CEE Story From The Mission Field
Praying about the Little Things
March 20, 2003
Prayer. It is powerful. It is simple. It is profound. It is effective. It changes lives! Not just prayers for salvation, but also prayers for little things--prayers over telephone calls; prayers for gracious people to help; prayers for information.
It was simple prayers like these that made all the difference in the life of one Ukrainian woman. Her name is Volya and she had an estranged son. He had been away for 11 years, out of contact completely for two. A desperate mother tried to contact him and found out that he had just died in Indiana, thousands of miles from her. She was frantic, sorrowful, and felt desperately alone. She needed details; she needed someone to cut through the red tape for her and find out how and when her son died, what would happen to his body and most importantly to her would he have a proper burial. Volya is Orthodox and a proper funeral can mean the difference between salvation and damnation in the Orthodox belief system. She needed an insider to help her.
Of course there was no one. No one that is, except God himself. Although Volya doesn’t yet know this God personally, God must know her because he chose to intervene in the events of Volya’s life and introduce Himself. He did this through a missionary named Janet. Janet was contacted through a mutual friend and asked to hunt for information. After covering the situation in prayer, she decided to make some phone calls—to the hospital, the morgue, the coroner, etc.
God opened doors for Janet and within an hour she was able to find out information that should never have been released to her. Every person she talked to was gracious, even to the point of calling her back—long distance--and OFFERING more information. She was even miraculously put in contact with an old friend of Volya’s son, who agreed to see that he got a proper burial in an Orthodox Church. Although we know that burial in an Orthodox church doesn’t assure entry to heaven, God’s compassion in the midst of Volya’s anxiety may assure hers.
Since these events happened, Volya has allowed Janet to grieve with her and has welcomed her as a friend. Janet has shared how God worked on her behalf, allowing all the information to be given so graciously and quickly. Volya was amazed at how much God cared for her, at what prayer accomplished, and at how personal God could be. Though she has never known that such things were possible, now she knows. She has said that because of what she saw God do for her, it MUST be true that he wants a personal relationship with her. Now she is seeking to better understand this truth—this God—Janet’s God.
Janet describes her God as "A God who answers prayers...those of Mother's who have truly "lost" their sons and of those who have sons that have proceeded them in death...A God who helps us when we are thousands of miles away from home trying to find answers from strangers...A God who blesses our lives with opportunities to share His Love with those who do not know Him.” Soon, she trusts, Volya will describe Him that way too.