Soul Travelogue

My Bible
I grew up in a very traditional evangelical church; everyone had their own bible, would read it regularly, and would carry it to every church service. We were the people of the book.

After my conversion in the summer of 1974 at the age of 13, I took the decision to buy a new bible. I always wanted ‘The Missionary Bible’, but I settled for what I could afford using all my savings, which was a black leather-covered bible with gold edges. It was a beautiful A5 size Bible. I grew older with my bible. It became my companion, witness to so many sad and happy moments in my life.

In 2002, I travelled to Cuba with my good friend Simon ‘hombre’ Lockett. The Association of Evangelical Pastors invited us to run a series of seminars over there. My friend Mapa - who is based in Miami - made all the arrangements and agreed to meet us in Havana the day after arrival.

Unfortunately, when we arrived we were tricked at the airport. Two guys, pretending to be from the Association of Pastors, stole everything we had, and I mean everything, including my much beloved Bible. It was a nightmare of an experience. We tried so hard to not let that one bad incident spoil our time on the Island given we had also met many wonderful people.

It was only after we came back that I came to terms with what happened to us. As the memory of what we went through sank in, I felt anger and guilt. ‘Why I was so stupid?’ I asked myself so many times. I lost many, many things, but the loss of my bible really hurt and upset me most. ‘My dear bible is gone for good’, I lamented again and again.

Sometimes I still wonder where my bible is. Who could have it? Would he/she reading it? I wonder if my footnotes are of any help. Would my Bible bring comfort? Salvation? I want to believe that is well looked after, that it had found a new, good owner, a new home.

If there is any place on the planet where it makes sense to loose a bible, it is in that place, Cuba. I pray for the person who has it – that they will find comfort and wisdom in the word of God, just as I did.