by Evynn, DTS Student
“Could some of you pray for these women?” Paul asked our team. We were in a village in Uganda and just finished an “open air” evangelism program that included dramas and stories.
I wanted to say no. Three days of non-stop ministry took everything I thought I had to give. But I knew I should at least ask God anyway.
“Go for it,” He said. “I want to do something important through you today.”
Well, I wasn’t going to miss a chance to do something important with God. I wondered what it would be. Genae, Katie, and I joined a group of ten women. We each took three women aside to pray for them.
“How can I pray for you?” I asked my group.
“Provision for my family,” answered the lady to my right. “I need to pay my children’s school fees.”
“Healing,” another lady answered.
Eyebrows raised, the other two nodded. Then they shared with me the hardships they faced as they tried to raise families while also fighting AIDS.
One after another, we prayed for each other’s needs. And as we did, I felt God nudge me to share with them, too. “Can you also pray for me?” I said. “We’re going north to work with refugee camps and I’m nervous.”
The more we prayed together, the more my compassion for them grew. They were no longer just nameless faces. I saw how difficult their lives were. I wondered if I would be as brave and strong as they are. My heart opened to them and I felt God whispering to me His plans for their lives, whispering how much He loved them, whispering of their great beauty.
Before the women left, we gave them bundles of flour, rice, and beans. They thanked us and walked down the dusty road to their homes and families.
I wondered about God’s message to me earlier in the day. He wanted to do something important through me. But what had I done that was so important? My prayer time with the women didn’t turn out like I thought it might. There were no miraculous healings, no great stories. I would hardly label it a “success.”
But I remembered something one of our teachers had said earlier in our school: “True success is obedience to God.”
Perhaps the women were deeply encouraged by my prayers. Perhaps, they were healed as they walked home.
Perhaps. I don’t suppose I’ll ever know.
But I obeyed God, so for me, today was a great success!