NOTE: When the church prays… For months and months our RMC office staff prayed for Stephanie. Today, we all rejoice. Susan Inglish was closest to the experience and, along with her, we are sharing a story of God’s answer to scores of prayers.
Denver, Colorado… I grew up with a niece who was closer to my age than any of my siblings. Stephanie made her home and raised her family in the small town where we grew up, while my husband’s denominational employment took us to several states over the years. Nevertheless, we have always remained close.
Last year, she video called me and tearfully told me that she had cancer–serious cancer that would require aggressive treatment, including radiation, chemotherapy, and life-altering surgery. It broke my heart. When I asked her in deep sincerity what I could do to help, her answer took me by surprise. She said, “I want you to take care of the spiritual part of this”. She was reaching out to God for help, and I was humbled that she chose me as the person she trusted to speak on her behalf.
That week we attended Sabbath School at The Adventure Church. When it came time for prayer requests, I told them about Stephanie and they prayed fervently for her and really showed that they cared. I told Stephanie about it and it made her cry. She knew she was prayed for. These people cared, and it touched her deeply.
Since that day, so many people have prayed for Stephanie. Morning worships at the Rocky Mountain Conference office often found sincere prayers rising up from Ed Barnett’s office on behalf of Stephanie. My father-in-law got his Sabbath School class in Elkhart, Indiana, to lift her up in prayer. Many others we don’t even know personally have prayed for her through her radiation, chemotherapy, surgery, and months of additional chemotherapy.
Through it all, I have seen God working. I knew He would because He loves her even more than I do. She has remained so cheerful and strong through this battle. She has encouraged others around her. She now knows through personal experience that we care enough to pray, continuously over time and in large numbers across the country, for someone who needs and asks for those prayers. These are all answers to prayer!
Stephanie called me the other day on her way home from the doctor. She was so excited she could hardly contain her joy. Her scans were clear! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Prayer is powerful. Thank you to all who have been praying for her.
–Susan Inglish; photo by Erica Haas Photography
