Just One Year

By CBOQ Communications


“Will you take this name of a young person and pray for them for just one year?” This is what our Youth Pastor was asking of the adults while he was encouraging the youth to “soak everything in prayer.” 
 

It was my last year of high school, so I would be paired with an adult, but I was also asked to pray for a junior member of the youth group. I was glad to do this, and Mrs. S said ‘yes’ to praying for me. Some youth squirmed at the idea. We were assured that whether we chose to share prayer requests or not, the adult would continue to pray for us. The amount of conversation was entirely up to us. 

Mrs. S never approached me or forced questions on me. She prayed. She wrote kind, short notes and mailed them to me. She lovingly accepted me any time I approached her. After the year was up, I moved away to school. The notes kept coming, 4 or 5 times a year. “Letting you know I am praying for you. Love Mrs. S.” I moved to another city and the letters followed me. When I got married and moved again, I figured that was that. But her notes, care, and prayers still followed me. I discovered how grateful I was for her encouragement and that I could ask her advice. She was an extremely private woman, but I knew she had been through a lot in her life and had wisdom to offer. I felt silly for not realizing sooner that I could also be praying for her and extend the love of Christ that she had been sharing with me for so long. Mrs. S changed my life by simply being her and by modeling Jesus to me. Knowing that she was there, praying for me, and my family, came to mean more to me than I could ever put into words. 

More than 25 years have passed, but I still remember that Jr. youth and pray for her because of Mrs. S’s example. Mrs. S has gone on to be with her Lord. I still grieve the loss of this beautiful woman from my life when there is no card from her, but it reminds me to pray for her family in the way she would have wished. And I am grateful. 

I feel so blessed that our youth pastor followed through on his idea; and that Mrs. S said “yes” and meant it. I feel so blessed that God used this situation to do a work in me that needed to be done. And I thank God there are others in this family of churches who faithfully care and serve through prayer. 

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