Dear Friends:

Are you old enough to remember your excitement when you found a penny on the street? I do; it was a sign of good luck. Today, I see people walk right past a penny because it's not worth the effort to bend over and pick it up.

I just can't do that. I have to stop and pick it up. Do you remember your disappointment when you saw a quarter on the street and after picking it up discovered it was a bus token, or an advertising ploy akin to a 'wooden nickel'? That is the feeling Rachel had when going through a drawer at her childhood home.

Rachel's father had recently died and she was cleaning out his house getting it ready to be sold. She was going through a drawer in her father's desk when she saw a coin. She first thought it might be an old and valuable coin, but she felt immediate disappointment when she examined the coin and read the words on it, 'Do you need prayer? Call 1-800-251-2468. The Upper Room Living Prayer Center'.

The coin had no monetary value. It was just an advertisement. But her eyes keep going back to the words, 'Do you need prayer?' She thought about the loss of her father and the sadness and loneliness she felt. She picked up the phone and dialed the number on the token to the Upper Room Living Prayer Center. Rachel told us of the comforting words she heard from the person who answered her call and how her burden seemed lighter after the person prayed for her. For Rachel, the token she found was much more valuable than if it had been a monetary coin. This token had provided words of comfort and prayer when she needed it most, through the ministry of the Upper Room Living Prayer Center.

Hundreds of times each day, persons just like Rachel call the Upper Room Living Prayer Center. They talk to a real person who prays with them and offers a word of comfort or just a friendly voice. We need your help to keep the phone lines open. I have enclosed a replica of the token Rachel found while cleaning out her father's home. Put the token in your pocket or purse and each time you see it remember to keep this ministry in your prayers.

It is your gifts to the Upper Room Living Prayer Center that make it possible for us to answer the call of thousands of other Rachels around the world. Help us answer each of these requests with a word of hope and with prayer by sending your gift in the enclosed envelope today.

If you would like to receive an additional prayer token to give to a friend in need of prayer just write me a note on the enclosed reply form. I will be happy to send it to you.

Yours in Christ,
Sarah Wilke
Editor and Publisher of The Upper Room