We were quite wealthy and happy back in Southern Iraq. We have been working hard to achieve what we were enjoying at the moment my life changed so radically. Out of the blue God appeared to me and said: ‘Go out of your country, leave your relatives here, move away from your father’s house. I will show you where to go. You can’t imagine how much impact you will have on the lives of all the families of the earth. I will bless you and make your name great. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.’ I had no clue who this God was. I had never met Him before, but He was definitely not one of the gods we were used to worship. He was more real than any of them. However, what He was saying terrified me. I loved my life; I loved my big and well-situated house and my healthy herd of cattle. I had a good life, a lot of friends and I was respected. What would my friends think of me when I told them an unknown God called me to leave the city? What could I answer them when my business partners asked where I wanted to go? However, I couldn’t refuse the call. His words stuck in my head, they followed me wherever I went, even in my dreams. I spoke with dad, Tyler, about it and we decided to go. I was so glad that he supported me. My gorgeous wife and my precious nephew went with us. Although Tyler was not young any more, he was quite decisive and courageous, at least more than I was. And off we went, after a big farewell party in our home town.
We had a pleasant and comfortable travel while heading north. We travelled on a busy road along side a beautiful river. There were lots of places to drink a proper cup of coffee or to eat my favourite hot dogs. I was able to check my face book account every 2 days, which is not that bad. I really enjoyed staying in touch with my friends back home. For Tyler is was more difficult. He just learned to use the internet a few years previously. Since he hardly understood our own computer back home, the MacBook we bought for the travel totally confused him. The keyboard was to small, the interface was different, and I was not able to teach him new skills. After a few days he started to complain about the whole situation. Everything was miserable and he regretted he joined me in this adventure. Moreover his rheumatoid arthritis relapsed and he had a lot of pain. He needed some rest.
One day, when we had been in Rahan for a while, I told him we were going to leave the city. God told me to go south-west. We had to face the challenge of a lonely desert. I could handle it, but I was not so sure about my dad’s physical capacity. Again God’s assignment for me was so clear and real, that I had no choice but go. Leaving this city was not as easy as I thought. My dad turned out to be a master in loitering. He found a huge amount of excuses to stay for some other days in the city. For instance he had an appointment with a famous rheumatologist. This guy thought it was absolutely necessary to make some X-rays and to do some laboratory blood test. Although my dad had been examined by every single specialist in our own city back home, he had the hope for a miraculous medicine that could cure his condition. Since I didn’t want to be harsh, I gave him this chance to get rid of his continuous pain problem. But in the depths of my heart, a feeling was growing that I made a stupid mistake. My loyalty to my father beat God’s call in my heart. He became a first class hold up. Eventually I found myself laying him to rest in the graveyard outside the city. He died of old age.
[to be continued….]
