I love this story it shows never to  doubt ,that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Hope all my friends here enjoy it as much as I did! Lots of love, light and hugs. &,Uma       MARLENE'S MINISTRY As we have seen, prayer, whether for ourselves or intercessory, has real power, and everyone should belong to a group that can pray together. One of the largest prayer chains on the Internet, started by Marlene ]uHaros, whose own story is an inspiring one. After Marlene converted to Christianity many years ago, she met a minister and his wife who needed a place to stay. Marlene invited them to share her large house in Scottsdale, Arizona, rent free. The three of them decided to hold a Bible-study group on Friday and Saturday nights, hoping that a few street kids in their area might attend. One thing led to another (as it so often does when God is doing the leading), "and before I knew it, I had let a couple of homeless young women move in," Marlene recalls. "The Bible nights attracted about fifty young people, many of them drug addicts and runaways, most of them homeless and troubled. We took many of them in until every vacant spot in the house was filled." Marlene named the ministry Harbor House. It took faith to do this work of mercy, and Marlene is convinced that faith in God can be as natural as breathing. However it isn't until we begin trusting God that such faith is activated. "As long as I could do it myself, I didn't look to God to do it," Marlene explains. But once her savings were gone and she was in real need, it wasn't long before she began asking for mini-miracles-every day. The young people were grateful for the shelter and the warmth of Marlene's welcome, and they obeyed the few rules she insisted upon-no drugs, no alcohol, and everyone sharing the chores. "We didn't even require them to attend Bible study and prayer meetings, because I felt that the Holy Spirit had to move upon them before they would have the desire to change." Marlene says. The praying irritated a young biker named Freddie. One day, as the prayer meeting began, Freddie started mowing the lawn. Then he stomped into the house, picked up the telephone book, and started reading out names, with a mock prayer for each. People just went on praying. "By the time the meeting was over, Freddie had given his life to God and was a changed man," Marlene recalls. "Little did we know that Freddie had escaped from Folsom Prison. He turned himself in after that." Eventually, Harbor House received a letter from Freddie. He had started a prayer group at Folsom, and they had just held their first all-night prayer vigil. Freddie went on to lead many prisoners to Christ. (In fact, according to Marlene, more than 300 young adults who spent time at Harbor House became Christians, and many went on to become ministers.) Although there were numerous challenges in living with that many young adults, perhaps the most difficult for Marlene was feeding a crowd of at least thirty every evening. There were no outside sponsors to ask, no organizations set up to help. Marlene let the neighborhood grocers know of her need in case they had any left- overs, but the responsibility was hers. "We lived on faith," she says. "I taught the girls how to cook, and also to 'pray in the food,' or the money to buy the food for all these appetites." Amazingly, it always worked. There was never a time when the cupboards were completely empty-although there were a lot of close calls. Young Marla, the first girl to move in with Marlene, realized at about 5:00 p.m. one day that it was her turn to provide the food. Marla had been so busy ministering to people that day that she had forgotten. She grabbed Marlene and a few others to pray. "Lord," she began, "I was busy doing your work today. Can you send someone with food for tonight, already cooked?" This was getting pretty specific, and Marlene admits her own faith wasn't as strong as Marla's was right then. But the women continued to pray, and at five-thirty the doorbell rang. A man they didn't know was standing there, holding huge buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken, with all the trimmings. He had been on his way home from work, he explained, when God spoke to him, asking him to buy food for the kids at Harbor House. On another day, it was Marlene's turn to pray and to make dinner that evening. The kitchen was completely bare, so Marlene started with prayer the first thing that morning. "As I prayed and asked God what to fix, I was confident that I heard 'fried chicken, potatoes, broccoli, and strawberry pie,'" she says. Almost immediately the phone rang. It was the local grocery store, letting Marlene know that an anonymous donor had just come in and purchased six chickens for Harbor House. Marlene was pleased; God was obviously answering her prayer and would certainly supply everything for the evening meal. Her faith was strengthened when potatoes and broccoli arrived in the daily box of vegetables that another supermarket saved for them from produce taken off the shelves. Nothing left now to "pray in" except the pies. Confidently, Marlene baked the crusts. At about four-thirty however, she became a little concerned. No strawberries (or any money to buy them) had yet arrived. Marlene had a dollar, so she asked one of the young men to go to a nearby fruit market and buy as many strawberries as the dollar would provide. Just a few moments later, he called her. "A pint of