“Last year we met in our lounge room to open Sabbath, (11th September, 1998) This is remarkable true experience that can be confirmed by contacting any of the people that were there. As we had the usual Bible reading and singing with three families that came to open the Sabbath, there was not anything unusual to suggest that we would see anything providential about to take place as we gathered around to worship.

We decided to have a season of prayer with those that wanted to participate. Our eldest child started (13 years old) and prayed a short prayer asking God to bless us on His Sabbath and to bless our outreach contacts. This was the main reason behind the gathering of friends.

I prayed next and particularly mentioned Robyn and Cathy who for the first time had come to church on the previous Sabbath. My wife prayed along similar lines. Then Heather prayed, again along similar thoughts and in the middle of her prayer the phone rang. We have an answering machine connected to the phone, so it was necessary to pick the phone up or it would repeat the recorded message which would take away the reverent spirit that was there as we prayed.

So I picked the phone up. I could tell it was my wife’s friend that she had been sharing the Sabbath truth with. Cathy asked to speak to my wife. I told her that we were in the middle of a season of prayer but I would get her. Cathy said no, that I may be able to answer her question, it was.

What time do you start Sabbath School and Church in the morning? Well I wondered if I was hearing right. Here we were just praying for Cathy and right in the middle of our prayer she rings up and wants to know the starting time for services in the morning. I told her and at the same time told her how we were praying for her right at that very time when she rang up.

Impossible but true and that is not all. The very person who was praying when Cathy rang up was Heather who made the same phone call just about twelve months before. I also had the privilege of answering that one as well. Heather rang and asked could she come to church on the Sabbath. The Sabbath immediately after our church camp. If she had of rang on the previous two Sabbaths we would not have been there. We were also praying for Heather.

Heather’s background was as a churchgoer but had not been to our church for over fifteen years. We knew her as she was our neighbor and had been for three years. Our church was in the middle of locating its missing members when Heather’s name came up. I recognized it immediately and could not believe that she had been a member of our church all that time. We had only been in the area for five years and did not know the history of the church members at all.

So when I came home on the Sabbath afternoon I rang her up to check out if it was really the same person. It was and she suggested that we take her name off the church roll as was attending another church now. My response was a big no and we would wait and see what she thought in six months time. Now we knew that Heather was on our church roll we began to pray for her and lend her videos. It was then about twelve months later that she rang and asked if she could come along to church. That was over two years ago now and she has hardly a missed a Sabbath since that wonderful phone call.

This is why it made it all the more dramatic when Cathy rang up, it was Heather who was praying for Cathy. God answered our prayer while we were still on our knees.

We have had so many answers to prayer and would be happy to send some more to you if it is O.K..

God does really answer prayer.” I would request that as many as possible continue to pray for Robyn & Cathy.”

Clive & Theresa cnevell@hypermax.net.au (November 22nd, 1999)