Several years ago, I had the privilege of helping to coordinate a district youth mission team to El Salvador. We worked on the construction of houses for families in need. A second project involved the distribution of food parcels to poor families and individuals.

We were delivering food parcels one day following a night of heavy rain. We visited a home which was actually a shack made of scraps of lumber, cardboard, and corrugated metal. It was located at the bottom of a hill, causing a river of mud to flow right through the house. The only resident was a wizened old woman who said she thought she was about 78 years old, but looked more like 98.

In her simple hut was a small cot beside which was a small rectangular piece of concrete. There were no chairs and little other furniture. On the wall above her bed was a hand-lettered cardboard sign which read: “Dios es amor” (God is love).

We explained to the woman that we had a gift of food for her from the Methodist Church. She told us that at 3 a.m. the previous night, she couldn’t sleep because she needed food. So she knelt on the piece of concrete and prayed, asking God to provide some food for her. Then she smiled broadly at us and said, “And here you are!”

What a special moment it was for those young persons to realize that God had answered someone’s prayer through them! When we dedicate ourselves to doing what God has called us to do, many prayers will be answered through our obedience to God. “Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” (1 John 3.18)