The Power of Prayer: Boys' Camp & Don Piper

I'm finally back on the net! I didn't have Internet access at Boys' Camp and this is the first opportunity I've had to do a post. Lots has happened that I want to share! The main point of the blog will be to talk about the Power of Prayer. However, first I'll give a quick look at the fun/crazy stuff that has gone on in the past week.

After finishing up at Cross Country Church, we had a little time off. We used the time on Thursday night to see a movie in Anchorage. Emily and Ericka saw Eclipse while Rachel, Rhonda (our host mom for the weekend), and I saw Toy Story 3. Oh the wonderful world of Disney! It was a great movie! The next day, I took a 7 mile bike ride with Emily and Rachel. If you ever have the chance to ride bikes in Alaska, try it! Later on, Rhonda took all of us back to Anchorage for a night of ice skating (which I haven't done since I was like 10!). We had a blast skating around, falling down, pushing each other down, and getting out-skated by 8-year-olds (embarrassing? oh yes)! Then to top it all off, WE SAW A GRIZZLY BEAR CROSS THE ROAD!! IT WAS AWESOME! The rest of the weekend was spent getting ready for a trip to Valdez, marching in the 4th of July Parade for Cross Country Church, and doing a block party for Cross Country on Monday morning.


The block party was a success. Lots of people that got fliers from the parade came out to join the fun. We put up the bounce houses, had games and a dunk tank, painted faces, played with bubbles, and we served popcorn, snow cones, and cotton candy! I had the pleasure of serving the snow cones (a very popular item) and seeing the kids' faces light up when they got their treat. The smiles made the numb hands worth while. The cleanup was actually the hardest part of the block party. The wind just happened to be gusting really hard the day and wind and tarps DO NOT AGREE! The wind kept blowing the tarp up and back. We were having to stand on it while folding it in order to keep it down. However, I knew that was a bad idea when the wind blew and I got drug a few inches and I decided to get off the tarp before something bad happened. I wasn't fast enough. While taking the first step off the tarp, another gust of wind blew. The tarp got snatched out from underneath my foot, I went flying, landed on my rear end, and almost got drug off by the tarp. How does my folding partner Rachel respond to this event and the look on my face? She laughs hysterically. I'm ok with that; I was laughing too! One of my finest moments.

The other interesting event happened on Wednesday night at 7:15. We had a 5.3 earthquake! As crazy as it sounds, it was actually really cool to experience! Rachel, Emily, and I were sitting in our cabin at camp when it happened. It felt like someone grabbed the bottom of the cabin and shook it. The sensation was very odd. Earthquakes happen all the time here in Alaska. They are usually very small. Upon our arrival, we were actually told not to panic if we woke up during the night to the house shaking. "It's just an earthquake, not a burglar. Just roll over and go back to sleep." Yes, I'm aware that a large quake could happen, but it's not something I'm concerned about. God is in control. There's no need in worrying about things we can't control. We should just enjoy the ride, including the earthquakes!

Ok, now on to what is REALLY important. This past week, I've seen the Power of Prayer in action. I've firmly believed in prayer for as long as I can remember, but there's just something about seeing God at work answering the prayers of His people. I'll start out telling you about Boys' Camp. (By the way, during this week I was working in the kitchen and doing cleaning duty. Our team was taking the place of a couple of guys that were normally in the kitchen so they could be cabin leaders. Another behind the scenes week, but it was week full of purpose. It was also nice to have a bit of a break!)

Starting out, Boys' Camp seemed unorganized and chaotic. However, it was prayed over. 28 boys were in attendance at 12 of them made decisions for Christ!! 12!!!!!!!!!! God was at work!! However, God wasn't just working on the hearts of the campers. He was working on the health of a little boy. One of the campers was a 7-year-old boy that suffered from epilepsy. It was normal for him to have about 2 seizures a week. It was also highly possible that the seizure would be long enough and severe enough to call for an ambulance. When the camp staff and volunteers found out about this camper's condition, one man named Mr. Joe stepped forward. He committed to pray for little AK during the entire week. Praying for AK was his project, his calling, for the entire week of Boys' Camp. The result? AK didn't have a seizure all week. For the first time in his life, he was just a normal little boy. He got to go out on boats, go fishing, play, and just be a little kid. At the first of the week, he was silent and withdrawn. By the end of the week, he was talking and interacting in the services. Our God is a God of miracles!! I don't know what will happen to AK after this week, but I know one thing for sure. God gave one little boy a week of normal life that wasn't plagued by seizures. How awesome is our God?

I was also reminded about the Power of Prayer this morning at church. Our team had the amazing opportunity to hear Don Piper speak today. For those of you who aren't familiar with Don, he is the author of the book 90 Minutes in Heaven. 21 years ago he was on his way home from a Pastor's Conference and was killed in a car crash. Yes, killed. Paramedics pronounced him dead on the scene. 90 minutes later, after a pastor from the conference and thousands of people all over the world PRAYED for him, he came back to life. The pastor who was at the scene of the accident was the only person who knew he was dead. All the other people who were praying just knew there had been a terrible crash. This pastor prayed for Don because God told him to. (It didn't make sense, but Don pointed something out. If we were only obedient when it made sense, we wouldn't do very much at all! Good point.) So this pastor prayed a bold prayer. He prayed that not only would Don's life be restored, but that he would live a fruitful life of purpose. He was praying this over a man who had broken almost every bone in his body, had severe internal injuries, obviously had brain damage, and was DEAD. GOD ANSWERED HIS PRAYER! Everything was accomplished through prayer!

Don admitted to struggling with being back on earth for quite some time. Why would God let him see Heaven and then send him back? Heaven was paradise! After much PRAYER, Don has come to the conclusion that God allowed him to see Heaven and come back to earth so he could tell his story. Not only has this story won many to Christ, but it has served as an encouragement and allowed healing processes to begin. Whether you believe that Don actually went to Heaven or not isn't what's important here. What IS important is that God is using Don to reach the lost and to minister to the hurting. I haven't read his book, but everything he said today was in line with the Bible. I've never heard that his book or anything he has said wasn't not Biblically sound.

I would like to close out by sharing a small bit of what Don said about Heaven and the question he asked. He said that when he went to Heaven, he was greeted by loved family and friends. They all had 3 things in common. 1. They had new, perfect bodies. 2. They had been prepared for Heaven. 3. THEY HAD HELPED HIM ON HIS WAY TO CHRIST.
After naming the last thing these people had in common, Don asked the congregation this. "If we are going to be greeting those we helped bring to the Lord, WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BE GREETING?" (Do you feel convicted yet? I know I do.) Really think about that. What are you doing right now to reach the lost? Who do you know that needs Christ?

As you can see, prayer is powerful. God hears the prayers of His people and He answers. With that thought in mind, keep praying for the people here in Alaska. Pray for my team. Pray for our country. Prayer for your family, friends, neighbors, and your enemies. PRAY.

2 Chronicles 7:14