Answered Prayers
This trip will teach you so much about prayer. We pray constantly, for very specific things. A lost wallet; a persistent migraine; the connections that were sweet but far too short; the particular names and faces we can't get off our minds.
The local island church has a sanctuary that's dedicated to prayer throughout Beach Reach. Students pack the tiny room each night to do battle for the island and the souls of the lost. Prayer requests from vans are tweeted and texted to teammates, and "prayer pit stops" are routine, where vans pull in to receive prayer in-person.
On my first trip to Beach Reach, a LeTourneau van made a connection with a Spring Breaker who was very open to the Gospel. She enjoyed the conversation, so our van went to Whataburger with her to continue. They ended up talking to her for over an hour, and the entire time, they were texting our team updates. In the prayer room, we lifted this girl up by name repeatedly. We prayed that she would come to know Christ, and by the end of the night, she prayed to accept Him! Everyone in the prayer room was shouting for joy, and God strengthened our collective faith through this experience.
This is not the case with every prayer request, and more often than not, we do not see such a tangible answer to prayer, especially when praying for individual Spring Breakers. But, we trust that God is always working regardless, and we know He is not bound to answer every request we make.
However, the answered requests fuel us and spur us on to greater works....
cristian
Beach Reach exhaustion is unparalleled. You are pushed to your limits in every way--physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It was the middle of the week, and I was wiped. At the worship service, I prayed for God to fill me up and use me and carry me through the night because I had reached the end of my own strength. Little did I know what was coming...
Our van rolled through the pick-up line at the local club, and two young guys hopped in, Cristian and Jesus (very ironic names for some Spring Breakers being witnessed to, I know). Cristian was immediately defensive when we brought up Christianity, but Jesus was animated and excited to talk to us. We drove them to their hotel, which happened to be the same as ours, I parked the van, and turned around to address Cristian.
I wanted to connect with him at a basic level, so I asked about his hobbies and interests. That's when he revealed that he's a writer who is particularly into screenwriting. I was fascinated because not many teenagers are screenwriters, and I am a HUGE movie buff and writer too. We started bonding over these topics, and talked for the next 30 minutes while Jesus continued to talk with my other teammates in the car.
Eventually, I brought up the topic of faith again, and Cristian slowly shared his doubts and hesitancies with me. He had been damaged and hurt by past experiences with the church. His heart was jaded because he had never seen proof that God was real or that He cared about him. My heart broke for Cristian.
Finally, both of the guys were ready to leave, so we offered to pray over them. I asked Cristian what he wanted from God, and he said, "I want to hear from Him. I want Him to show me that He's real." What a perfect prayer, I thought, and that's exactly what I asked God to do.
As I finished my prayer, there was complete silence in the van. No one said a word for several seconds, and when I caught a glimpse of Cristian's face in the rearview mirror, he looked like he had seen a ghost.
"What was that?" he asked.
"What do you mean," I replied.
"How did you do that?"
"I didn't do anything...what happened?"
"I heard a voice right next to my ear and it said my name."
"Cristian, no one else in here heard that voice. That was God! It's exactly what you asked for!"
Cristian thrust open the door and jumped out of the van, hurrying Jesus to come with him. But, Jesus was glued to his chair. "Dude, I think I want to stay with them," he said. "Fine," Cristian replied, shutting the door and walking away.
Jesus stayed with our group and talked for another hour, eventually praying to receive Christ in the hotel lobby at four in the morning.
A team of exhausted but willing witnesses, a prayer for the Holy Spirit, a miraculous sign, and finally, a new brother in Christ.
