a MASSIVE onsite prayer venture...
The real stories of teams who went!
March 2025
Our city this year was strategically close to the city we visited last year. We were able to hire a van and driver to take the team as well as our English speaking person of peace to the other city one evening to visit our Imam friend there and made several new friends in the coffee shop in the center of the city. One of our women made friends with the female owner and several other women (this was a direct answer to prayer). We stayed there very late engaged in gospel conversations. These were made possible because of our person of peace interpreter’s presence and willingness to discuss deep things. He was very curious about our faith and the differences with his. We had two Imams and seven other townspeople around the table with us discussing the gift of the gospel of Christ. One Imam gave us each a book and asked us to read it and give our thoughts. We committed to doing this. We will be sending him a book as well to do the same. We look back on this evening as the fulfillment of very obvious and direct answers to prayer. Our team is still in contact and in ongoing discussions with several of the people we met this evening.
January 2025:
The time in our prayer city was really amazing. We were able to learn so much on how to trust God and to listen to His voice. There were so many times when we didn’t know where to go but God guided us and we ended up having an amazing run in with someone. On one occasion we felt led to go into a cafe and when we went in we were able to talk to a university student for a long time and it was really cool to see how open she was. The time there in that city was a great time for us to experience God and to really see how He can work in mysterious ways.
November 2024:
Upon arrival we were warmly welcomed by the locals. A restaurant owner invited us to watch the food being prepared and shared a meal and tea with us. We spent two days walking throughout the city, praying for laborers to join the harvest, the future church, and the people of the city to come to know the Savior. We engaged in conversations with locals, including a retired restaurant and cattle farm owner who expressed gratitude for our prayers and blessings upon the city. He hosted us for tea and a visit to his cattle farm.
We found the people of our prayer city to be warm and welcoming and more than happy to help show us around and introduce us to people in their community. The overwhelming refrain from our new friends was the hope that we would come back for a visit in the future.
November 2024:
It was amazing to see how we got to be a part of what the Father was already doing in the town we covered! This past summer we met a couple that had a dream 7 years ago with the name of the city we covered. In the past 7 years, they have sold everything and moved to this country and are working on moving to this town. It has been difficult for them but while we were there, walking the streets and meeting a few people we had a sense that they are waiting/anticipating what is to come. We also had a sense that the ground has been plowed but needs additional plowing before it's ready for the seeds. It is no doubt that the Father is getting ready the ground before this couple arrives with Good news.
Our group of 6 had many words and pictures. One theme was the name of the city means: to sow, to scatter seed, plant, fructify, become pregnant/conceive seek, etc. We brought with us some seeds and sowed them in a bunch of places around town as seeds of light. Another theme was a turning of strongholds, from negative strongholds to "God" strongholds. Turning fear into faith, darkness into light, etc. The last night in our city we had communion on the East hill of the city at the same time another group had communion in the western most city of the region. A word that was spoken over these two groups is that God is weaving a net to pull in the harvest. We threw them a line across to pull in the harvest. Also, as we were up there we called out to the city to choose life!
October 2024:
Our team covered two cities in prayer, they were very close in proximity to each other. Before we ever left our homes, many of us had prophetic dreams and visions about one of the cities. As we prayed, we felt Holy Spirit leading us to take communion at two historic Christian landmarks believing these communities will come to know Jesus and once again take communion here. God led us to several people and they allowed us to pray over them. A cup of coffee allowed for an opportunity to pray over and bless a business owner. While walking through one city, we met three wonderful ladies. They were enjoying fresh air while sitting outside on the cobblestone road. They shared their mats and while we sat with them, they shared their stories and their hearts. Using a Bible app, we shared some verses with them in their own language. We stayed in the hotel, and were able to interact with the hotel owners each day of our stay. We wanted to share Jesus with them, but finding an opportunity was hard. We prayed and asked Jesus to give us an opportunity before we left. On our final day, God answered our prayers. A chat about fashion and shoes soon led to an open door to talk about Jesus with her! She was very curious and attentive and we believe Jesus will continue to reveal himself to her and her family.
Sept/Oct 2024:
Our trip was an incredible experience where we saw God’s hand at work every step of the way. From the moment we arrived, He orchestrated divine appointments that led to deep conversations and new friendships. Although we initially couldn’t find a place to stay in the city, God provided through a local whose family welcomed us into his home. This hospitality opened doors for us to build meaningful relationships within the community. Through prayer walks, shared meals, and time spent over tea, we engaged in genuine conversations, demonstrating the love of Christ and had opportunities to organically discuss our faith. Staying with a local family gave us the chance to share the good news in a place where these conversations are rare yet deeply needed.
One of the biggest takeaways from this trip was seeing how God sovereignly arranged every encounter. Whether it was through our taxi driver’s family connections, unexpected schedule changes, or casual conversations in a game hall, we were constantly reminded that God was already at work in our prayer city. Many seeds were planted, and hearts were clearly being stirred.
September 2024:
Through months of prayer, the LORD went before us and tethered our hearts to the people and to the city before ever stepping foot there. Upon arrival, we had visible evidence that He had already begun to work and our task was to listen to Him and keep our eyes open. The Lord invited us to rely on His presence and we began and concluded each day in prayer and worship together as a group. This was a reminder of the power of our unity in Him as well as our utter dependence on Him. We watched the Lord order our steps as we walked and prayed over the city. He led us to various people and opened doors for us to encourage them to see God as the one who sees them, loves them, and intimately cares about the things that matter to them. We felt permission to be bold in asking Jesus to show it in a tangible way, and we marveled as He responded. Every one of us has been changed and have been fueled in our love for Christ. He has awakened a deep hunger for the nations to behold Him and His glory! We’re so grateful for this experience and are eager to do it again!!
