Friday, April 1, 2011
The Power of Prayer
Again, much has happened… God has been present, moving, and performing miracles right in front of me. I have been learning a lot about the thousands of ways God provides for me and others even when I am unaware. I’ve been catching glimpses of things I will miss as I start to wind down my trip in this not very beautiful place. I’m blessed… truly blessed to have gone through the trial I have and seen the beauty I have seen in each person I have come in counter with. Last week, as I was packing my bags to take close to a three-week vacation for travel, I spent more time visiting those I loved then by myself in my house getting ready to leave. I will only be gone for a little while, and yet I am starting to look at all of my loved ones differently. I look at them with emotions stirred up in my head. This trip to the southwest of Cameroon is like a preparation of what is to come. I might never see any of these people again… thank God for the second coming?
As I packed my bags last week to come to visit the southwest of Cameroon, I had a checklist in my head. I need my passport, enough money, food for the trip, a motercycle taxis ready, clothes to last me, being on time, pray, and more. I woke up at 4 o clock the next morning to travel 45 minutes on a motorcycle to make it to the first bus leaving Mokolo to Maura. We made it on time at 6:20 am. After arriving in Maoura 2 your later, we quickly took another mototaxi to the next bus taking us from Maoura to Ngaundere (9 hour bus ride). Everything had to go smoothly because the train from Ngaundere only leaves at 6 pm everyday. We wanted to make it on time so we didn’t have to spend the night in Ngaundere, making our trip even longer and more exhausting. The bus ride seemed to take a lifetime, but we made it on time to the train. Both Bahana and I were starving and thirsty so I bought some bananas, bread, and juice for the next trip. The train would take from 6:30 pm to 8 am the next morning. We tried to find the most comfortable seats. Obviously, being that we were in a small seat for two and facing another small seat with two or three people, the night didn’t go down so well. I didn’t get much sleep. Instead, I read one book almost straight through. It was a book my mother gave me. I don’t have it with me but I think it is called Baptism, Holy Spirit, and Prayer. You might be familiar with the title. The chapters captivated me as I sat in the small section of seat I had. I ended up reading the whole 11 chapters except the last remaining chapter. This will become important later.
Arriving in Younde was like arriving in downtown Hawaii. It was humid, green, and English speaking! Much, much different from my home back in Koza. Bahana’s sister picked us up and I rested there for a few minutes before I had to take the trip from Younde to Buea where I would meet up with my missionary friends working in the hospital there. I left the house around 11 am to take the hardest part of my journey, finally arriving safely in Buea around 5 pm on the 29th of March, making this trip a complete 24 hours?
In the bus that I had to take from Younde to Buea I had a Holy Spirit encounter with the woman sitting right next to me. Remember how I didn’t seem finish the last chapter in my book Baptism, Holy Spirit, and Prayer? Knowing that I wasn’t going to be comfortable enough on the bus to sleep, I took out that book to read the last chapter. As I started to read it the woman next to me, Elizabeth, casually asked me what it was about. I quickly told her it was about how to have a powerful consistent prayer life… and I got back to reading. After I finished reading the chapter, I thought she might want to scan over it and read it. She accepted. After seeing her read the back, the first chapter, and continue, I started praying that the Holy Spirit would direct her to the truths found in that book. From the time I gave her the book a little after we left Younde until soon arriving in Buea, she read. I tried to pray consistently from the time she started reading until the end. She was trying to finish the book before we arrived. After the 7th chapter she turn to me with a look of amazement. I asked her if she liked the book. She began to tell me her story. She said, “This book has answered all of my questions about Prayer. I had three questions in my mind about prayer and the Holy Spirit and this book has made it abundantly clear to me”. She also began to explain that earlier that morning she had prayed for God to show her favor, and to show her something to increase her faith. I had been in the right place at that bus station, in the right seat, at the right time. Not knowing it, I had been moved by the Holy Spirit to stop a chapter before my book was finished so I could open it up in the bus for Elizabeth to see… an opportunity to renew her life with Christ. I told her that the Holy Spirit works in miraculous ways, and he put both of us together for a reason. She had one question about the gift of tongues that God had impressed me to study about the summer before just to have this encounter with her. I ended up giving her the book and we exchanged emails. She told me after she was finished with the book; she was going to give it to her mother. Both my life and life of hers was shaken by the power of God and the power of prayer. I thank Him for using me as an instrument for good. The Lord opens my eyes slowly to the things that are literally out-of-this-world. My prayer is that not only that Elizabeth grows in her walk of faith and prayer, but that each one of us can see the glory of God moving in our lives. I’m no better than any man on this earth, and I will bow at the feet of Jesus when He comes again, but God wants to work through us. We are His instruments, even if we don’t want to be.
Posted by Elissa
Letter from Student missionary in Koza #19