Safe from the Rain

By Jeff Ohmer

     On the first Tuesday of the Book of Mormon Internship 2011, we had a class on prayer.  Pat Chadwick came to share the types of prayers that you can say, how important it is to pray, and how powerful prayer is.  As she talked about the power of prayer, she shared many testimonies, but the one that made an impact on me is that God can answer prayers even before you ask them.  During the Internship, when our service project at Odessa Hills was finished, I headed north to Graceland University to go to the last two days of South Crysler's Reunion.  After a great sermon Thursday and a good day Friday, I headed to church with a drawstring backpack that had my Three-in-One and a King James Version a friend had given me.  After the service, I went outside to help start the campfire.  I put down my backpack to get matches out, and soon we had the campfire going, and singing was starting.  I then went to my car and grabbed my blanket to sit on.  After campfire, I folded my blanket into its backpack form and headed inside the Memorial Student Center for some fellowship and pizza with the youth there.  When that was done, I headed to my room for some sleep.  When I woke up and went to breakfast, I saw some ominous clouds.  An hour later, as the baptismal service concluded, we walked back to the Memorial Student Center for the dedication service.  It continued to rain.  After the dedication service, we went to lunch and then packed up to leave.  When I got home, I started unpacking and suddenly realized I didn't have my backpack or my scriptures.  I then stopped and prayed,

     "Lord in Heaven, if there is any way you can protect my scriptures that were in my backpack in the rain all day, I pray that You would protect them.  I would like to have them back because I have valuable information in them and I don't want a new set, Lord.  In Jesus’ name, Amen."

     When we went to church Sunday, we talked to the Reunion pastor, who then called Brad Carr, who works at Graceland, to look for the backpack with the scriptures.  When I got home that Wednesday, I saw my backpack on the entry way table with a Sudoku book I had forgotten was in there.  I picked it up to find it completely soaked, and my heart sank.  Then I picked up the Three-in-One and King James Version, and neither were even slightly damp.  I share this testimony to tell you all that the Lord cares about every little thing and will answer prayers even before they are asked.  That is one of the reasons the power of prayer is so strong.