August 2024:
We visited a town as a group of four foreigners with two local believers – a mother and daughter who live in the region.
Much of our visit involved meeting locals, drinking tea, playing volleyball with the youth and sharing the good news with the people we met. Many were surprisingly open and received prayer for personal problems and for healing. We met a group of women and after hearing a testimony about salvation two of them asked, “Can we have this too?” One of them was delivered of evil spirit as the local sister commanded it to leave.
Overall impressions after times of prayer: this town has many people who are hungry for God to touch them. It’s beautiful on the outside but we learnt of many family conflicts and problems with alcohol consumption. we prayed through the various streets and in the mosque and at the saint’s shrine. One of our group joined the mosque prayers 4 times in a day. As a result the local imam received prayer for healing for his eyes and brain damage.
August 2024:
A group of 5 of us arrived in a town of 4000 people on a very hot August day. Quickly, we were greeted warmly by the owners of a çay bahçe (tea garden) who fed us, invited us to a wedding and found us a place to lodge, all within half an hour of arriving. This encounter would be the first of many, and helped to inform us of the spiritual state in this town.
During a time of prayer walking on our first evening, we had many pictures and impressions from God. A stand out impression for each team member was a sense that the people have been waiting for us! Although they don’t know it, they have been hungry for Jesus Christ. Everywhere we went people were excited to see us and invite us into their home, and eager to hear our stories. God showed us that the roots of the traditional religion were not as deep as they may appear, and the people are ripe for harvest.
This town, being in the very heart of the nation, gave us a vision of the river of life flowing from the throne of God through this town and into the all regions of the land. In response to this we felt God say that workers are needed in this region and for them to partner with the local believers here.
August 2024:
As we covered the whole city in prayer, God led us to offer many recurring prayers - a few include: that a house church movement will catch fire by Holy Spirit wind, the seeds sown by prayer would take root in fertile soil, for the city to be awakened from its spiritual slumber and God to be rightly worshiped and exalted.
God orchestrated significant encounters with a woman and her family every single day of our time in the city, including an invitation for a home-cooked meal for our last night through which we were greatly blessed and moved by their generous hospitality. Over the course of our time together, we learned that due to various circumstances they have been isolated and lonely for many years. She expressed finding comfort in our company, and believed that Allah had brought us to her. The woman seemed devoutly Muslim whereas her husband shared that he does not think religious faith truly determines a person’s morality or character. While experiencing spiritual warfare throughout the dinner, a team member received a vision of the family covered in easily removable and see-through mosquito nets that obstructed their vision, fully covering the husband and daughter, whereas the woman’s was nearly halfway removed already! Affirmed and encouraged by this vision, we asked the woman if we could pray for her family and connect her with our friends, to which she enthusiastically agreed! We were in unified awe over God’s sovereignty, and are continually praying and expecting that God will bring this family into His family.
August 2024:
We went to two prayer cities and prayed by prayerwalking, in which we go through the cities and pray over the people, the buildings, the schools and all that comes from God that we should pray for. We also spent some time alone as a group. Most of the time we were worshipping God. Also, we tried to speak to local people. Most of the time we couldn’t go deeper because of the language barriers. But we tried anyways and kept trying to find people of peace.
Most of the people thought we were tourists in a strange place. When we approached them and told them that we came to pray for them, their reaction was neutral. They didn’t understand the concept of praying for someone. And most of the time they were confused. But sometimes God made us meet people who liked the idea and let us pray for them.
All of us really liked it. From the working part, and experience part. We think that we did what we were asked to do and it really did make a change. This kind of trip is very beginner friendly but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any complications.
August 2024:
We were immediately struck by the peacefulness of the people and quickly found that we loved the people and their culture. We found that everyone we met was friendly and desired to welcome us and gladly spent time with us. When we got to our prayer city we were almost immediately invited to a wedding, a taxi driver pointed out the mosque to us when he heard that we had come to pray for their city and ran up the street telling all his friends about us. We were invited into many homes to have çhai and turkish kahve, and all were pleased to have us pray for them. They shared their gardens and food with us.
We experienced this scripture: John 15:7 "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." It seemed to us that the Spirit would give us knowledge of what to pray for, we would ask for it, and then He would do it. Because of this we saw many miracles happen right before us and in us. One girl in our group was able to have understanding of what local women were saying in two different homes even though she did not know the language. We saw a woman healed by Jesus right before our eyes after we had a sense that He was going to heal someone the night before. She had diabetes, anxiety, migraines, neck and shoulder pain. After we prayed for her, she said "no more pain". She said "Allah has sent you" and we said "it is Jesus Christ who has healed you". We saw our group be able to receive the hospitality of the local people when they were able to eat gluten and dairy even though there were food allergies to these things. We experienced no symptoms of these allergies. We met a man who (when we asked to pray for him in the name of Jesus) said: "Jesus?? I love Jesus!" and then prayed for us! We had dinner at his mother's home and another family joined us as well! We also saw a vision fulfilled during that evening that one of our group saw during our listening prayer-time a couple days before. We have so many stories we could tell, but we marvel at the unity of our group, the power of God we saw before us, and the beauty of the Turkish people. we invite you to pray!! Our God answers prayer!! Watch him do it!
July 2024:
We divided into two groups to cover the city center and perimeter. Our prayers focused on asking God to remove the tarp and soften the soil for the gospel seeds to be planted in this dry agricultural area. We enjoyed the beauty of His creation and the beauty of His church as we spent time together. God brought the people we should interact with, two of whom provided a meal for us. We are confident of God's steadfast love for these people and that He is moving among them. It was a blessing to partner with Him and the local workers.
