by David Fawcett
We had another wonderful time praying for those who came to the Food Giveaway August 10 and then for prayer.
We had 30 come through for prayer Saturday, including six in the final five minutes. The last-minute influx was a good reminder of why it’s important to stay until the end because you never know who will come through.
We had six prayer warriors on hand with Carol Updike, David Lee, John Wilson, Kat Zwingle, David Fawcett and Eduardo Steves.
As always, God was on the move the entire two hours.
We had some regulars come through to start things off, but there were a lot of new faces this time. And lots of tears as the Holy Spirit worked through everyone who received prayer without feeling rushed. It took as long as it took.
Three Filipino women were there for prayer as they adjusted to living in a new country as teachers in the Prince William County Public School System. This is becoming more common as public schools seek teachers outside the United States to deal with the shortage.
One woman thanked Kat, telling her it was nice to be hugged.
Another woman came in to receive prayer for her two sons, both military veterans who are dealing with health issues, including PTSD. Then a turn occurred as the woman opened up about what she needed prayer for (being able to make ends meet to pay for her rent).
Kat and Eduardo spent a lot of time with another young lady. She lost one mother as a young child and now her father is battling an illness. When the prayer time was over, she took a seat nearby in the sanctuary, opened a Bible we gave her, and started reading as she waited for her friend’s prayer time to finish. That whole sequence was so powerful to watch as the Holy Spirit really ministered to her. She came in distressed and left filled with God's peace.
(As a side note, we handed out three prayer shawls and all the Hispanic Bibles we had on hand along with some English-speaking Bibles.)
John Wilson witnessed to a newly married young man who arrived in the U.S. from Nicaragua three months ago.
This man wanted prayer for his anger issues. John spoke to him about how he’s dealt with this issue in the past, citing a Scripture he uses often from Philippians 4: 5-7. The young man took to heart what John shared.
Other prayer requests included a mom dealing with her 17-year-old son in jail to an aunt whose nephew has brain cancer.
John said at least three people he prayed for wanted prayers for either themselves or a family member dealing with autism.
As always, invitations were extended to come to an All Saints’ service if they were looking for a home church. At least one person said she would do that.
A big thank-you to everyone who gave their time Saturday for prayer, especially Eduardo. This was his last opportunity to be with us for the time being. In an answer to prayer, he got a job earlier that week that will take him to just outside Toronto, Canada. He and his wife Rosie were leaving this week.
Eduardo’s heart for outreach coupled with his fluent Spanish really helped us connect with those coming in for prayer.