Often times I pray and it feels like I’m throwing words into the air. You can’t even see it. How frustrating. Yet to a homeowner I recently met, that was far from the case.

Mary stands 80 years old and widowed to a man of a very long marriage. She’s the type that has to get outside and experience the world – as she shared about recent trips to the mountains and camping plans with her family this upcoming summer. She has enough energy for another 80 years and enough spunk to probably make it. You can see the gentle spirit in her eyes, and the experience she’s had being with the Lord.

Mary walks the grounds of Family Life Services every Tuesday morning to pray over the single mothers and families living there. She expresses how she wishes she could do more to help the women or even with the trips coming this summer. But the wish to do more soon fades away after she shares more with me about how important and powerful prayer is in her life and the ways she has seen it disrupt different situations in her life. As she prays endlessly for the families involved with Family Life Services, Next Step gets to support the mission of this organization through construction needs… impacting those same families Mary is praying for. As she prays for strength to pick up her yard from debris that washed up by the recent flooding, we will also be able to be a part of that prayer by responding with a couple helping hands. Her prayers: so simple. Her prayers: so powerful. She has seen these as two ways prayer has been answered and works in partnership to the needs she has lifted up on behalf of her and her community.

For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”    – Matthew 17:20

Join me in the power of praying for our communities and that this summer is fruitful and empowering to everyone involved!