The Power of Prayer (x2)

When the doorbell rang at 2 o'clock in the morning, I was sure I was going to jail. I quickly threw on some pants and ran to the kids' room, and looked out the window. It was too foggy to see who was waiting for me. In complete panic, I walked out the door to the gate and...No one was there! Were the police from the foreigners' police office just trying to intimidate me?

Only eight hours ago, the panic had started. My phone rang and our best friends who had signed our "proof of housing" papers for the foreigners' police told me that the police were looking for me and had threatened to press (trumped up) charges against them, as well.

Although I was never arrested, this is the kind of intimidation that Mr. V, the head of the foreigner police in our county, used against us. From yelling at us, to "losing" our paperwork, to adding impossible requirements to our visa renewal, Mr. V did everything he could to make our lives difficult. I dreaded going to the foreigners police every year to renew my work visa.

"Kids, it's time to pray", Dora and I said. "The Bible teaches us to pray for our enemies and bless those who curse you." We also needed prayer for our visa renewal process each year.

So we started praying for two things:
1) that Mr. V would leave that office
2) that Mr. V would be blessed and come to know Christ

In Spring of 2008, we took our dreaded annual family trek into the foreigners' police office to submit our paperwork. Immediately, we saw three big changes:

1) The (new) officers were friendly
2) No smoke, beer bottles, or pictures of naked women in the office
3) NO MR. V!

We found out that he had been caught accepting bribes and was removed from his position! Prayer number 1 answered...

Fast forward to New Year's Eve 2008. Pastor Jan Lukl asks me if I remember the name of the head of the foreigners' police. When it is confirmed that we both know this man, he relates to me how he had been befriending one of his son's hockey coaches...our "old friend" Martin V. They have been riding together to hockey games and have spoken of God and religion. Martin was surprised to find out that Jan is a pastor but seems to desire this friendship. As I write this, they are riding together and spending the weekend together at an away hockey tournament.

Could it be that God has put together a man for whom we have been praying for years and the greatest evangelist in our small town for a reason? I believe so. Please pray for Martin V and expect God to work!