At 94, Jeanelle Booth has outlived most of her friends. "I don't know why the Lord is keeping me around," she says, "it must be to pray."
And pray she does. I, for one, have depended on her prayers for three decades. My mom and Jeanelle have been prayer partners during that time. We kids would get into trouble and they would pray us out of it.
Jeanelle has helped pray me into the ministry in the same way that she prayed for Dawson Trotman as the Navigators was founded several generations ago. She saw then not only the power of prayer, but the importance of one-to-one discipleship.
Over the years, Jeanelle has learned the importance of praying through an issue, focusing on it until God gives her the peace that she has finished praying.
I have been a beneficiary of her deep prayers. Who knows whether Navigators or Adventures in Missions would even exist without this little-known prayer warrior.
In some respects, we at Adventures aspire to live up to the example set by Trotman. If we have caught a vision for discipleship, it's in large part because of Jeanelle's prayers.
We all have unsung heroes in our lives – people who have called out the greatness in us and backed us up when we least deserved it. I'm blessed that Jeanelle Booth has daily been before the throne of the almighty asking him to smile on me and give me favor.
Who are your unsung heroes?
Comments (5)
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Seth Barnes
I'm motivated to join God in his global reclamation project. He's on the move, setting his sons and daughters free from their places of captivity. And he's partnering with those of us who have been freed to go and free others.
Of all the people I can think of I’d still say my parents are my heroes.
Dear Daddy Seth.
Greetings.
May God bless Jeanelle .
You are my unsung hero.I am proud of you my daddy .You always encourage me a lot. This is your prayers that God is using us in Pakistan for His glory.May God bless you and live long for His glory.
Sounds like we could all use a few Jeanelles in our lives
Thanks for this reminder Seth. I had people praying for me during this recent health scare that I don’t even know. God inclines His ear whenever we utter our praise and requests and we need to stop and listen as you have written about.
Blessings grandpa…..
A postscript: Jeanelle died a few years ago. And today our ministry just got a large gift from her estate. She continues to bless us – even in death, she speaks life!