A Miracle Lives in Every Prayer

Give Thanks to Him who alone does mighty miracles. 

His faithful love endures forever. 

Psalm 136:4



Training College officers with the two cooks
 and groundsman in the Cadets' lounge.
 

Yesterday I heard that the Territory's second session of cadets will arrive at the Training College tomorrow.  Hearing this, I could not help but remember the excitement I felt when I first reported for training.  I distinctly recall the butterflies in my stomach, the awe I felt as I walked the grounds of the College, and the anticipation of beginning my studies to become a minister of the Word.

But now, I must confess that my heart is also heavy.  Each year in our Territory, I've been told, we have approximately 100 applicants for the 25 available spaces in our College.   In fact, we have so many candidates for training that we're already full through 2016, and this sometimes means that candidates, eager to begin their ministry, simply go to other churches.  That's hard to hear when, as one of the fastest growing Territories in the world, Kenya West needs all the officers it can get.  So when Ken asked if we could expand our session, we were invited to see the current facilities. 

The tour didn't take long.  There is no chapel, no separate dining hall, and no administration building.  There are no classrooms.  The cadets simply take their lessons and meals in the main hall at Territorial Headquarters, and they live in an old abandoned bakery on our compound.  The rooms in that building have been created with plywood.  Some are lucky enough to have a window, but all the windows are barred, which would prevent escape in the event of a fire.  The cadets share four pit latrines, and there is no running water.  Much of the furniture comes from the Army's original facilities in Nairobi and Thika and is decades old.  In fact, the bedding is so old, the Training Principal confessed that they were the same blankets and bed coverings that were used when he was a cadet.

And yet, every inch of that old bakery was spotless, every bed was made, and all the preparations had been made for the big day.

 

 

As we toured the building, I prayed for a miracle.  But then I also had to do something.  So I told the staff to purchase new bedding for each of the cadets, and that we would find the funds.  They were delighted.

The situation at our College seems overwhelming, but in the end, I'm not worried.  Because I serve a God who loves His children.  He is a God who performs miracles . . . and it's a miracle we need.