A Harvest of Prayer
John oversees a youth program which distributes PowerPacks (backpacks handed out at the beginning of the school year containing much needed school supplies). One family with eight children ranging from a baby up to the eldest, a 15-year-old, received PowerPacks for the school-aged children. John then worked with these children, whom he called "pretty wild," for a year, including them in his youth program. Though John tried many times, the children’s mother was not receptive to faith. John wondered how he could reach her. It turned out that PowerPacks provided the opportunity. During the following summer, the mom called him requesting backpacks for the new school year. John prayed as he drove to their house, "Is there something more I could do for this family?" After delivering the PowerPacks, he asked the mother if he could pray with her and her family. Surprisingly she said yes but then added, "Hold on just a minute." John had only a few moments to wonder what she was up to before she returned with several neighbors. "We need prayer, too," they said, and they began mentioning requests about their families, their finances, and other important matters. The whole group — moms and kids and John — joined hands together on the lawn and prayed for each family’s needs. Can you picture it? John had sowed seeds trusting God for one family, but the harvest was even greater than he had hoped. Being able to offer something tangible and greatly needed — like PowerPacks — gained trust and opened the way for a more meaningful connection. And not just with the one family but with a whole group of neighbors. Never underestimate what God’s harvest can bring.
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Imagine planting…school supplies! John Weidman of Detroit did.