Powerful Prayer

I was just reading one of the books for my missions practicum homework and ran across an illustration I just had to share with you. I'm sure you've heard stories like this before, but I always enjoy hearing them again. This one gave me goose bumps.

This story is from Thomas Hale's book On Being a Missionary. Published by the William Carey Library. Page 347.

"Let me tell you a story. It's about a medical missionary serving in a developing country who had just come home on furlough, and who was asked by the pastor of his home church to give a report of his work at one of the church services.

"This missionary doctor told the congregation about his work at a rural hospital, and how periodically he had to journey by bicycle two days to a nearby city to get supplies. The journey each way required camping overnight at the halfway point.

"On on of these trips he encountered a young man in the city who had just been injured, and so he treated the man's injuries and witnessed to him about Christ. He then journeyed back to his hospital, camping overnight at the halfway point, and arriving the next day without incident.

"The missionary doctor continued his story. "Two weeks later I repeated my journey to the city. When I arrived I cam across the young man I had treated two weeks earlier. He said to me, 'I know you come to the city regularly to collect money and drugs for your hospital. So, on your last trip, some friends and I planned to follow you back to the camping spot where you spend the night and rob you and kill you. So we followed you, and waited until you were asleep. Then as we were about to attack you, we saw twenty-six armed guards standing around you.'"

"The missionary said to the congregation: "When I heard that I laughed. I told the young man that I was absolutely alone at that campsite. But the young man persisted. He said to me, 'No, you were not alone. My five friends also saw the guards. We all counted them, and came up with the same number: twenty-six. It was because of those guards that we were afraid and left you alone.'"

"At that moment a man in the congregation jumped to his feet and interrupted the missionary's story. He said to the missionary, "Excuse me, but could you tell me the exact day and time that these men were planning to attack you?"

"The missionary took a moment to recollect the date and hour, taking into account the change of time zone, and then told the man standing in the congregation.

"The man then said to the missionary, "An hour or so before the attack would have taken place, I was on my way to play golf. But the Lord suddenly put a burden on my heart to pray for you. I didn't know why. The burden was so strong that I returned home, and called some other men in the church to meet together to intercede on your behalf."

"The man paused, and looking around at the congregation, said, "Will all those men who joined me in prayer that day please stand?"

"When they all had risen, there were twenty-six men standing."

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Our church service tonight was healing, it blessed, it encouraged, and it definitely challenged. First we heard a song from a man who just found out that his brother-in-law died suddenly. Through his sobs he sang a song about the healing of Jesus. What blessed me the most was that this man sang for the Lord. His music wasn't fantastic, but it was so genuine and it encouraged me very much.

Then we heard from a set of twin sisters in their early teens. One of the sisters has been suffering through RSD for the past year. This is an illness that attacks the nervous system and causes her pain 24/7. They sang a song that spoke of the Lord sending them through a rain, but that they were grateful for it and encouraged by it because it brought them closer to the Lord. Afterward our entire church met at the alter to pray for her.

Then a missionary from the Philippines spoke from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. He talked about the difficulties he and his family have faced over the years, but how they would never trade their difficulties for the joy it is to serve the Lord. I applied it a little bit differently than he preached it, but here's what I learned:

I am well aware that after a "spiritual high," such as our experience in Togo, Satan is ready to attack and to attack hard. He is a great deceiver and I stupidly gave in to the temptation to think more highly of myself than I ought to think. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12, "...on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weakness... so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me." Recently, I really blew it. I failed miserably. However, in all of my failures, God's grace is sufficient for me, and I am encouraged that His power is made perfect in my weakness. I thank the Lord for his forgiveness and grace. Though my problem is not yet solved, I know that the Lord will be glorified in the end. I pray especially so in my heart.

Papers

My papers are... overwhelming. I'm not much of a writer. Now Ryan, he can sit at a computer and write a whole paper in no time at all. For me, I just can't do that. So I started on my 3000 word paper, I got half way through the 3000 words and then I realized that I'm supposed to be following a different outline. That's going to call for some crazy adjustments.

I'm almost halfway through my book on being a missionary. It's getting a little better. It's not as boring as I originally thought it was, but I'd still rather be reading the Amy Carmichael book I started in Togo.

