Early in my walk with the Lord , I heard a preacher use the analogy of the love between a man and a woman as a model for our relationship with Jesus . The point was made that communication was key in both our human relationships and our heavenly one . I was drawn to prayer from that moment on .
Soon after accepting Jesus as Lord , I heard His call for me to have children and raise them to serve Him . My husband agreed , and we ended up having 11 children . Many are currently involved in ministry , but two are missionaries to Russia . Five or six years ago , one of them was held and interrogated by the FSB ( old KGB ) for three days . After being interrogated , the Russian government decided to not allow him back into Russia for three years ! That would have crippled his ministry ! I was worried about what would happen , and even his wife , who is Russian , was concerned . This caused me to know that I needed my brothers and sisters to join me in prayer that God would open the doors for him to return to Russia . I called the missions department who encouraged me to go to the Third Monday Missions Prayer to pray with other prayer warriors for our missionaries . What power there is when you join in prayer with others !!! Just a few months later , the Russian laws became more flexible with allowing foreigners in , and my son has had no issues returning since .
Third Monday Missions Prayer Third Mondays 11:30am-12:30pm Room 140-142 Everyone is invited to bring their lunch and join us to hear updates and pray for our missionaries .
Needless to say , I was hooked to being part of those who were praying for God ’ s people around the world ! I trust Jesus , who healed the soldier ’ s child without going to that child , or raised Lazarus from the dead without touching him , or healed the lepers without a touch , could hear my prayers and answer them for our missionaries anywhere in the world . I now direct Missions Prayer at Calvary and feel like I know most of our 52 missionaries .
It ’ s easy for me to give money and forget about our missionaries , but if I read their stories that Calvary provides each month , my heart becomes invested in who they are and what they are doing . I can pray with understanding and rejoice in God answering those prayers ! It is actually thrilling to see what God is doing knowing I had a part in their story because I prayed and God answered .
By Susan Mangione
Susan has attended Calvary for 12 years , and lives in Belmont with her husband Greg , Travis , and Isaac , the youngest of her 11 children .
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