Answered Prayers

   This week He gave me the joy of learning about faith. God has showed me that He is so true to answer our prayers again and again. Each time one is answered, He never ceases to amaze me and leave me in awe of how powerful He is. If you have faith that He will do it, He will! I will tell you a number of answers to prayer which have strengthened my faith tremendously and I hope it does the same for you. The other girls on the team and I spend some time each week with three believers who own shops on the beach. Susanna and I visited one of the ladies, Leah, and she was very down because another woman, who is not a believer, owed Leah a great sum of money for three years. She wrote it down in her books that she would repay Leah. Then recently she told Leah that she never owed her any money. She never wrote it down and denied the truth. Leah came to us just very hurt and in need of prayer. She felt powerless in this situation and felt all she could do was pray. This woman isn't a believer so she did not see any wrong in being dishonest to Leah. But we knew that God can do all things, even convict the hearts of the ungodly. We prayed together and then apart and after a couple of days the woman called and told Leah she would pay her for what she owed!

   Another answer to prayer was with a woman named Sheela, who comes to our Life Skills and English classes every Tuesday and Thursday. This Tuesday Sheela was very distraught and asked us for prayer concerning her sons. Sheela and her family are Hindu but they are open to pray to Jesus. One of Sheela's sons has been getting into fights with other men (both sons are in their late 20's) and causing much trouble in the family. He wouldn't even let Sheela, his mother, leave the house at times. She also wanted us to pray for her other son, Neil, to contact her because she had not heard from him in a very long time and it made her upset that he would not speak to her. We then prayed with her for her sons and for her family to come to know the Lord. We always pray for salvation but we pray in English so they do not know what weare asking Jesus. Thursday when we saw Sheela again; she was eager for more prayer to Jesus. She told us that her son who was causing trouble was now doing well and that her other son Neil called her the very next day after we prayed. Praise the Lord! Neil told her when he called that he has been reading the Bible also! We are now praying that Neil will become a believer and reach Sheela. She is so hungry and knows something about Jesus from all the other gods. When we pray with her to Jesus, things actually happen! I think she is realizing that. I pray she is.
 
   Sheela asked us to pray for some other things regarding her family and just before we started praying another woman named Sunita came up. She prayed with us and afterwards she said something that truly amazed me. Jules, another girl from our team, prayed with Sunita last week. Sunita is a young woman but she has been suffering from an eye problem for quite some time. She said they were very painful and her vision was very blurry, especially in the mornings. She explained this to Jules and Jules was thrilled to get to pray over her and see God work. Sunita told us that after Jules prayed over her, she was healed! My eyes filled with tears as I was in awe of God and how is constantly revealing Himself to these people in India. Through answered prayers he reminds me of His word and how we must have faith that He will heal and work through us to glorify His name. Matthew 17:20 says "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." At times, I find myself doubting God, especially at home. But he has taught me to have much faith. Know that we serve a God who is alive, not dead. He is working all the time and is ready to move when we ask in faith! Remember that He can do all things. NOTHING is impossible with God.

Blessings,
  EG- Goa Volunteer