A few years ago, I participated in a small group Bible study where we focused on the book of James. We spent a considerable amount of time discussing James 5:16b, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” But it wasn’t until last month that I experienced just how powerful that prayer can be.
“Hey, Beth, do you want to go to Tanzania?” Alan shouted from the dining room.
“What? Don’t mess with me!” was my immediate reply.
My husband, Alan Meneely, works with Remember the Children. He has been fortunate to celebrate Christmas with our friends at House of Hope in Romania and meet the house parents and children at Eternal Families in Tanzania. You will see pictures of Alan with the kids we sponsor on our refrigerator. I have never been able to go on one of these trips.
This June, we were finally off to Tanzania together with Andy Baker. Eternal Families Village is an incredible place. The homes, the fruit trees, the soon-to-be-stocked fish pond, and the school are impressive. But it’s the people who make the Eternal Families Village so wonderful. There are so many more stories from our trip to Tanzania. My friend, Elizabeth, lined the children up to help me distribute coloring pages and markers. Children told me bible stories and showed me such grace when I struggled to pronounce basic words in Swahili.
On our first night in Tabora, we were invited to eat supper with Emmanuel, Peris, and their family. Our hosts were generous and thoughtful. We played with the children after supper, thanks to Lydia Toca’s bag of balloons. Before we left, Emmanuel, Peris, and all their children prayed for us. Folks, I have been prayed about, prayed for, and prayed over numerous times in my life. It wasn’t until that moment when ten beautiful and innocent souls prayed for me with such earnest love that I fully understood how the “prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
As a child sponsor, I faithfully pray for the children I sponsor. It was phenomenal to see how they pray for us, their sponsors as well. The family of God is powerful and beautiful.
Beth and Alan Meneely with Neema, a girl they sponsor at Eternal Families Village.
Children coloring with the gifts Beth gave