Power Couples Powered by Prayer

I have another story.  It just gets crazier and crazier.  And I think I'm starting to figure out why and what's at the bottom of all this nuttiness.....prayer....

I live in a sleepy little town.  There are maybe 22,000 people?  Something small like that. When I drive my kids to work early (7 am?  is that early?!) on a Saturday morning, no lights are on.  I don't even pass a car usually until I hit the main road.  This is one cute little town, nothing going on here, but wait...there is....

Every Thursday night, kids from a variety of places come to the local coffee shop (the equivalent of a Starbucks for our town) and they sing worship songs, pray on their knees and hear the Word of God.  What?!  Impossible!  In our sleepy little town?  When my brother-in-law heard this crazy thing was happening each Thursday night, he too, had to ask..."Beamsville?"  he asked?  But isn't that just the way....not any different than Bethlehem (hey, they start with the first same letters and same number of letters..cool!)  No one would have suspected what a miracle would have happened in Bethlehem either.  Micah 5:2 described Bethlehem just like I did, "though you are small" - kind of like "sleepy little town".  But great, no, amazing, no, miraculous, things happened in this little town, the Messiah was born there..."out of you will come for me one that will rule over Israel....".  Well, all I know is that "out of" our little town, amazing things are happening and perhaps one day we will see how amazing, but what I am seeing even now is incredible!

The young people, all teens, come from the Christian school and other young groups.  They worship like the place is on fire.  They sing with their whole hearts.  They jump around like it's a rock concert.  Then they hear from the young campus life mentor who heads the whole thing up and he shares a devotional out of God's Word, more singing, and then the kids break into groups and they pray and pray and pray....on their knees....For two hours this goes on.  Kids lives are changing.  Families are changing.  People are getting saved and growing in their faith in a way no one can explain.  How did this all start?

Last summer, I was selling my microgreens and I was standing beside the booth of the guy selling peaches.  After watching him and his kids for an hour or so we got to talking and I found out he was the man behind it all.  I don't know the whole back story, but he and his wife had a vision.  Could it be a vision for Beamsville?  I don't know, but they didn't just think about it, they acted on it.  They took what was a corner lot, where I don't even remember what was there before they renovated it, and turned it into a trendy coffee shop, but they didn't just make it a place where you could have dessert, coffee and a snack, they designed it with the idea of making a youth room, a meeting center, all for the purpose of God's glory.  He described this to me in the summer.  I heard it but didn't know how we could possibly be involved.  I had been praying for my children and ways they could connect with others, but our church was so far away.  To go to the youth events they offered was impossible.

Then, somehow, they connected with the campus mentor couple, and they slowly started this weekly worship night and then a once a month "all youth groups in the area" night.  Once again, somehow, through our church, my daughter got connected with this couple and they asked her to play keyboard.  She went and brought my daughter.  They both came back in awe.

Soon after they went to the retreat and the rest is history.  Now my daughter goes every Thursday, has made great and godly friends, only has to drive 5 minutes and comes back recharged every single time.

We had this young couple who head up the spiritual life over at the school this past Sunday for lunch where we heard it all described.  Then the wife came over yesterday to chat some more.  I wondered how long she could stay.  She had to leave around 1 so she could go pick up her husband.  Wondering what they were doing for the rest of the afternoon, I asked her.  "Oh, we are just praying.  We have to schedule a time for prayer each week for the Thursday Worship night or it doesn't happen.  We pray for what we should talk about each week, the students coming, the whole night."  That's when it hit me.  This is what is behind ALL OF IT - prayer.  Simply prayer.  This couple understands the power behind it all.  This couple gets it.  They know if they are not on their knees, then nothing will happen.  But because they are praying, and praying all the time, my children, my family, myself, are all benefiting spiritually, not to mention all the other students this couple has connections with.  As she and I talked more that afternoon, she shared how that's what she and her husband are known for even amongst her own family.  It is so amazing and such a good reminder to maintain this in our family as well.

I wonder what is going to happen with our little town.  Take the two couples from this small town that I've mentioned.  Both godly couples.  One has the financial and business wherewithal to fund the building and the ministry.  The other couple, consider themselves missionaries and have to raise some of their own support, are simply obedient to the call of God in their lives.  Due to both of them being in tune with their Heavenly Father, things are happening just down the street from me.  I wonder what else and who else these praying couples will impact with their powerful prayers.  If you walked by either of them on the street, you wouldn't know how incredibly powerful they are.  People talk about "power couples" in Hollywood.  I would have to challenge that definition just by getting to know these unassuming families in the last few weeks.  They are the true definition of "Power couples" as their power comes not from beauty, prestige, fame and fortune, but from the ultimate source of Power.  I feel so privileged to know them and am so grateful for their walks with God.  I am a recipient of their faithfulness.  Our town is being blessed because of them.  The local Christian school is being blessed.  It is definitely a ripple effect.  I'm so grateful.