Pray…Then Just Stand Back and Behold What God Can Do
Linda Rogers, Team Leader
October-December 2015
October-December 2015
It began in the winter of 2013 with a sign-up sheet for those interested in being on a work team to McAllen, Texas. But God began preparing hearts long before. The story of what He accomplished using our willing hands is nothing short of amazing. We watched what originally seemed an impossible task (to earn monies for 12 work team members) become “little is much if God is in it” as funds began to increase.
Providing all the needed funds was reason enough to praise God for His faithfulness, but other stories unfolded that can only be described as His amazing grace.
One of the signatures on the original sign-up sheet was a man who was fairly new to the church. His wife, under conviction, had gone to the altar one service after “putting out a fleece.” She basically said to God, that if a certain song is ever sung in that church, she will know she needed to go to the altar. It didn’t take long. One evening, the youth held a service with a special guest singer. You guessed it: that song was part of his program, and she was obedient.
Still her husband hadn’t gone to the altar as yet. As the preparation for the team began, God began working on his heart.
Originally, only the man had signed up for the team, but we kept praying about his wife. She really wanted to go but was unable to take the time off from work without pay. Then her place of employment offered her a new position that opened the door for her to go as well.
While on the mission field, we worked very hard. There seemed so much that we could put our hand to and so little time to do it. On the third day of the trip, the gentleman of our story received a telephone call that his father had suffered a major heart attack. We knew it was a struggle, but even though we offered to fly him back home immediately, he unselfishly decided to stay with the team, knowing he was needed. A few days later, he received a call that his father wasn’t expected to make it through the night. By this time, we were nearing our departure. Incredibly, he was able to speak to his father by phone. His family told him that his father was weakening by the minute and he most certainly would pass away before we could get back. We continued to pray and so did our church family at home and the missionaries in McAllen. Upon landing in Columbus, Ohio, this man and his wife drove to the hospital and were able to see his father. We praised the Lord and let our missionaries in McAllen know how God had worked. A full month after we returned from our missions trip, the man’s father recovered enough to go home!
Many of us from our work team from a small church in central Ohio have stories about the goodness of God. These experiences give us a deeper appreciation for the missionaries’ day-to-day lives. They not only deserve our admiration, but also our earnest prayers. After all, we know what prayer can do!
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