Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Field Notes: Prayer Group

"Pam, you must come to the ladies' prayer group,” called a friendly voice. I looked out the door of our home and saw a short older woman smiling at me. Rosalyn, a nurse at the May River Health Clinic, has already become Boo Boo—the Tok Pisin word for grandma—to our girls and Mama to me. I agreed to attend but felt a little apprehensive. It was our first week in May River, and I didn’t speak much Tok Pisin, but since Mama spoke some English, I felt reassured.
As we walked down the dirt path toward the church, Mama explained that she had just recently started the prayer group, and not many women were coming yet. My apprehension turned to excitement as I thought of joining other women in prayer and praise.
As the first woman shyly began sharing her testimony, I knew my faith would be strengthened. “This past Friday,” she began, I was hurrying to finish my Sabbath meal preparations and quickly wash in the river before vespers. I wanted everything to be ready to welcome the Sabbath hours. Everything was going smoothly, but as I hurried to the river to bathe, my husband and his friends arrived. When they get together, they like to play music and drink, so I cried out to the Lord and pleaded for His help. ‘Please don’t let the generator work, Lord,’ I prayed. I kept praying silently as my husband pulled the starter cord. Nothing happened. Again and again, he pulled the cord, but the generator would not start. Finally, in disgust, my husband and his friends left the house, and I praised the Lord for hearing my prayer.”
God does hear and answer our prayers. Please pray that the Lord will show our family how to witness daily to His love in this very new and different place. —Pam Lello

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