We recently recruited a new Rep in El Minya named Nagy. Soon after he joined Coptic Orphans, Nagy’s nephew was kidnapped, and the kidnappers asked for a ransom of 500,000 Egyptian Pounds – an amount that only a handful of Egypt’s elite has access to.
Nagy was devastated. There’s no possible way he could come up with this money. Nonetheless, the feelings of helplessness didn’t grind him to a halt. Every night after work he would get on his motorbike to visit fatherless households in nearby villages. He never missed any of his home visits.
When we called Nagy to see if there was anything we could do, he told us, “no thank you; you already did so much.”
We were confused. “When?”
“When you made me a Rep, you plugged me into the biggest source of power for any difficult situation – the power of a praying child. I know that the children I visit are praying for me, and God will answer them.”
Their prayers worked, indeed. One night a car unloaded Nagy’s nephew, still blindfolded with an old rag, on the dusty road in front of his house.
When Nagy answered the knock on his door, his nephew was the last person he imagined to see. Tears overcame words as God brought back the boy safe and sound.
Without the ransom payment, this was nothing short of a miracle. It was definitely an answer to the children’s fervent prayers.
For all of us who work with the children, it is such an immense honor to serve them. That’s one of the main reasons that volunteer Reps who work full time jobs still spend 20 hours every week travelling to home visits. Not to mention the extra hours they spend meeting with the children’s teachers and other people who can help them.
Sponsors, too, get close to the children. Some of our sponsors keep sponsoring even when they lose their jobs because they say that their sponsored child’s prayers are so valuable. “…In heaven, their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10, ESV)
How about you?
Are you a sponsor yet, and have you experienced the power of a child’s prayers?