Prayer is a very effective tool in overcoming fear—a tool that produces tangible results. Rachael Reid’s life is no exception. Her story illustrates the value of prayer.
After becoming acquainted with SEAPC, Rachael headed to Cambodia on a mission trip this past summer. She and her team planned on ministering at two New Hope for Orphans (NHO) children’s homes, to tutor English in a school, and to prayer walk.
Although anticipating the experience, it seemed to Rachael that a million questions bombarded her. This trip represented several “firsts” for Rachael. She had never before traveled overseas (especially not as far away as Cambodia) and never left her family for more than a day or two. How would she handle the extreme heat? What about the very different food? How would her special needs child fare in her absence?
Knowing that God’s hand was guiding her, Rachael continued moving forward with her plans to take the trip—and continued to pray fervently. And an amazing thing happened. As soon as the plane landed in Cambodia, all of the fears and doubts Rachael had been dealing with suddenly disappeared.
Rachael and the team considered the trip to be a success. She states, “the connections we all made with the kids were awesome. I will stay in touch with a little girl I met at one of the NHO homes. I would also like to explore the possibility of sponsoring one of the children at the home.” As far as adjusting to being in Cambodia, Rachael further reports, “even though I wondered how I would adjust to the heat and food, my body had no bad reactions.”
What started out as a step of faith (filled with a lot of uncertainty and unknown) turned into a defining moment for Rachael’s future. The Cambodia mission trip lit a fire and reawakened a desire within Rachael to continue her involvement in missions. At present, she volunteers her time at the SEAPC office in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. Rachael is making plans to return to Cambodia with her husband, and also prayerfully considering whether God is calling her to long-term overseas missions in the future.
Rachael offers some advice to anyone considering going on a mission trip:
“The only way to truly understand what traveling overseas on a mission trip is all about is just to go!”
