Prayer Changes Things

                Ever heard the phrase “Prayer changes things” or “God answers prayers”? I think of prayer as something God wants us to do to keep a relationship with him but I found new meaning of the word prayer in Haiti. At first we began in port Columbus praying for a team member who could not stop vomiting before our 7am flight to Haiti. We laid hands on him in the middle of the terminal and prayed for God to heal his stomach, his sickness went away immediately. A few days later we were having a group prayer before heading into the mission field for the day when our Pastor had a sense that a Haitian woman needed prayer for vision, she then disclosed to us that her eyes had been bothering her the past week but God put on our pastors heart during that time to pray for her with our group. She felt instant relief after we ended our prayer. Lastly we were playing a pick up game of basketball in our down time when one of our team members heard a pop and fell flat on the ground after suffering what he thought was a broken ankle. Before he could even grab his ankle in excruciating pain we already had two team members laying hands on his ankle asking God to heal him. A moment later he was walking around as if nothing happened. He swore up and down that he felt his ankle snap and that it was broken but he admitted later how he could feel pain leaving his body during those prayers. All of these were very powerful instances of prayer but none of them compare to the story I am about to tell you.

             The day after a tropical storm hit Haiti, we ventured out into a tent city to pass out water filters and candy for the children. We quickly learned that these acts of kindness simply were not enough. Tents were ripped and torn down during the storm. The roofs of the Haitian houses were torn straight down the middle and the water from the storm had flooded most of these homes. While walking through the tent city filled with thousands of homes we began praying for people, most of them asked for food. It broke my heart to share with them that we had no food but we could offer them Jesus. After two hours of going from tent to tent we came across an elder lady, she stood about five feet tall and shivered as the cold water continued to come down on her already soaked t-shirt. I asked her if we could help her in anyway, our interpreter mentioned how she had experienced a rip in the tarp that covered her 15 by 20 square foot home. We followed her into her home, as I looked down her ankles were buried in mud, her bed laid an arms length away. She told us she had no food for her children and that she needed God to provide.

God answered her prayer!

               The previous hour I had drawn a blank when praying for these people, “how could God help these people?” I thought to myself. There was no store around, no money to buy anything and no food in site. I felt helpless and even worse I felt like God couldn't help them. She then grabbed my hand and asked if I would take a picture with her on my camera, I asked her why and she said “So you can go back to your country and show people so they will help provide a tarp for my home.” Chills ran through my body, I wanted to cry but I was too cold. It hit me that I would soon be back in our comfortable house a few minutes away so I took off my long sleeve shirt and put it on her, we took a picture and I prayed for her. I prayed that God somehow work a miracle and bless this woman with shelter, I prayed that he blessed her financially and that somehow He fills her heart with joy and love. As I finished the prayer she squeezed my hand and said “God Bless you”. I walked away with my head down, not caring about the deep puddles ahead of me. I got back to the truck and I was covered in mud, I was angry, I prayed to God asking him why people have to suffer like this, why do I have to witness this mess?

Dean is in the blue shirt next to me

               We drove about thirty feet when I noticed a crowd of people, in the middle of the crowd stood a tall skinny white guy standing with a hammer, “Are you American?” I asked. “I sure am” he responded, “the names Dean.” I jumped out of the back of the truck and asked what he was doing and he told me he was a missionary and was just helping people fix damage from the storm. I asked our pastor if we could jump in and help out for a few minutes and he said yes. We picked up a few hammers and began making our way through the tent city. We had finished three tents when he announced “okay we just have one more left”, he gave me a 15 by 20 foot tarp and told me to follow him. We ended up walking by dozens and dozens of broken tents, I was lost after three turns in the tent city. He finally announced “we're here”. I set the latter up and immediately began stretching out the tarp, “I recognize this tent” I thought to myself, that is when I looked down and I saw the sweet old lady come around the corner with a smile that will burn in my mind forever. I'd never seen so much joy on one woman’s face. We were there to fix her tent. People ask me all the time where God is through all the suffering, I had just asked the same question less than an hour ago but if this experience taught me one thing it's that God hears our prayers. Even when he knows we are down and out, when there is no hope and even when we doubt him, we serve a sovereign God.

                 My view of prayer changed that day, it changed throughout my five day trip to Haiti but hear me when I say no matter what life throws at you it is never too big for God to handle. He wants you to come to Him with your requests, he desires a relationship with you through prayer! Even when life has you in the grip of fear, when your ankles are deep in the mud, when your thirsty and tired, when your drenched with depression, God still hears you! He will see you through and He will provide a way!! I sometimes question if God hears our prayers but that day in a tent city taught me that God doesn't just hear my prayers, he hears the sick, the poor, the lonely and the people who need it the most! I can't explain it but prayer changes things and God answers prayers!