HOW GOD SETS THE PATH
It’s 1969, summer, and I’m part of an archaeological field school with the University of Arizona. I’m up in the White Mountains, somewhere near the town of Cibecue, which is close to Forestdale, which is not too far from…. Well, you get the idea. It’s kind of remote. But it’s oh, so beautiful. I’ve come up on a hill overlooking the camp, surrounded by tall pines, soaking in the sun, the clean air, the fresh smell. I’m writing in my journal and I have just made a vow. I will come back to Arizona to live; I will get myself a ranch and have horses; I will settle in the west and get away from the east I grew up in. And I write in my journal: “Please, Allah, or whoever, make this come true.”
I am a Christian, an Episcopalian, born and raised, with no idea of looking at any other faith. In fact, I essentially had no religion at all at that time. I had taken one comparative religion class in my freshman year in college, but I don’t remember much from it. And with the horrors of the Vietnam War in full swing, I had basically decided there couldn’t be a god or all these young men wouldn’t be dying so needlessly. I don’t know what possessed that 22-year-old agnostic to write “Allah.”
Well, actually I do now. Let me back up a little. I love this whole story because it shows God’s hand in everything. Long before I had any real idea of who God was, certainly no notion that He is in full control of everything, He knew me and guided my footsteps to bring me to the time and place where I could find the true worship of God alone.
It started in my senior year at Western College (now part of Miami University in Ohio) when I got interested in archaeology (God’s will). The school was too small to have any courses in the subject so I just took an independent study and worked on my own. My professor was in the classics so her area of expertise was Greek and Roman; my interest was Southwest Indians. So I didn’t get much help from her, but I thoroughly enjoyed the learning. And she did encourage me to apply to some field schools for that summer (God’s will).
I applied to several. I only applied to the U of A because Arizona and New Mexico were the areas I was most interested in. But I never expected to get into Arizona’s program. It was very small, very prestigious and was subsidized by the National Science Foundation. Unlike New Mexico’s, which had over 100 students and charged tuition, Arizona only accepted 20 students and it was free. So I wasn’t surprised when I got a letter saying I was on a wait list, but not to hold my breath.
For spring vacation, I went with a friend to Florida for a week. We were on the beach when I heard a PA announcement calling my name for a phone call. Even the fact that I heard the announcement over the crash of waves and the laughter of so many people is a miracle (God’s will). On the phone was the head of Arizona’s field school asking if I wanted to join the summer program. Someone had dropped out (God’s will) and this professor had tracked me down from my home to Florida to the beach. He had to know right away and I said absolutely.
There was no reason for Arizona to accept me into the program, except that it was God’s will. I had one semester of an independent study in archaeology. When I got to the camp and we all introduced ourselves I realized I was in with third and fourth year graduate students in anthropology. The only other recent grad had at least majored in anthropology. I was so out of my league. But we were all in the same boat when it came to actual digging — no one had any archaeology experience — so we all learned together. And it was a fun and productive summer (even if I did miss the landing on the moon).
So, there I am up on the hill making a vow to return to this beautiful place, and amazingly, bringing God into the mix. I don’t remember writing that. I only found my journal recently and when I read it, I was stunned that I had mentioned “Allah” long before I really knew that God was there. But, there He was, guiding my thoughts, my steps, my future.
I went back home after the field school, uncertain of what to do with myself. I had graduated with a major in history. I love history, but I didn’t want to teach. So, I realized that if you don’t know what you want to do with your life, it helps if you at least know where you want to do whatever it is you’re going to be doing. And I had that. I had my vow on that beautiful wooded hilltop. I would go to Arizona.
I don’t think my parents really believed me. It was an incredibly brave thing to do. I was moving over 2000 miles to a place where I knew one person, but I stuck to my vow. I loaded everything in my car and headed west in February of 1970. It was all God’s will. He gave me the strength, the courage, the means, and on so many levels it was the best decision God ever made for me. I thought it was my decision, but I know now that God makes all the decisions.
As soon as I arrived in Tucson, I knew it was my home. All my life I had been fighting against the eastern lifestyle without knowing there was any other choice. Here I found it — more laid back, much friendlier, and best of all, warmer! I was sure tired of snow and cold. Still, my first six months were lonely and unproductive. No one wanted to hire a recent college grad with no particular skills, who they thought would probably move on in a year or two. It was frustrating.
So, I decide to learn typing — at least that was a marketable skill. When I went to sign up, the man encouraged me (God’s will) to consider also taking “key-punch” which was the latest in computer technology — a very marketable skill. I’d never heard of it, but what the heck. It wouldn’t hurt.
My one Tucson friend worked at the University of Arizona and she told me that the anthropology department was planning to computerize both their library and their museum collections (God’s will and timing), and that they were looking for a key punch operator. I met with the head of the department and traded on my time at the field school (remember, I shouldn’t even have been accepted into that field school — now, it was my ticket). I was hired.
Within a year, I met a young woman who just happened to be working in the same office for the summer only (God’s will). We quickly became friends, gradually becoming best friends. It was amazing to me because we had almost nothing in common — our interests, our backgrounds, our personalities — and yet, it was easy to share with her.
We stayed friends, though she married, traveled for months on a sailboat, got divorced, and searched for a spiritual light in her life. She had tried traditional Islam — changing her name, covering her hair, using a lot of Arabic phrases that I didn’t understand — but then she (God’s will) discovered a Mosque dedicated to the Quran alone, the worship of God alone. This was the culmination of her search and she knew it was the right place for her, and she was eager to share this knowledge with me.
This was difficult for me. I still had no particular religious interests, though I had sort of come to believe that there had to be a “higher power.” I couldn’t believe the world and all its beauty just happened by chance. But to think of “God” as He was portrayed in most organized religions didn’t make sense to me. But we continued to talk and share experiences and the more she told me about this “new” faith she was moving into, the more it began to make sense.
One evening as she was leaving my house to go to the Mosque for a Quran study, I asked her for a Quran. Now, I did not ask for a Quran. The words came out of my mouth, but I never said them. The last thing I wanted was a structured religion of any kind, and I certainly didn’t want to read a strange foreign book. But God put the words in my mouth and had me utter them. I know it was completely God’s will.
Even when she gave me the Quran the next day, I just thought I’ll leave it on my bedside table for a couple of weeks and then give it back to her politely. But (God’s will) as soon as I started to read it, it spoke to me. I can’t tell you why, except that it’s God’s will, but I knew instantly that I was going to continue to read it; that it was the word of God; that it was the Truth.
It took a while longer for me to begin to do the practices of Islam (Submission to God in English). I resisted. The thought of doing five prayers a day every day for the rest of my life seemed overwhelming. Now, it seems like such a blessing. I don’t have to do my prayers; I get to do my prayers. They are a tremendous gift from God.
The beauty of Islam as given to us in the Quran is that it’s a simple way of life, with emphasis on charity, righteousness, patience, forgiveness and kindness. This is what God brought me to, and I can never thank Him enough. He began it with an interest in archaeology, which led to a summer in Arizona, which led to my moving to Arizona, which led to my job at the University, which led to meeting someone who would be my friend and mentor, which led to my finding the Truth of God and the Quran. This was the path God laid out for me, and as one amazing thing led to the next, I was able to grow and prosper and find peace and joy.
That’s how one WASP found her way from Loudonville, New York to Tucson, Arizona to the worship of God alone. God’s will.
Maybe this story is interesting only to me. But it truly shows me the awesome power and reach of God. Even if we don’t know Him; He absolutely knows and controls us. And if we let Him, He will guide us by whatever road works for us to the perfect religion — monotheism, worshiping God alone.
