Gray skies gave way to a continuous shower of rain with scattered thunderstorms throughout the early morning, threatening to put a stop to our morning outreach. Nevertheless, donned with ponchos and umbrellas, my teammates and I were able to finally make it out the door and down A Street to the Bethel Temple Church area for outreach.
Reminded of how striking a difference it can make to start the day off with prayer, we moved to the stairs of the Lord’s Gym to put the day’s work before God. Going from door to door filled my heart with joy as we were invited into home, after home not only to give health screenings but to also share the love of Christ with the people of the community.
For our first visit of the afternoon , we spoke with an older man who had called out to us. He had asked if we would please take his sugar because he had diabetes. I had special excitement and gladness because he had taken the initiative to call out to us. Throughout the health screening, the man told us about the many health issues he has been facing within the past several months. It was just heart-breaking to hear his trials which ranged from dealing with a painful hernia to battling with depression to being pressured to move from his current home with only a week left to find another place to live. He sensed a wall at every turn he needed to make. Not knowing what to say, I asked him if he would like for us to pray about his situations. He agreed.
Later that very day, as I was going into the dorms after dinner, I spotted the very same man walking along the sidewalk. Seeing me as well, he greeted me with a hello, then delved deeper in conversation. He went on to tell me that he had found a room to rent, and though it was a bit expensive, at lest it had a microwave and refrigerator. I was thanked for the prayer, but I couldn’t help but give God all the praise.
During outreach I have had the opportunity to pray with countless numbers of families over many trying situations, and many times I walked away not knowing or even thinking how God would move next in the lives of those individuals. I thank God for allowing me to cross paths with that man once again because it reminded me not to underestimate the power of prayer. In James 5:16 the bible says that, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” God never ceases to amaze me when brining the promises of His scriptures to life. The faithfulness of my Savior Jesus Christ serves as a daily reminder of why I must serve the one and only true living God.
Post by Alicia Moore