July 2024:
Our theme ended up being how we needed to completely rely on God and He would meet our needs and guide our steps...in ways we had not experienced before.
The first day we met an elderly woman on a narrow street, which led to meeting her son and daughter in-law, which led to meeting even more people. That day and the next we were invited to eat with them, drink lots of chai, share about life, read scriptures, and even pray for them. Before we left we were able to exchange contact information with them and let them know we would love to stay in touch. The husband said they would be open to having any of our friends who visit their city also connect with them.
Our group spent time walking around the city praying and asking that God would open the hearts and minds of the people and prepare them for His work. I believe He is doing that in more ways than we are even aware of.
May 2024:
On the first night a young woman came up to us in the town center, asking why we were there. She was very excited when we told her that we were there to bless her city with prayer in the Name of Jesus. Later she came running after us bearing pastries from a bakery! And later again she found us in a different part of town to give us her phone number. She asked if we could get together to talk during our visit. Of course we could! The ladies of our group met her at a coffee shop. K (as I’ll call her), is a divorced lady, who managed to leave her abusive husband and she and her child now live with her mother. As always, we turned the conversation to spiritual matters (with the help of Google Translate) and she said that she wanted to read the Bible! Talk about divine appointments! We gave her a New Testament and she said “I have never held this book in my hands”. What a precious moment to see her open the book and exclaim “And it’s in my language!”. In K’s society she is truly like the “woman at the well”. She received the Word and prayer so joyfully and you can be sure that she will spread the Good News in her town.
April 2024:
As our leader sent us out, he shared that he felt like there had been a tarp covering the ground - keeping gospel seeds from falling on the soil! So as we walked the city and prayed over our assigned area, we prayed that the tarp would be removed, that gospel seeds would be sown, and that they would bear much fruit. Some of us came upon a field full of dandelions, and prayed that just as those seeds were scattered and produced visible fruit, the same would happen with gospel seeds! The time in prayer for our team was so sweet, and it was an advantage to our agenda of prayer that we did not speak the language! That kept us from getting distracted with conversations and helped us to focus on prayer. We used Scripture to proclaim over the city the truth about who Jesus is! He is the image of the invisible God and by Him all things were created. In Him the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to himself all things…making peace by the blood of His cross (Col.1:15-20). We proclaimed this truth over our prayer city and cried out to the Lord for him to open the eyes of those who were blinded to the truth about Christ. And although our team was devoted to prayer, God in His goodness allowed our team members to have four different gospel conversations with locals, allowing us to see the work of those who prayed before us, and perhaps have a tiny glimpse of the harvest that is to come.
March 2024:
We went to a small country town with no known believers. No hotel or restaurant in this little Muslim village. Getting there this time of year was challenging because few visitors came to this town during winter. We traveled by bus and taxi to get there and our team believed God to lead us to a person of peace (as in Luke 10).
Upon arrival, we met a man with an open apartment that he graciously offered to us to stay in. This man, we’ll call him Fred, became our man of peace. He took care of all our needs from start to finish. And to our great surprise, he was the only Christian in the city! We were fed like royalty with home-cooked breakfasts and dinners every night. He protected us, bought our groceries and even arranged transportation for us to pray around the town. Fred’s wife was led to the Lord and received deliverance and healing and more wonderful things happened! God took care of our every need and as we left the town we felt the entire atmosphere had shifted from heaviness and oppression to a light, joyful spirit.
March 2024:
As our small group entered the city, we felt that we were there to plant seeds of rest and peace. How would we do this? Through the leading of Holy Spirit, we felt drawn to certain areas of the city to perform acts of declaration, proclamation, intercession, and worship. God provided a ride up a mountain overlooking the city shortly after He gave us the idea, "it would be nice to go up there". It was on this "high place" where we partnered with the unseen realm in their ongoing battle for the city below. From the high place, God led us to the low place...the river that runs through the city, which springs up from the ground about 30 minutes away. At this ground 'well', we were able to bless the city with prosperity, joy, and peace. Peace kept coming up as a theme during our time in the city. Here is one example of how: Every morning during our time in the city, we would start off our day together celebrating communion. I would go to the local market to purchase the elements. For the 'cup', I randomly picked a fruit drink box. As we were celebrating our first team communion, one of my group noticed some English words on the drink box. On the side of the drink box were the words 'Full Of Peace'! This was just another confirmation from the Lord that He was blessing our work in the city.
March 2024:
The first night we were there we found a small family restaurant that was willing to feed our large group of 11 foreigners. One thing led to another after one of the men was healed and our team responded to an invitation to attend a “patriotic celebration“. It turned out to be a political rally. We ended up meeting the mayoral candidate in the middle of a sea of Muslim men while surrounded by lights and cameras. One of the young ladies on the team said, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we could take communion here?” Seconds after she expressed this, a local woman approached us with a platter of small paper cups with grape juice for each of us. We took that as a sign we were in the right place at the right time!
In the following days, as we split our group to cover the entire city in prayer, it was amazing to see how Holy Spirit led us to pray for similar things! Some groups even declared the same thing over a school that, “the leaders of the nation would come out of it.”
The following day, as a whole group, we got to go to the highest point in the city to pray! In that space on the top of this hill is a natural hot springs and a meeting place for the community. Many of us felt that a fellowship would meet there one day. We planted a stake in the ground and declared that town for Jesus.
