The peeled potatoes sat in a pot of cool water as a bubbly froth slowly grew on the surface. It looked like Sabbath lunch was going bad, but I optimistically thought that if I rinsed them well they would be fine. But after the rinsing they still smelled rotten. Our family and two student missionaries were looking forward to mashed potatoes for Sabbath. Now it looked like we wouldn’t be able to eat them.

Amy and Ellen, our SMs, suggested praying for the potatoes. We did, but the potatoes still smelled bad. Not only that, but our electricity had been off for more than a day, which meant that some of our stuff in the fridge was going bad as well, including the coconut milk I had been planning to use in mashing the potatoes.

This series of events got us talking about faith. What is faith, and when and how do we exercise it? We had tried to prepare for Sabbath like the Bible teaches. Should we go ahead and fix rotten potatoes and have faith that God would make them fresh? Backup food was available, but not prepared. Is it right to ask God for a miracle when it’s not absolutely necessary?

We decided we would ask God what He wanted us to do, so we prayed again, asking Him our questions and reminding Him of times in the Bible when He had answered food prayers miraculously. Then we started fixing the rotten potatoes. We hoped that cooking them would make them better. However, after they were cooked they were still awful. Then I added the undeniably putrid coconut milk. I felt foolish as I dumped the slightly congealed milk into the bad potatoes. As I mashed, I started thinking about our actions and His promises. We had done everything we could to prepare for Sabbath as He asked us to. We were striving to be in line with His will. We had claimed Bible promises. My faith started to grow.

We finished preparing the food, and Ellen set the potatoes down on our “table” (the clear area of the floor). Right after she set the potatoes down, the power came back on. We sat down to eat and took our first, hesitant bite of the mashed potatoes. They were delicious! Not a trace of rottenness was in them! My heart soared at the miracle God had performed. I felt cherished by my Heavenly Father.

As I contemplated the “miracle of the rotten potatoes,” hope joined my excitement. So many sick people come to see us. Some of them are affected by lifestyle diseases, some by depression, and some by genetics. All are searching for help and healing. I want so badly to help them more than we have been able to. I want them to experience healing. I want them to experience wholeness. I want them to know firsthand that they are cherished by God. I believe God sent us here to help the Great River people know His love for them. Please join us as we pray for God to show us how to do that. We believe He has miracles in store far greater than renewing rotten potatoes!

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