In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:4-6

We returned from our first day of work on our missions trip and met up with the other groups back at the ranch.  From the time they walked it, it was evident that one of the groups had not had a good day.

They were beaten down, battle-weary, discouraged.

The first day at the Boys and Girls Club where we were doing VBS had not gone well.  The kids were not listening well; the staff was not encouraging; the battle seemed uphill all the way.

We wrapped our arms around this team as best we could that night.  We listened while they vented; we hugged them.

And we prayed.

We were determined as a group to use the opportunity we had been given to further the kingdom and not to give over ground to the enemy.  Their stress was our stress.  Their success was our success; their failure, ours as well.

So we kept praying.

Before returning to our assignments the next day, we laid hands on the team and prayed as part of our morning worship.

We kept praying for them throughout the day.

As the teams returned that evening, we all waited with expectation to see how the day had gone.

And God had done a mighty work!

The team returned…smiling, peaceful, restored.

The day went beautifully!  The changes the team made to the day’s structure had a positive effect!  The staff warmed up!  The kids listened better!

What a difference a day makes!

More importantly, what a difference a prayer makes!

Our team had the opportunity to go to the Boys and Girls Club the day after that.  I spent much of the time elated and teary because of the work I saw being done.

I watched kids saying Bible verses, singing and dancing to Bible songs, and loving on our team members.

It was beautiful.

The power of love and prayer had done a mighty work in our hearts…and I think in the kids’ as well.

As we left for the day–the last day we would be there–the kids begged even our team, the new team, to stay…just as they begged the team who had been there all week.

By perseverance and prayer, God gained ground…and we got to be part of it.

It is something that I will not forget.  Praise Him!  Praise Him!