O YE OF LITTLE FAITH!

 "...in Jesus name we pray, Amen."  I have uttered these words thousands of times in my Christian prayer life, but I wonder sometimes, do I really mean it like I should?  I want to pray BELIEVING that God will answer, but when He does, I act like I am surprised!  It is like I pray just out of habit, but do not really expect anything of the great God that I serve!  Today was a bit like that....
     Months ago, we scheduled to host a Coaching 4 Christ football / soccer training camp here in Carlisle.  The Coaching 4 Christ coaches come from Northern Ireland and have a wonderful ministry traveling to several different countries setting up week-long soccer camps for children.  They train the kids for a couple of hours and then give a short Bible talk at the end of each training session.  Many children have come to know Christ through this ministry and since it is hosted by local churches, it is also helping those churches reach out into the community a bit more and also grow in numbers as souls come to know Christ.  One more fabulous thing about this unique ministry is that it is all done FREE of charge for the children.  The ministry itself is funded through love offerings here and there from individuals and churches alike.  We have a very dear friend of ours, Alan Dundas, who is now one of the full-time coaches working with this ministry.

     Three coaches, including Alan, plus Alan's daughter Carolyn showed up at our home yesterday, Sunday, 28 July.  Our church BBQ was in full swing, but once everyone had left,  Andy took the coaches to show them the Sheepmount Sports Complex where the pitch / field is located that we would be using.  The lady at the Sheepmount warned them that if the rain was bad and the fields were flooded, we would not be able to use the pitches at all!  Of course, rain was forecasted to start and continue all night!  We began to pray  - God knows best.
     The rain did come and it did rain ALL night....and all morning!  The rain was pouring and we began to worry.  Would any kids even show up with the rain?  Would we be able to use the pitch?  Where would we go if not there?  We were already unsure how the children and parents here in Carlisle would respond to this type of ministry and now it could be a complete "wash-out".
 Just as forecasted, the rain did stop at 10am - the training camp was due to start at 11am and run until 1pm.  Praise the Lord!.  Not only did the rain stop, the sun actually came out!  Not only did the rain stop and the sun came out, but children showed up!  We were thrilled to see 19 children along with about 10 of us adults!  To some, this may not seem like much, but we were thrilled.  It is like God showed up and starting showing off!
     The Bible teaching time was on creation and the children listened well - even a couple of the parents came over to join in and have a listen!  The entire couple of hours was planned-out, smooth and well-executed!  Andy and I were so thrilled at the job the coaches did with the children.  It was obvious the children were thrilled as well. They all left with promises to bring friends with them tomorrow!  We are praying for an even better turn-out tomorrow morning!  God is good!
     In all of this, I watched God answer our prayers over and over again.  Sure, they may have seemed like small worries and tiny details but I know that God cares about those "tiny..." and "small..." things in our lives.  I sincerely prayed for God to answer our prayers for a great day, but as He answered our prayers, I almost acted like I was surprised.  I don't know why because I KNOW we serve a mighty God and that He know what we have need of when we need it!
     As the sun shone on us this afternoon, I could feel the Holy Spirit whisper to me once again:

         "...O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"  Matthew 14:11b  

God ALWAYS comes through - maybe not always the way WE wish He would, but He never fails!  I have to remind myself of that EVERY day! Looking forward to what God will do tomorrow!