Cree -- Todo es posible

This is a very busy time for us with groups in and out back to back. Consider this my disclaimer for not having regular posts. :) That being said, I have a minute, so I want to share with you some very cool experiences from this past week.

With our added times in prayer each morning, and the prayer ministry that Casey is heading up, there has subsequently been a focus on prayer in the time the teams are spending here. Additionally, there have been many lessons learned about the power of prayer. We have learned that when we seek God, He WILL answer. 'Clama a mí y te responderé, y te daré a conocer a cosas grandes y ocultas que tú no sabes' -- 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' Jeremiah 33:3 When we call on Him, He teaches us great things.

It was awesome to learn about how God answers prayer. The group started out praying for little things that they probably wouldn't have prayed for at home: a generator that wouldn't start and a concrete mixer that wouldn't start. This would have been skipped in the states, and the machines would have gone directly to the shop. Here, they prayed for them first, and God answered--the both started.

It was evident that God was doing a work in the hearts of this group and that He wanted to teach us ALL something about His power. One of the pastors on the trip, Steven, came down with an abscessed tooth. Various group members prayed for him, but the pain continued. In the morning, during prayer, we lifted him up together, being persistent in prayer and asking God to heal him. He came to breakfast after prayer with his face twice its normal size. Tammie made him a dentist appointment, and I'm sure he was mentally preparing himself for intense surgery. Before we all left for the worksite, and before Steven left for the dentist, we all gathered in prayer again, laid hands on him, and anointed him with oil. We prayed persistently as an entire team, and then sent him on his way to the dentist, waiting on the Lord for a miracle.

On my way to deliver lunch to the sites, I thought I saw Tammie's truck behind us, but immediately dismissed the thought because there was no way they'd be done at the dentist that quickly. However, God taught me that I need to EXPECT great things from him. My disbelief was thrown in my face as Tammie hopped out of her car right behind me at the site with a grin from ear to ear.

When Steven had gone to the dentist, he quickly diagnosed the problem. The doctor told Steven that the only thing he would be able to do for him was to drain the abscess and then he could do the other work back in the states. To the doctors' surprise, when he went to drain it, it had already drained. The healing process of Steven's tooth had already begun!

I was so excited for Steven and that he was healed, but I was so much MORE excited for all those who could witness the miracle that took place. I was so thankful for how God showed His glory and power, and taught us all more about Him. We CAN pray with faith and we CAN expect great things from God. I still don't understand why sometimes God heals and others, He doesn't, but I DO know for certain that it has nothing to do with His abilities. God wanted us to be persistent and to come to Him, to present our request before His throne.

I praise God for the miracle He did this past week in Steven's mouth, and in the hearts of all those who witnessed it.