March 2024:
We set out to pray in a specific location, off the beaten path, behind some odd buildings, where we felt to ask God to plant a church someday. While there, a man approached us from the backdoor of his restaurant. He inquired as to why we were here and we explained we were here to bless this country and that one of the girls recognized this location from a dream she had had earlier. He was instantly intrigued and invited us to visit in his restaurant over tea. We got to know him and two of his family members over Google translate on our phones. I noted he was squinting at the phone and often times having his son read it for him. I explained that we were followers of Jesus and that there are stories in the Bible of Jesus healing eyes, and I asked if we could pray for him. He said yes and immediately his son started videoing us praying for him. When we finished he said it was a little blurry at first but may be getting a better. Then we all simultaneously noticed that he was holding the phone back at normal distance from his face and without squinting. God had cleared his eyesight! He immediately invited us to his home for dessert later that night.
Five of us went to his home and once we greeted everyone and sat down, we noticed his wife start to weep with a smile on her face. She told us through Google translate that “we had a different spirit and a different aura about us”. We knew God was present and wanted to bless this family. Later on we asked his wife how we could pray for her and she told us she was feeling depressed and had a lot of pain from fibro myalgia and a herniated disc and an issue in her shoulder. The women gathered around her and prayed. When asked how she felt she said through tears that all the pain had left! We were all so happy! We had two other family members read some Psalms in Turkish aloud while the whole room gave their rapt attention. One asked where he could read the story of Jesus and we got to tell them about God’s Word and how to read His story in Turkish on their phones. They told us they were Muslims but that they were positive that God had led us through this dream to come to bless them. That night they experienced the reality of Jesus and his healing power and peaceful presence. We are believing that this family will become the first church in that city and that their church will also become a training center for revivalists and Kingdom workers to be sent out from this town to the ends of the earth.
March 2024:
We arrive in our prayer city right before lunch and it’s what? Snowing! We didn’t really dress for this! Prayed at lunch for the snow to clear and out comes the sun! Cold, but great first day walking around the town and meeting people. Getting lots of stares. Love it. On our next day we decide to pray 3 times around each of the 14 places of worship in the city. What a fantastic idea! So, over the next two days that’s exactly what we do…and one of the results was we were invited to go to the top of one of the minarets where we were able to pray over the city from the very place the “call to prayer” comes from!
February 2024:
We covered two cities simultaneously since they were close together. We arrived in both cities while proclaiming the coming of Jesus by playing a song called “The Prophet”. We all came to this trip with a sense of having a purpose of fulfilling an assignment that was given to us which is Jesus touching this place through our worship and prayer in the Spirit and truth. We also continued with the prayer for a good harvest what was clearly from the Holy Spirit. We know that by 2 members of the group loudly started to pray for harvest at the same time in different languages, without former agreement. The most interesting thing about this trip was how the group was formed and how the Holy Spirit was moving around, speaking and confirming what was sensed in our hearts to pray for. It was a trip with many prophetic acts, where the sense of God touching the ground we were walking on was so real. In both of the cities some members could sense in their hearts how Jesus was touching people's hearts in silence, and wants to restore and raise up faith that once was stolen. We also got the chance to get to know people. We had the opportunity to share our testimonies, teach and pray for them. When leaving the place, we felt peace in our heart that the assignment was accomplished and now need to wait for the Lord to show his greatness.
February 2024:
A unique thing that happened in this city – the Lord gave multiple people different parts to a song that all came together as a musical prayer for the city! We were welcomed in by a warm-hearted family that called all their relatives to come meet us. When one of our group prayed for them in their language a light came on in their hearts when they realized for the first time that they could pray in their own language instead of Arabic. We were brought to meet the mayor, and when asked how we could pray for his city, he immediately answered “Joy. My people need joy. We need more people like you with smiling faces”. Lord, would you answer the prayer we prayed with him to bring them the joy of your salvation!
October 2023:
We arrived in town at the peak of apple harvest. It seemed the whole town was involved in this huge event and bags of apples were piled up everywhere. This provided an apt picture for us to relate to as we prayed for future fruit of a spiritual kind. Could it be we’re seeing a disillusionment with the controlling religion? Upon visiting 2 houses of worship at prayer time, we found only one man in each. One of them was a religious leader who willingly read some of the words of Jesus as we discussed His claims. We left behind a prayed-for city. May the Father now thrust forth His laborers.
October 2023:
“This is a God-forgotten place. Why did you come here?” asked a local man our first evening in the city. Before traveling to that city, we sensed the Lord wanted to let the people of this city know the He had not forgotten them, so his words captured our attention! This man unknowingly went on to help us identify multiple locations in the city where we should pray. We went on our way praying through the city, inviting and welcoming the Lord to come and let these people know they are not forgotten. Outside an old caravansaray, we were welcomed by two neighborhood mayors who treated us to tea next to an ancient fountain. Lord, would you cause the wells of your Spirit to spring up in this place, never to be plugged again.
October 2023:
Our group of seven had such a fruitful and powerful time in our city! We spent the mornings in worship and intercession in our hotel room praying over the city prior to taking prayer walks.
Both days we felt to release specific prophetic acts. We buried communion next to an ancient fountain and repented for sins of previous ancestors who may have committed injustices against the people of this land. We spread yeast around the perimeter of the high school and prayed for the next generation of young people to come to know Jesus. We buried sunflower seeds in the ground of a park and prayed for the gospel to take root in the lives of many in the city. We prayed over the dam in the city for wells of revival to be released.
In our intercession we prayed for Middle-East relations, a Spirit of repentance over the city, declared psalm 24 & Isaiah 60, prayed for open heavens, and the prosperity of the city. We contended for Jesus’ bride to wake up and rise from this land.
