The Power of Prayer

First of all, South Africa is rocking my world. The country, the culture, the people, this program... everything. Even though I have only seen a little bit of Pietermaritzburg, one small city in this large country, I can not wait to continue to be blown away.

Moving backward in time, I would like to briefly mention our orientation in Chicago. This week was a perfect start to our year of service, and the discussions which were held there both in and out of the "classroom" have already begun to shift my perspective. One particular discussion focused on "spirituality"- discussing how various spiritual practices found in other denominations and religions have a certain amount of merit which can be applied to our faith to help build our own spirituality. We participated in centering prayer, focusing, body scans, and stretch-n-pray's which are highly atypical for a Lutheran group like us, however, we all went into this experience with an open mind and were surprised of the results.

Sunday morning before I left I attended a Quaker meeting with a friend who practices Quakerism. The meetings are typically around an hour long, and members sit in silent centering prayer until they come to some realization which they feel needs to be shared with the whole group. I am not even close to adequately describing Quakerism, but what I can explain is my personal experience. While we were sitting around, and I was trying to reign in all of my thoughts from far off lands, one man stood up and spoke a little about why Quakers gater. He said that they gather TOGETHER to pray, to connect, to go deeper, and to discover what God (the Light) wants us to hear. After that I started focusing on connecting to the people around me, who I had never even met, and to God. Soon enough, those that got up to speak were speaking of issues and topics that were right in the front of my mind. They spoke of how even the smallest act can change someon's life, of how sometimes it is very hard to see eye to eye with someone of a different culture or background, and how there are walls, real and imagine, which we put up between each other which need to be "unbuilt". They even mentioned countries like Jerusalem/West Bank and South Africa directly, and thos of us who were YAGM's in the room were in awe of the relevancy of the conversation to our lives. It was as if God was speaking directly to us though the people in that room, who were acting as mirrors to direct the Light to us. That morning I got to see the power of prayer, which connects us with each other and God, in a more direct manner than I have ever experienced before. God is working through us and in us at all times, and sometimes it is through the eyes of a stranger that brings you to see it.

~Heather