While on the World Race, Drew Ferguson saw firsthand the power of prayer. Now that she is on a Kingdom Journeys trip in Nepal, God is taking her deeper in what it means to trust Him with everything.
Ministry had just finished for the day. We spent all day walking around a Hindu holy site and made our way alongside a bustling, dirt-packed road in Nepal, waiting for a bus to transport us home.
Towards the end of our line of Racers, I stood leaning against a black railing separating the sidewalk from the road. Now, even if you haven’t been overseas, you can well imagine that 50 white people in Nepal causes quite a scene. The Race was still new, but people stared at us all the time. Despite my surroundings, I was in my own world thinking about this dusty place filled with temples of other gods.
I looked to my left and spot a sweet, little Hindu girl being cuddled by her mother. Her grandmother was trying to wave down a bus, and I had just a few moments to smile and get the little girl to laugh. Then, her mother glanced up and noticed that a white woman was playing with her baby girl.
On the Race, I quickly learned that being white in foreign countries gives you certain rights. This may not be politically correct in the US, but in Asia and Africa, they tend to be fascinated with foreigners because they don’t see them all the time.
So, the next thing I knew, the mother came around the railing, dropped her daughter to the ground, and pushed her towards me. To this day, it is almost incomprehensible to me how a mother could trust a stranger so easily, but she did it.
I quickly knelt to the ground and took the child in my arms. I smiled at the mother, but we couldn’t communicate at all. She spoke no English, and I definitely couldn’t speak any Nepali.
This was the day I learned my favorite part about not being able to communicate.
As I took this sweet child in my arms, I prayed for her out loud, allowing this mother to hear me pray for her child. Now, she had no idea I was praying for her child, but I was claiming her daughter and declaring her blessed by the one true King, in a land where they worship thousands of false gods.
The mother looked at me with admiration. From then on, this literally became my key to overseas missions. Nothing can or will stop me from praying first and foremost.
*Photo by Kenzie Staich
Since returning from the Race, God has been teaching and showing me the power of prayer while I have been at home. What I knew before the Race, what I witnessed on the Race, and what I still know to be true is that prayer is powerful. It is not bound by nation, geography, or any other restriction we might put on it.
Prayer heals the sick, comforts those who mourn, and has the authority to bind and loose things not of this world.
I may be considered an idealist or naïve, but I know the power of my God. I know the power of prayer. I know the power, and I can see the transformation.
When the Father revealed himself to Peter, Jesus said, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). This means there is literally no power in existence that stop the power of prayer. God also promises in James that the prayer of the is powerful and effective.
Now that I am in Nepal on a Kingdom Journeys trip, God is taking me deeper into what it means to trust Him.
This mission trip has tested my faith. It might seem like I could separate myself from my worries in the States and be totally focused on life in Nepal, but I still worry about student loans, taxes, what God wants after this mission trip, etc. The worry hasn’t stopped because I left America. In fact, the stress of having no control over internet to check on these things, no phone just in case of an emergency, and no mail makes faith in this process harder.
I’ve learned that the simplest things can create a spiritual battle.
But if these are simple worldly problems, then shouldn’t we treat them like the simple things they are?
If God can bring me into existence, then He surely can subside my worry or provide for my needs. We have to believe in what God has given us despite our doubt, knowing that He will strengthen us through pure faith and belief in what He has already said.
With this being said, I am done with allowing the enemy to create doubt in my mind. God said He will take care of me, and that is what He is going to do.
It’s simple. It’s the truth. My feet are firmly rooted in the Lord, and everything will work out in unimaginable ways. I have a peace and hope that makes me smile and cry with gratitude all at the same time.
After all, Matthew 21:22 says: “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
I don’t believe you can set a deadline for God, but I believe He wants us to declare and trust in His ability to create something from nothing.
It is that simple. I believe. Now it’s time to live my faith.
Drew is learning what it means to trust God, with both the big and little things in life: answers for the future, His provision, and His leading with every step. Are you ready to do the same?
Since the 2015 earthquake, the church in Nepal has grown rapidly. You can join a team this summer that will work with at risk women, play sports with local children while sharing God’s love through their favorite language (play), village outreach, and local work projects.
