Prayer Holds Us Together

As I look back over this past year, I ask myself, “Where have I seen growth in my life spiritually? What goals will I seek in 2023?” The first thing that I think about is something we started as a family earlier this year. We have dear friends in the Ukraine who were translators for us at our SWM Deaf camp/retreat. Things changed quickly. They are now in the middle of an awful war. Jim and I have committed to pray for this precious family. All of our children have been to Ukraine and met them. They, too, are concerned for them. The husband committed to taking a turn to walk the perimeter of their town to watch and protect while others were sleeping. We committed as a family to pray for him for a designated time throughout his watch. It has been amazing to see God work in all of our lives during this time. We prayed about specific needs, and God answered. Because of this time of praying, we decided as a family to pray thirty minutes a day for specific things. We pray for our church, for friends, for healing, for our country, and for our family. We text each other the time we are praying, and my heart is touched knowing that even though we are not physically together, we can share our burdens. I am thrilled to know that our children are joining us in prayer. We saw God answer prayers when our second daughter and her husband adopted a son and daughter from Bulgaria. We prayed as they were in Bulgaria facing obstacles and on the flight home. They pray for us as we travel and minister for Silent Word. We pray for our grandchildren while they are in school. We strived to teach our children when they were younger how to pray; now to see them praying and teaching their children how to pray is a blessing. We are learning that the family that prays together, stays together. Prayer is the glue that holds a family together.