Interview with Tatiana
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with my good friend in studio, Tatiana Sosa. Welcome Tatiana.
TATIANA: Hi, Joni. It’s good to be here.
JONI: It’s always good to have you in studio because our listening friends should know you are the Spanish voice of the Joni and Friends radio program aired throughout Latin America. So for our listening friends, just give us a sample, how would you open it?
TATIANA: Ola amigos, de Saluda, Joni Eareckson Tada
JONI: So what is your first language?
TATIANA: My first language is Spanish.
JONI: My goodness. Well you speak English very well then.
TATIANA: Oh thank you.
JONI: Well, Tatiana, this week I have been recounting stories about my own sisters, and you have a great sister and I bet you have a great story, right?
TATIANA: I do. I have a sister. Her name is Marilyn and she is about 2-1/2 years younger than I am.
JONI: I have met her and she is a cut-up, she is. In fact, share a sisterly story.
TATIANA: Well, the one I was sharing with you recently was back when we were in elementary school. So, I think I was in third grade and Marilyn was in first. And typically, mom or dad would pick us up, but on this day neither one of them had shown up. It turns out mom thought dad was picking us up and dad thought mom was going to pick us up but no one was there. So we hung around and played until the administrators told us it was time to go into the principal’s office because that was where we would have to wait for mom or dad while they started calling them. And so just picture this: first of all, the principal’s office is not the place you want to go to when you are a kid.
JONI: No.
TATIANA: And it’s kind of dark, dark cherrywood furniture. And here Marilyn and I are sitting on this wooden bench and I start worrying; I’m thinking mom and dad was in an accident; something happened, and I turned to her and say, “Marilyn, what do you think happened?” And she looked down at her feet, dangling from the bench and goes, “Well, maybe Jesus came and He left you.” Oh my goodness! So I’m picturing, oh this means I’m a sinner! We were new beginners in Christianity, but I knew John 3:16 and so I thought: Okay, either I don’t believe in Jesus or I’m a big time sinner, but whatever that means that means I’m spending the rest of eternity away from Jesus, away from God, away from mom and dad and grandma and everyone else.
JONI: You didn’t want that.
TATIANA: Oh, I started crying.
JONI: How old were you?
TATIANA: I think I was about eight.
JONI: Oh my goodness.
TATIANA: And then I turned toward Marilyn and said, “Well, if Jesus left me that means He left you too.” This just shows how different we are in personality. She just nonchalantly just shrugged her shoulders and goes, “Well, maybe Jesus will come back later.”
JONI: And to think it’s a typical kid conversation.
TATIANA: It is, yes it is.
JONI: Well, I have noticed Marilyn volunteering here at Joni and Friends occasionally. She has a sweet spirit; a beautiful demeanor. What are some of the unique lessons you have learned with your sister?
TATIANA: I think the most significant lesson I have learned with my sister is that I need to listen more. We are different in many ways. I mean you can just see that from that conversation we had as kids. She doesn’t worry about things that much, I certainly do. We have different interests. But while we were growing up, we were so different that I stopped listening and I just started seeing her as she was wrong and I was right. And I think it is important that as we have these relationships with our siblings or with our relatives that we listen especially to those who aren’t believers, talking about whether we go to heaven or not. We want to be there as a listening brother or sister, we want to be there to pray for our siblings.
JONI: I think so, that is the best part because so many siblings there will be an infraction, there will be some sort of misunderstanding and you hold those grudges and keep a record of wrongs. Oh how good to just let it go, listen, pray for your sibling, whether a brother or sister. You will be happy to know that Jesus hasn’t come back yet!
TATIANA: I know, isn’t that great.
JONI: But we will be ready for it.
TATIANA: We still have time and time to share the gospel.
JONI: Absolutely! That is what we are doing today. Tatiana thank you so much for being with us. We love you.
TATIANA: Love you too, Joni.
© Joni and Friends