We deeply connected with two families and were hosted in two homes! In one home we saw a woman completely healed of pain from a herniated disc and a swollen knee. She was so receptive and touched. Another waiter who served us got healed of headaches and was receptive to prophetic words from our team. We also had favor at the agriculture office and one of our team members had the opportunity to sing a prophetic song over the staff there.
October 2023:
Let the light usher in - that was the theme of our trip. Upon arrival, the team could sense the spiritual darkness of the land. Satan, through false religion, had a stronghold on the land. By God's grace, the team was able to cover the city in prayer. Scripture was also proclaimed throughout the city, especially over all nine of the city's houses of worship. As the city was prayed over and Scripture was proclaimed, the team sensed a spiritual change in the city, and the Lord led us to a person of peace. Mustafa had been researching Christianity online for years and was excited to meet real Christians. We spent the majority of the day with him, his wife, and his friend in which we shared multiple meals and were invited to his home. The Lord provided the opportunity to have deep discussion about Christianity and the gospel was proclaimed. Mustafa accepted a New Testament in his language and agreed to read it with us via messaging applications when we returned home. Although the land was extremely dark upon our arrival, the Light is there and breaking through the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it.
September 2023:
We felt a bit like the apostles in the first century as we ventured into unchartered territory with no knowledge of the Good News.
After communion on our first night, we went out on the balcony of the hotel room with our cell phone torches switched on to symbolically introduce Jesus, the Light of the World in this location. Each one of us declared out loud who Jesus is, while waving our cell phones. The small commotion in the apartment block across the road, made us realise that this was a significant moment when light broke into darkness of being lost.
We prayer-walked many km’s, connected with many individuals, performed many prophetic acts and blessed the neighbourhoods, schools and businesses. It was a privilege to serve the people in prayer and to bless them, show the Fathers’ heart and establish His presence and purpose. It was a real Turkish Delight!
July 2023:
We spent some time praying on the hill above the city. We received some prophetic words based on the Psalms. And we were praying that the Holy Spirit will be watering the city and surroundings like a waterfall/water, that there will be growth. We were also speaking with people about Jesus and made some friends there…
July 2023:
We received a prophetic word that the city will be shining brightly in the mountains, that the Holy Spirit will be like a fire in the wind. We were praying for the people to have a hunger for Christ. And we also had awesome conversations with people about faith.
July 2023:
We were invited to a local wedding the first evening, where the girls in our group joined in the dancing. They became friends with a group of women, one of whom invited them for coffee and shared some of her personal struggles. The guys also had a deep conversation with the local imam and got to tell him the gospel.
July 2023:
We spent time praying in several places around the city, recieving various prophetic words, particularly around the theme of water. We made friends with a family who invited us for dinner and we had the chance to read some verses from the gospel of John with them.
July 2023:
Arriving in our prayer city we began walking the streets. No one greeted us until the Lord led us down a street where we waved to two ladies sitting on a balcony. They immediately invited us in for coffee. The host, a young widow, together with her 16 year old son, helped us find accommodation in some sparsely furnished apartments. She provided us with bedding… what hospitality!
We walked around the town and up hills overlooking the town. We prayed and prophesied over the town. We also prayed with a number of people we met. While we enjoyed hospitality, our overwhelming sense was that it was a place of ‘sadness’. There seemed little joy. There was no çay bahçe, no music, the sports club had closed down, and everyone we eventually spoke to was living to survive. The few youth we engaged with seemed to have little hope and few dreams. The beautiful reservoir on the edge of town was underutilised with no swimming allowed and no apparent boats.
On a high hill over the town we built a prayer altar and wrote verses and prayers for locals to find among the stones. One evening we revisited the widow’s house and met all her children. They remarked on the joy we brought to them. We interpreted the dreams of the widow where she saw herself walking on water. She invited us to her daughter’s wedding next year.
Lord, may your kingdom come to this city – fill the town with the joy of your salvation.
July 2023:
Our prayer city was a small town of a few thousand people and we had the privilege of being invited into several homes, chatting with the locals, praying for them and witnessing to them. It was an honour to be hosted by a local man and his family and we prayed for him and for healing for his wife's heavily swollen feet, it was awesome. We headed up a steep hill on the outskirts of the town and prayed over the city and prayer walked around the town, praying for the dry bones to live and for blessing over the land. We received lots of imagery that the current fruitfulness of the land was a picture for how the spiritual dryness will be transformed in the future. We reasoned from the scriptures with religious leaders and worshipped and prayed in a mosque. Finally, we had the impression that the rocks were crying out in worship and one day the people here will stand on the solid rock and be living stones for Christ and his kingdom🙏
July 2023:
We were welcomed into the town immediately by several people and given a tour of the town by a traffic officer. We were able to pray inside two mosques, a ruined church, the mayors guest house, the town courts, a busy central park, plus many more places.
We were able to pray with many people in the town and many were willing to talk about shared faith. There was no debating, just a shared love for God and a mutual respect for each other’s expression of faith.
As a group, we had prophetic words for the town - that although it is spiritually dry, soon it will be filled with living water. Springs will bubble up from under the surface.