In three weeks all of my grey hairs will be turning back to blond because all of my crazy work will be done. I hate to want to rush time so much, but it's hard to seize the day when you can't slow down long enough to seize it. I do find myself smiling and laughing to myself sometimes so that helps it all. "Laughter doeth good like a medicine."

Papers, and Baseball

I have to write three papers for my Missions Practicum course. This involves two papers on missionary books and one paper on our trip to Togo. Sounds good. I started working on it, oh, last September! The problem is, that I read about three missionary biographies and only need to write about one, but I haven't read the, so far, boring book about being a missionary (I keep forgetting to grab it out of the car before Ryan takes it to work) All of this is due at the end of the month. It can be done, I just keep telling myself that.

And then there's one more thing I gotta do very, very soon and that's our prayer letter. I haven't sent one out since April and I feel very responsible to our prayer supporters to let them know how our WONDERFUL trip to Togo went. On average, it takes me about a month to write and edit it. Surely, it shouldn't take that long, but it really does. The first three weeks are spent agonizing on what to write and in what form and then editing it, and the fourth week is spent thinking about buying postage. Once all that is done, I estimate that it takes about 3-4 days to get into your mailbox.

Oh, I do have to brag on my Husby just a little bit. He's already done with most of his homework for his commercial ground school! It's not due until around Thanksgiving. Now that's enthusiasm right there. Now he can help me! :)

Maybe I just found half of the other oar.

On another note, Ryan and I went to a Winston-Salem Warthogs baseball game on Friday night. If you think Warthogs are a crazy mascot wait till you hear about the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Heaven forbid a warthog should come up against a grasshopper. The Hogs played the Indians and I'm sure you can guess who won. Can we say "fried bacon?" Anyway, we had a good time. I just love baseball, silly mascots and all. Of course, there's no mascot like the Mariner Moose!!!

I'm posting!

It's been awhile since I've posted. As I stated in my last post, I have been very busy. I feel guilty getting on the internet and doing this when I should be doing something else, but then I find myself sitting at my computer getting distracted by all the other things I can do on a computer. Also, I've been working on trying to get our Togo video on here, but have been having trouble. For some reason blogger won't let me post my video.

Videos of Togo

Look me up on Facebook to see some videos from Togo.

Roll with the punch

We are busily slipping back into American culture. Booked is not a word we used in Togo, but it definitely is very much a part of America. A friend of mine, who has also been on a six-week missions trip and understands our emotional reluctance to re-enter the U.S., reminded me that the tug on our lives that says that we are constantly out of time shows us how much we truly are eternal beings. We humans are meant to be without time, but now under the curse of sin we are constantly out of time. Praise the Lord, someday we will have all the time in the world, literally!

Since I last wrote we have been very busy. We were able to go to a friend's wedding down in Atlanta. Dear Darla, one of my lifeguards the summer I was a lifeguard supervisor, found her man Chuck. All I can say is that I know they are going to be a family full of laughter, and boy did they kiss a lot! Marriage is such a miracle to me. How is it that two people can come together and live in such a union that you have with no other person? By God's beautiful grace, that's how. Amazing!

Last week I started a new position at Piedmont. I am now the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Advancement/Assistant to the President. That sounds like a fancy term, but I prefer to be called a secretary. I am glad to have a new challenge. I am working with a program called Raiser's Edge. Basically, it's a fund raising tool that categorizes alumni, constituents, donors, and events. All in all, I'll be using my gift of organization for the glory of the Lord. For that I'm excited!

This weekend we went with the youth group to Carowinds. Carowinds is a Paramount park that is right on the line of North and South Carolina. It's kinda cool. Half of the park is in NC and the other half is in SC. How they manage their taxes I guess I'll never know. Anyway, we had a good time with the kids. However, I must be getting old or something. On one of the first roller coasters I went on I got a massive headache. At the chiropractor today, I found that yes, I had totally knocked my head out of alignment (please don't comment about that :) ). Though I'm feeling better now.

Ryan is on his second week of vacation from flying. He has been diligent with his ground school for the semester that starts tomorrow. He has already finished quite a bit of his ground school for his commercial license. Way to go My Sweet!