Sailing4Him.org

Does prayer really work?
As we mentioned in our newsletter, we are currently assisting the Havenga family (consisting of Lori, John, and their three young boys with their move to the village where they have been invited to begin Bible translation work. Yesterday John shared an amazing story with us!
Back in 2012, as John was first preparing to go to the Solomon Islands with his young family, he asked several families who worked in the Solomons about how they handled life there. One aspect was figuring out how to set up a house once it was time to get established in a village. Setting up a house includes figuring out how to get clean water, electricity, and other setup to keep a family safe and healthy and able to focus on the work of Bible translation. A few missionaries said that when they had moved to their villages, a few support persons—relatives or other missionaries—came along to help them with the move and get settled into their new village life.
John really liked this idea and wondered if anybody would be able to assist him and Lori once they wanted to move into their own house in a village. So he prayed, “God, if there is a way, it would be great if you could send a family along to help us when we move to a village.”
He soon forgot about the prayer. It would be unlikely that anyone would be willing and available to help when his family needed to move. Besides, where would such a family stay if they did come? And how likely would it be that a family would come along that had the needed skills and tools to perform carpentry, plumbing, and wiring?
John learned of our family’s mission just a few days before we arrived in the Solomon Islands, on our way to PNG. He wondered aloud in the staff meeting: “if they are heading toward PNG, maybe we could hitch a ride to our village out west.”
John did not know that years before, we had thought how great it would be to help other families in the mission field. Then John heard we were interested in being his transport vehicle as well as being available for some carpentry and other skills to boot. One thing led to another, and here we are! We have helped them wire lights and connect them to their solar panels, installed basic plumbing from their rain tank to their kitchen, set up an antenna for their HF radio for communication, and helped them clean and unpack. And we have spent a few days just resting and enjoying the beautiful Solomon Islands and each other’s company.
WOW! Not only did God answer John’s prayer, but He gave us our heart’s desire to help other missionary families.
Our Father used His perfect timing and what appeared to be schedule delays, cyclones, mishaps and everything else to bring together a group of random people, to serve His glorious purpose!
Yesterday when John shared this amazing story with us, we rejoiced! Our amazing and loving God continues to answer our prayers in ways that we could never have imagined!

Matthew 7:7-8 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
How do we live in God’s will? Each day, one day at a time. Does God answer prayers? Absolutely!