July 2023
We entered our prayer city on a national holiday where the attention of the residents was fixed on the events at hand. As the Imam led prayers, and the politicians spoke, and as movies played in the town square that stoked the nationalistic pride of the residents and their association with their religion, we watched and we prayed for God to break through. Not surprisingly, our time in this city started slow. But by the end, we had several powerful encounters with people who were at least open to hearing from us about the love of Christ. The women in our group had several encounters with Muslim women both in the center of town and on the outskirts. It was beautiful to see our ladies beating wool with several local women as they also prayed for them and shared the good news of Christ. The men also had several powerful encounters, culminating on the last day. We met a farmer who began the conversation by expressing his anger and frustration with the disparity between the growing economic strain in his country and his perception of economic prosperity in ours. Frankly, with this kind of a start, we didn’t expect much from the conversation. And yet, as we continued to pray and engage, he finally invited us to sit down for tea. And though the conversation remained fixed on politics and culture for a while, eventually the Spirit prompted one of our team members to suggest reading from Matthew 6. Consequently, as we shared the Good News with this farmer, it was almost as if we could see the wall between us and him begin to fall, brick by brick. After this man read, he was far more open. And an hour and a half later, he had heard that because Jesus died for his sin, he could have the guarantee of salvation sealed by the Holy Spirit. His parting words were exhilarating. He said two things. First, he said, “I will read this book.” (We had given him a copy of the Good News). Second, he said, “I believe God has brought us together today.” We left the city very hopeful and expectant for this man and his wife who was listening intently as she served us, that they will continue to press in to the drawing of the Spirit and that they would be catalytic for their community to know and love Jesus and multiply his love for years to come.
July 2023
We came to our prayer city in the mountain region of this beautiful country under the heavy cover of cloud and rain. As we made our way up the mountainside to look down on the gorgeous landscape and the buildings that housed the souls of so many who had no idea of the love and grace of Jesus, we prayed that God would summon his power (Psalm 68:28) in such a way that many would hear and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Fascinatingly, there was a massive power line that fed the city, and we imagined the power of the Spirit feeding it in similar fashion. With that earnest desire in our hearts and on our lips, empowered by the listening and responsive ear of our Lord, it didn’t take long for gospel conversations to begin. We shared with secular men not yet ready to give up their vices and women who had been on the Hajj and now rested in false security. We also met several devout men, including a man at lunch the first day whom God brought repeatedly across our path. He sat with us at lunch where we were able to chat the gospel. Then, after praying in the mosque that evening, we met him again, along with the Imam of the mosque, for tea. On the third day, we encountered him yet again and spent several hours sharing the gospel and enjoying the budding relationship. Later that night, he introduced us to his family and we shared worship songs and had even more gospel conversations. What a joy to introduce him and his family to Jesus. The morning we left, he invited us to brunch with even more family members. We were thrilled. We came into the brunch expecting God to do great things. Unfortunately, a bit of a spiritual cloud seemed to linger. And yet, the family once again heard the gospel and we left them with a copy of the Good News, hoping and praying they would read it and eventually give their lives to Jesus. God was at work in this city. He still is. And yet, the experience was a sobering reminder of how challenging it can be for people in this part of the world to come out from under the clouds of religion and into the light of Christ. It was raining when we came. It was sunny when we left. May the Lord lift the veil in this precious city and may the power of the gospel penetrate the darkness to bring these dear ones to the light of Christ!
June 2023:
When we first arrived in our prayer city, we had no idea what to expect. But the Lord met us in our uncertainty and apprehensiveness as we put our trust in Him. Surrendering ourselves to His direction about what to pray, where to walk, and how to engage with the people of the city led to us to experience God working through us in ways we never could have anticipated or planned. We befriended people, listened to their stories, and prayed for them. We covered the land in prayer, prophecy, scripture, and praise to prepare the ground for the Lord to do a mighty work in this place and these people. God revealed his heart for the land for us during our stay. We were sobered by the realization that we were very likely the first Christians these people had ever met - but we will not be the last. God is doing a marvelous new work in the land, and we were honored to have been given this opportunity to partner with him by bringing His light into the darkness.
May 2023:
In Joshua 6 we find the familiar story of God commissioning Joshua and the Israelites to walk around the city of Jericho 7 times; an odd request that would test the Israelites faith in God. When we got to our city it was put on the heart of one of our group to circle our city in prayer. We all enthusiastically joined in. The idea was to be a sign of our faithfulness in our efforts for this city to be radically changed. The symbolism was that the old, towering walls of religious strongholds would break and crumble from the power and faithfulness of our God. While it was a tall task we had the determination to see God build His kingdom there. It wasn’t easy as we did not have 7 days but 2-1/2. However, through prayer God gave us the strength to push through. While we did not see the walls crumble and revival breakout, we know that our work in that city will not go unnoticed. Our God is a faithful God and He will use what we have done for His glory and His coming Kingdom.
May 2023;
We often pray for a country with a vague idea in our mind of the people we are praying for. However, our experience prayerwalking in the Middle East has put names and faces to our prayers, as well as given us an idea on how to pray for the people. The mystery is stripped away and we are left with the burning desire to continually pray for the family leaders, business owners, and religious centers and their leaders.
May 2023:
From our first night, the hospitality of this city was obvious and warm. This hospitality gave us confidence and security as we befriended residents and prayed for the beautiful city. As we prayed over mosques, schools, and monuments, the Lord focused our hearts on Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. These people—these sons and daughters of Abraham, these children made in the image of God; imagine how sweet their hospitality would be with the freedom of Christ. During one fruitful encounter, a man called us into his shop for tea and pide (surely we thought this smooth businessman would overcharge these foreigners). Even after learning that we were followers of Jesus, he asked us not to pay—it was “his treat.” We prayed with his family and exchanged contact info. This is just one example of the welcoming arms of this city. Surely there are sheep in this city that will recognize the voice of the shepherd. We were honored to partner with God, planting spiritual seeds that only the Spirit can make grow.
May 2023:
Surprisingly, it did not feel dark in the city we were assigned to. But it’s important to remember that the enemy is not omnipotent like our God and cannot be everywhere at once. Rather, the city felt void, like there was a spiritual emptiness instead of spiritual warfare. Everyone on our team felt this as we walked, and as we shared Christ with people. Among the people we were able to gift a copy of the Good News were an Imam, an elderly farmer and a young woman in a coffee shop, the last of whom was really interested in the gospel despite fearing what her devout husband might think. It feels like there is a hunger in the land for the truth. Many from all walks of life are searching for an alternative to the religion they were raised with.
