According to Ellen White, “Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him” (Steps to Christ, p. 93).
Knowing the importance of this practice, Cristiane Xavier, youth leader of the Praia do Cassino district, when talking to her young people about this subject, decided to propose a different activity in the gymkhana that was happening in the church of Vila da Quinta, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul.
Young people and teenagers were challenged to get in touch with some people and pray with them on WhatsApp. “They said the prayers and sent me a print of the conversation so I could count it. On the first day of prayers, some were well motivated, and others more shy, but as they saw the reactions of the people who received the prayers, they took courage. On the second day, I started receiving prints at 8 a.m., and it didn't stop”, says Cristiane.
Biblical Class
More than 1,500 audio prayers were offered, and 36 people became interested in Bible study. Emilly Silva, 14, participated in this action and shares that at first, it was not easy, but she asked God for wisdom to continue. “At first, I was afraid that someone would reject or not feel comfortable, so I prayed. I asked God to guide me to show love for others. And then it was very easy. It was like praying alone, just for God, even on the other side of the screen, with someone willing to listen”, she said.
Seeing the reaction of the people who received the prayers, Emilly felt very motivated to continue, even after the contest ended. “On [that] day, I managed to invite ten people to study the Bible. Even after the Caleb Mission, I continue to invite. And in total, there are already twelve interested”, she details.
Déryck Machado was one of the people with whom the teenager came into contact. At the time, he had been in an accident and was in the hospital. Machado says prayer gave him the courage to go through that difficult moment.
“As soon as I saw her prayer for me, I was very happy and felt a strong tightening in my heart. I thought it was really cool because there are many people who don't have the strength to pray, to seek God alone. There, seeing that there is someone on her knee for [you], this gives an incentive and interest in knowing more about this God”, he points out.
According to Cristiane, materials for the biblical class are already being organized, and visits to interested parties are underway. The idea is to start studying the Bible on the first Sabbath of March. The study group will be divided into two classes: one for adults and the other for young people.
This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site