.”

It tells us not to oppress the sojourner.

Exodus 23:9 “And do not oppress a sojourner, as you yourselves know the heart of a sojourner, because you were sojourners in the land of Mitsrayim.”

These commands were not just for the generation of Yah’s people who left Egypt with Moses as their leader. They are commands for all who follow the teachings of the Bible. Throughout the Bible, through the apostles and prophets, the message to treat the sojourner well is consistent.

Life as a sojourner is not easy. Home, family, friends, culture, country—these remain in the heart of the sojourner. Unknowns surround the sojourner. Loss is ever present. And yet, hope walks with the sojourner, a hope that cannot be denied.

Muhammad at the window bakery knows what it is like to sojourn in a foreign country. Perhaps that is why he is so kind to our large American family.

Wanting to repay his steady kindness somehow, we decided to bake him an American treat—chocolate chip cookies. I can make a good chocolate chip cookie—just sayin’. I made them with my daughter Bethany. Bethany made a card for Muhammad that said:

شكرا ابؤ عمر

انت كريم ؤ لطيف

Translation:

Thank you, Abu Omar

You are generous and kind.

A group of us walked downtown to the window bakery. We prayed that Muhammad would be there and that he would receive the cookies. Our Father answered our prayers.

My husband Craig handed Muhammad the bag of cookies. Muhammad looked into the bag and saw the note. When he read the note, he raised his hands toward heaven and said, “Li-an ala Allah.” We understood that he was crediting God for his kindness.

We do not read the same ‘holy’ book as Muhammad, but I suspect that his book teaches him to treat the foreigner with love and kindness. His actions tell me so.

As a sojourner, I want to be known for my kindness and generosity. I want to be able to point to Yahushua, my Messiah, and say He is why I act the way I do.

Matthew 25:33-34 “And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. “Then the Sovereign shall say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the reign prepared for you from the foundation of the world –

Matthew 25:35 “for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in…”

I want to stand on Yahushua’s right hand, and I want to stand with others who have acted on behalf of kindness toward Him.

The story of Muhammad does not end with us giving. After the cookie drop, we walked around downtown paying bills and picking up groceries. Because our bread load is a lot to carry on foot—we are carrying a week’s supply for 9 people—the window bakery was our last stop. Craig ordered ten bags of pita. Muhammad added two packages of shrak and would not take ANY money for the entire order.

We humbly received his kindness. Craig walked away saying, “You can’t out give a giver.”

Reminds me of Yahushua—the bread of life.