Story of Prayer

My sister Linda has a wonderful blog. She has posted a few stories from our youth. My family wasn't the typical family. We have quite a few stories in the vault. She posted a story about when prayer was very powerful to us all and I wanted to share it in her words. "When I was around seven, my family of nine was clearing land for a pasture behind our home in Auburn, California. It took lots of hard work, from all of us to get the job done. When the time came to till and even the ground, my father and brothers used the tractor with the large tiller attachment. Thankfully, my sisters and I were relegated to lunch and water patrol, and of course cleaning the house. All day they worked, breaking up large dirt clumps and loosening the ground, preparing it for grass seed. Finally, the day was ending and our acre was ready. Dad and my brothers came in for dinner. Now, my father was a contractor by trade and was, at the time, foreman for a builder and in charge of hiring temporary workers. It just so happened that he had been given the next week’s worth of hiring money and all of it was in his wallet. It wasn’t his money and if lost, he would have to come up with it on his own, and we didn’t have it. As Dad washed up for dinner he reached for his hanky and wallet to place them by the sink, as was his routine. But this time the wallet was gone. Panic arose and dinner dishes were covered with dish towels. All of us were told to rush into the field and look under every clump of dirt and anything else we could find. We had to find that wallet! After looking everywhere we could, we went inside with my brother’s prodding, knelt in a circle and offered prayer. My brother, Brad, earnestly asked for the Lord’s assistance in locating the wallet, explaining the great importance of the contents. At “Amen”, we each stood and headed back into the field. My brother, being lifted by the Spirit and full of hope, walked toward the field looking down for dirt clumps. He kicked over the first one he saw and low and behold there was the wallet! We all screamed in amazement, especially us girls; you know how girls can be. Now you need to understand, that the ground had been tilled numerous times with the tractor-sized tiller blades that were meant to cut up anything. However, the wallet was completely intact. Dad looked inside and not one bill had been damaged. All that was left to remind us of this miracle was several deep grooves tilled onto the outside of that fine leather wallet. We thankfully returned to the house and once again knelt in a circle to tearfully thank our Heavenly Father for knowing our need even before we did and preserving the wallet under such destructive circumstances. My father still owns that wallet. I remember he actually used it for years after this incident. Every time I saw or still see it, I am reminiscent of how much the Lord knows us and listens when we pray. I am also reminded to always return in gratitude to thank Him for being there for us." Stories of the Silva Family Blog

Picture: I'm the baby being lifted up by my brother. My mom is taking the photo. This was in San Jose California at on of my dads construction sites where we lived in a camper. I believe I slept in the sink.