We also encountered a small fellowship primarily attended by Christian refugees from some of the surrounding nations. The pastor’s wife told us that two years ago, God had shown her a vision of people coming from other countries and praising him in different languages in their tiny church, and she had thought it to be an impossibility. Then other refugees began to come and several locals. Finally, our group visited. She was filled with praise for God's faithfulness, as during the service, people were praising God in 4 languages!
April 2023:
You never know what a day may hold!! One morning in our prayer city, the Lord gave us a new song that was a prayer for our city. While prayerwalking that day, we were warmly welcomed by a man for whom we had the opportunity to pray – we will call him Andrew. Little did we know that later in the day Andrew’s relationship with us would open the door for us in a big way! Around supper time we were sensing that we should go to the city hall and sing our song to the mayor. We arrived at the city hall only to find that the mayor had left for a meeting. We were disappointed, and ready to give up, but the Lord sent a man who said that he would take us to the meeting where the mayor was! As we neared the meeting place, we realized it was a political rally. Even though it certainly wasn’t our place of choice, we sensed God’s clear leading. There at the door to welcome us was Andrew, the man we had met earlier while prayerwalking! We told him about the song and our desire to sing it for the mayor. He ushered us into the small, packed room where the “dignitaries” were giving speeches. As the final speech concluded, Andrew parted the crowd, making a path for us to the front of the room, and he explained to the mayor why we were there. An important looking man who spoke fluent English (and later won an important leadership seat), read the words of the blessing song to all those in the room. Then, before the mayor and all those present from the city, we sang our prayer for the city with all our hearts!
March 2023:
During our group’s time in our prayer city, most of us found ourselves in a central plaza area with religious buildings on a few sides. and we prayed that this would one day be a place of worship.
One day we traveled an hour outside the city to some Byzantine cave dwellings. We were able to worship in a cave that had been the church building for the cave city. Our group was deeply moved at the privilege of lifting up the praises of our King again in that place.
By God’s grace, during our last afternoon and evening in the city, our group caught even more of the heart of God to cry out for the city. After dinner, we put water on our shoes to symbolically bless them and remind ourselves that we are those made clean by the work of Jesus, and we went back out into the streets. We’d agreed for our groups to meet up an hour or two later, and there were several in the group who reconvened to go out once again after the group had finished for the night. Still others who went out to prayer walk again early the next morning before breakfast.
We know Father desires His bride from this city and we pray that it will be soon that He establishes His church here.
March 2023:
This was my favorite city we went to during our trip. From the moment we arrived we connected in our hotel with a muslim woman and her daughter of about three years old. They lived near where the earthquake happened had come to the city for work. A woman in our group had brought coloring books for kids and she gave one to the little girl. She was so excited and started coloring right away. It seemed everywhere we went we were well received. We spent four hours praying and worshipping in a high place of the city and felt there had been a shift in the atmosphere of that region! I am excited to go back and see what happens there!
March 2023:
Our group experienced a significant shift in this prayer city from arrival to departure! When we arrived we experienced hostility and feelings of being un-welcomed. People gave us strange glances as we walked through the city and were not wanting to engage in conversations. We spent three days there praying. We started feeling more welcomed and better received after our second day there. We connected with one of the girls working at the hotel where we were staying. She was very welcoming and went above and beyond to take care of us. She made Turkish coffee for all of us. I was able to have a long conversation with her about her life and family. I shared my testimony about Jesus and how He healed my heart. She allowed me to pray for her and I know seeds were planted.
March 2023:
On our first evening in my team's prayer city, we had a time of worship & prayer. During this time I had a brief picture of a movie scene in which a portal is opened & masses enter from another world; I had the impression that through us a heavenly portal would be opened over our city, an open heaven. Without mentioning it to my team members, we received prophetic dreams and pictures of the exact same movie scene. There was confirmation upon confirmation and we left our city knowing that heaven was touching earth. Through this trip I experienced the voice of the Lord in a new way. He speaks so much and is constantly confirming His word! My faith for His voice has drastically increased and my faith in the power of prayer and presence has increased.
March 2023:
We prayed over our city from a high point and also from the Lakeside. We felt the spiritual battle for this city and often prayed Psalm 20 - declaring God’s victory over this place. We met a wonderful lady at a local sweets shop who invited us back to her home the next day. Her son spoke fantastic English so we got to connect with their family for several hours over delicious food and lots of laughter. We even got to share about our love for Jesus and His love for them. By the end of our time we felt bonded with this town in a special way.
March 2023:
We stayed downtown in the heart of an ancient biblical city. We were surrounded by many very large and iconic mosques in the heartland of Sufism. We walked a lot here, visiting several mosques, universities, walking by schools, and through residential streets. It felt like we were delivering God’s presence into the heart of this land’s religious culture. We also got to participate in a new church’s opening service. We were delighted to pray over the leadership team and fellowship with the few believers in that city. We are already hearing reports of the growth in that church since then. We also participated in an Iftar meal, at the end of the day after the fasting for Ramadan, with many locals in a restaurant near our hotel.