strawberries costs $1.49," he reported. Disappointed, Marlene told him to come home, and went back to the prayer room. "God," she began, "I already told everyone that you were going to supply our strawberry pies. They're going to lose faith in my judgment if you don't." The Lord interrupted. "Oh ye of little faith." Marlene stopped. She should be praising and thanking God for whatever he was about to do, praying in the food as she had taught the others to do, not complaining. And so she did, until she heard the young man she had sent to the fruit market. He was in the kitchen, calling to her. What now? Marlene went to the kitchen. There on the table was a large battered crate. "I was following a truck on the way home, and a box fell out of it," the beaming young man explained. "The truck kept on going, but I stopped to get the box out of the street so no one would hit it. Look what was inside!" Marlene already knew. Not one pint, but twenty-four pints of fresh, plump, and (as everyone discovered at dinner) the most delicious strawberries they'd ever tasted. "My God will fully supply whatever you need ... " (Philippians 4:19), It was a wonderful meal. "There were many miracles there," Marlene says. "Once we see that God does hear and that he does answer, faith becomes second nature. Yes, having faith is difficult at times, but the more prayers God answers for us, I suppose the more we expect him to do so." One of the neighbors who had been a faithful attendee at the Friday night Bible studies was Steve ]uHaros. He had recently returned home from a stint in the marines and was living with his mother, about a block away. During the next months, seeing what Harbor House was trying to accomplish, he began collecting food for the residents. He and Marlene were the perfect couple, and by the time the minister and his wife had decided to move on, Steve and Marlene were engaged to be married. Of all the men in the world, Marlene was convinced she'd found the only one willing to help her keep Harbor House open. "How are you going to manage?" friends asked her. "If you and Steve are both working in the ministry, how will your bills get paid?" From time to time Marlene thought about that, too. But she had lived these past years with prayer and faith as her support system, and God had never failed her. Yet it would be nice if he sent her a sign. As the wedding date approached, however, no miracles occurred. Marlene had dreamed of an elaborate wedding. Financially, of course, it was out of the question. So the couple decided to elope. "Some friends made arrangements with their local pastor to marry us," Marlene says, "so that afternoon there were just the five of us in church." Marlene and Steve were standing in front of the pastor, ready to recite their vows, when Steve felt an overwhelming feeling of regret. "Lord," he prayed silently, "Marlene loves people so much, and she has so many friends. They should all be here today. I wish I could have given her that kind of wedding." Steve, turn around. Steve heard the unmistakable command in his heart. Turn around to a deserted church? He wouldn't. But the little push came again, and reluctantly Steve obeyed. Amazed at what he saw, he began to sob. For the church wasn't empty at all. From one wall to the other, and from front to back, every pew was filled with angels. Each of them was dressed in what appeared to be their Sunday best-beautiful white garments trimmed in gold. There was an air of excitement about them. Many were good-naturedly pushing each other aside so they could see better, while others jostled for positions in the very first pews. In the center of the angels, Steve saw a bright light shining down on Jesus, who stood in their midst. Why was the Lord so far back in the crowd? Steve wondered with part of his mind, while the other part registered astonishment and incredulity at the scene. Slowly the thought came to him that Jesus could certainly see everything no matter where he stood, and Jesus wanted Steve to be able to see him, to know absolutely that he was there, witnessing this special occasion. For this reason, Jesus was allowing the front row view to the angels. Meanwhile, Marlene had noticed that Steve was crying. "I thought, He is either taking this very seriously or he's changed his mind and doesn't know how to tell me." But when the ceremony began, Steve was as attentive as any bridegroom. His eyes filled with tears again several times-especially when the angels in the front came even closer, almost gathering around the little knot of people. It wasn't until that evening that Steve was able to share his vision with his bride. Marlene and Steve would go on to attend Western Bible Institute, develop a kids' crusade and a television series, and grapple with health problems. Marlene would form a prayer network, which has been in existence for eleven years and has over twelve hundred branches, each with groups of their own, ranging from five members to five thousand. (When a request is posted at the Web site, many from all around the world can be praying immediately.) All of these future events were hidden from their eyes when the angels came to attend their wedding. (And perhaps, as with all couples, that is a blessing.) But it was certainly a sign for Marlene. "I've never once doubted that Steve was the man that I was supposed to marry. And I've never once wished that I had any other wedding than the one the Lord organized for us."