MORNING THOUGHT for Sunday April 15^th 2007 broadcast on BBC Radio Jersey, presented by Rose Helie:

Good morning. Earlier this month we were in Romania on our most recent humanitarian trip. Each day this week I hope to share with you some of our experiences in the last year as we have been taking relief aid to Romania. Very often we have noticed some quite amazing answers to our prayers, sometimes the answer has been given even before we have seriously prayed about the need. There is a verse in Isaiah in the Bible that talks about how one of the benefits that believers enjoy is having their prayers answered sometimes while they are still speaking.

When we are in Romania we always aim to visit the Factory families – families who have nowhere to live and are squatting in disused factory warehouses – it is a pretty grim place, no running water, no electricity but a small community of about 10 families live there. They are a good little community really caring for each other and supporting each other.

On our visit in October in the course of conversation my husband Phil talked to an older man there who is disabled, he discovered the man was an engineer and asked him if there was any tools we might be able to give the man to help him earn some money. He explained with the help of an interpreter that a welder would be a huge help and also a generator. These are really not the sort of items we are usually given and Phil’s heart sank on hearing this. But he told him “We will try – we can make no promises, but with God’s help we will do our best”.

Our next lorry was due down to Romania in December – just 6 weeks later so it seemed an impossibility. But just a week before we left to go back to Romania, Phil had a phone call from a friend to say her employer was clearing out his garage – and yes to Phil’s total joy and amazement there was a very good welder that was surplus to requirements, not only was the welder there but also the helmet and other materials that are needed. A small generator also was available. It was too late to go in the trailer, they had to come with us in the minibus.

When at the factory warehouse in December Phil signalled to the man to come round to the back of the minibus and showed him everything that was there, the man was quite over-come. Phil kept repeating It is a gift from God.

Some people would say that it was luck or sheer co-incidence the way the timing worked out. But both of us are convinced it was an answer to prayer.

In Isaiah in the Bible there is a verse which tells us what believers can expect to have happen when they pray: God says “Before they call I will answer and while they are still speaking I will hear”.

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