Why Pray? A Testimony to the Power of Prayer and Other Updates from Our Lives as Refugees in Germany
A picture of us taken in April.
Searching and Praying for a Flat
About two months after we arrived in Germany to flee the war, we finally had the bulk of the paperwork needed to begin our search for a flat. Starting in early April, we thought we would have plenty of time to find and move into a flat before our baby is born this October.
A couple months later, after lots of phone calls and emails to different flat companies, we had still heard nothing. Soon, one of the two flats we were actually able to see in person called to let us know they would not be accepting our application. Our searching and prayers seemed to be in vain.
But soon, we heard word from the first flat we had seen - they were considering our application! After sending them some more paperwork, we were told that we were first in line for the flat and only needed to wait for some more information from the flat owner until we could schedule a time to move in. So we waited. About three weeks later, by the middle of June, we were wondering why we still hadn’t heard anything.
Finally, we got a call - but not the call we expected. Despite what the company had told us, we would not be able to have the flat. Julia (the friend hosting Roma and I who was helping with all our arrangements) and I were both so upset that we each shed some tears of frustration. After getting the news, I sent a quick text to Roma, letting him know despite being three months away from having our baby, we still had no place of our own to live.
Roma’s Prayer
A picture of Roma at his workplace, where he would have been when he prayed.
Throughout this whole process, Roma’s perspective about prayer had been different from the one I was used to. Rather than petitioning frequently for an apartment (more like my style of praying), he believed that God would give us what we needed when we needed it. Therefore, he had prayed hardly at all regarding this situation. However, after my text, Roma remembered a video he had just seen about faith and prayer.
Remembering the teacher’s encouragement that God wants to involve us in His work through prayer, Roma decided he would say a quick one. He remembers saying something along these lines:
“Lord, I know you know what we need. If it is your will that we receive an apartment, I ask for you to make that happen and help us be able to move into one that is good for us.”
Testimony to the Power of Prayer: Just in Time
Around the time of Roma’s prayer, still feeling flustered by the recent rejection, Julia decided to make another phone call. She called a flat company she had spoken before to ask if there was anything available for us. The woman on the phone responded with another “no.” But within 30 minutes, the woman suddenly called Julia back.
“Good news!” she said. “We have the perfect flat for you! We have already checked with the owner and it is yours if you want it!”
Julia and I were shocked - after weeks and weeks of waiting just to hear a no, we had just gotten a “yes” within 30 minutes! And not only was it a solid “yes”, but this flat was bigger and a better fit for us than the last one!
After telling Roma the news, I joked with him saying that if he had only prayed earlier, we might have already been moved in by now.
Testimony to the Power of Prayer: God Remembers the Details
Since the beginning of our search in early April, I had been praying this exact prayer on my prayer app:
“To find an apartment that has a balcony and kitchen and that we will be happy with. Quiet place with nature and good neighbors. Safety.”
The apartment we thought we had before didn’t have a balcony or a kitchen*. It was a bit on the small side too. However, thinking that something was surely better than nothing, I had begun to forget about the details of my prayer.
When we first saw our current flat, we saw that unlike the previous one, it had both a kitchen and balcony! I may have forgotten about the details of my past prayer, but these features were a reminder that God certainly hadn’t!
*cultural side note: most flats in Germany are sold empty. This means that a kitchen is usually just a completely empty room. It was a rare find for us to get a flat that already had a sink, stove, cabinets and more installed.
Why Pray?
Why Pray? Just this month, the power of prayer was experienced in a fresh way at the headquarters of Can Do Kids. If you would like to read more of that story, which testifies to God’s response to our prayers regarding financial needs, click here (link coming soon). To borrow from my mom, Jenni Roth’s words, here is an answer…
“So why pray, especially if God already knows our needs? Because prayer is for us. It is how we grow in faith and in relationship with our heavenly Father.” - Jenni Roth, CDK Director
When it comes to my recent experience with Roma, we can both say that our faith was strengthened. To see an answer happen in such a timely matter helped us both to better see God’s hand in our own life. And to see the details answered, even after I had given up hope for them, reminded me of just how closely God listens!
Though I’m sure God could have provided us an apartment apart from us, I am glad He chose to involve us in the process through prayer. By waiting to answer until Roma prayed and answering according to my details, God helped both Roma and I grow our faith. Praise God for choosing to build faith in us through prayer!
Bonus: To read another testimony about the power of prayer and discover the two seemingly unrelated prayers that started Can Do Kids in Kenya, click on the button below.
Other Updates from Kayley & Roma
Roma & I are both enrolled in intensive German language courses! His has already started and meets in the evenings. Mine will start on July 25th and meet in the mornings. Please pray that I would not get nauseous during class (the anti air conditioning culture + third trimester of pregnancy don’t always mix well.)
We have found an English-speaking church community. For me especially, it has been a blessing to have a place where I can connect with others on my own, without the help of Google Translate, excessive gestures or a translator.
I plan to write another blog soon about my pregnancy in Germany! The combination of pregnancy hormones and language barriers has made these first six months quite interesting…