March 2023:
The sovereign God who answers prayers - that was the theme of our trip. Our prayer city had a high ground that gave a 360-degree view of the city and the surrounding countryside. On the first day, we worshipped and prayed atop the high ground before going into the city. Acts 28:1-10 came to mind, and we read and prayed over that passage asking God to allow the locals to show us unusual kindness and to allow us to find favor and hospitality from the leaders. One of many examples of the sovereign God who answers prayers, is that as we ventured into the city, God led us directly to the headman of the city, and he received us graciously. The headman introduced us to the mayor of the city, and we had lunch with him. We were welcomed into the city by its leaders and people and were treated with such unusual kindness and gracious hospitality. This enabled us to cover the city in prayer and find multiple people of peace, many of whom we stay in contact with.
March 2023:
Despite initial challenges, we discovered divine appointments and witnessed the power of faith. In our prayer city, the police greeted us with concern, but through this we saw the sovereignty of God. This abrupt start led to unexpected connections, like a taxi driver who invited us into his home. There, we experienced genuine hospitality, shared stories, and had the privilege of praying for his mother's health. God worked through us to proclaim Christ's love and bring hope to this community.
As we journeyed through the prayer city, we marveled at the Lord orchestrating every encounter, revealing His sovereignty, and guiding us throughout our trip. Even a return visit to the police chief on the way home, became a powerful reminder of God's presence and control. We departed with hearts full of gratitude, knowing that we had witnessed His work firsthand.
March 2023
The preparation before we arrived in our host country and the orientation in country on route to our city was very helpful. Equipped with good teaching and practical tips we arrived ready to carry out the task entrusted to us. In our first day we prayed at a spot where the three powers of authority reside in that city. A few of our members experienced a deep spiritual heaviness which resulted in weeping and sincere intercession. After a time of rest, we pressed on. On our way back to our hotel an older lady on the tram connected with one of our group members, held her face in her hands and spoke very kindly over her. It had a profound effect on all of us. The tools that we had been given in the training helped us unpack what we experienced. In the coming days we marveled at how God’s spirit kept prompting us in our prayers and singing, sustaining us both physically and spiritually.
February 2023:
We had barely stepped into the neighborhood to prayerwalk when an elderly gentleman invited us to sit down and drink tea. Honestly, we were eager to prayerwalk, so we declined as politely as possible and began to move on…He would have none of it, and before long we were seated at a picnic table as his wife came from their apartment with a tray of piping hot tea. No, they wouldn’t drink tea themselves, they said…they were fasting that day, and would pray into the night on this minor holy-day with the hopes that God would forgive some of their sins. They were “very afraid” to die, they said, and acknowledged that in their beliefs, there could be no confidence of being accepted by God after death. This encounter set the tone for our prayers throughout the city, that the giver of salvation would make Himself known, and that their assurance would be in Him.
February 2023:
Chilled, but we press on walking through the streets to cover this city in prayer. A man stops and greets us, curious about who we are. Conversation somehow ends up being about a salty yogurt drink that this town famously makes from sheep milk. This man invites us to come and try his own special home-made version of it. We cheerfully accept and follow him into his home where 60 sheep turn to inspect the strangers in the yard. As his wife serves us glasses of ice-cold salty sheep yogurt the conversation turns spiritual, and my prayerwalking partner offers to pray for the man in the name of Jesus. Immediately, the response becomes “religious” and the man wishes to express the obligatory arguments of why our beliefs have been superseded by his. Having run out of objections, however, he paused…and then said “OK, pray for me”. Lord, we ask that this city, like this man, would reach the end of their objections and open their hearts to you!
December 2022:
It was a crisp winter day in early December when we arrived in the small town. As we made our way through the winding streets, we could feel the excitement and anticipation building in our hearts. We were so moved to join this prayer walk and were excited to meet any people whom God had prepared for His kingdom. We were also longing to pray for and worship in this city, aligning with God's heart and sight.
The first person we met was a retired senior who lived in the city. He helped us to find a restaurant when we arrived at lunchtime, and he also helped us to link up with a teacher's house for us to stay in the city. On the second day, we met him again and learned that his grandson had cancer. He accepted our prayer for his grandson, and we saw tears in his eyes as we prayed.
We also met a farmer who invited us for çay, a traditional tea. We talked with him and his wife and prayed for her health.
As we walked through the city, we prayed according to the map, covering different locations and topics such as the leadership, youth, women, and spiritual harvest. By the end of our two days in the town, we felt that the spiritual atmosphere had changed and that our prayers had made a positive impact on the city. It was a truly meaningful and enriching experience, and we left feeling deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve and pray for the people of this little town.
October 2022:
Arriving in our town at lunchtime, we decided to stop at the 1st restaurant, where the waiters asked what we were doing and where we were staying and were able to recommend a really close by hotel. This was our first answer to prayer – a good, local place to stay. We felt God open doors and make the way easy for us. On that first afternoon, a man stopped us in the street and invited us to his house. Later, he introduced us to many others, telling them why we were in the town! We prayed in many places; by the river we prayed that believers would grow up and be like the great trees planted on the bank. We praised God aloud in song on the hill above the town. We prayed for all the institutions, business and people. We felt God speaking about moving through the women as he had done through the Samaritan woman. It was a great joy to pray with and for various individuals and families who opened up to us. We found the people incredibly hospitable, inviting us into their homes and gardens, giving us fruit from their trees. It seemed this fruit was a symbol of the spiritual harvest that would be produced in our town. We had a great trip and a lot of fun too!
October 2022:
The desire for a drink of water prompted us to enter the small one-room shop. Welcoming us, the shopkeeper asked where we were from. After a bit of playful banter while we made him guess, he invited us to sit and drink coffee with him. As the call to prayer sounded from the mosque down the street, the shopkeeper went to his house to ask his wife to prepare coffee. He rejoined us quickly, saying “She is praying, but she’ll come soon.” This opened the door for us to reply “We’re also praying…we’re walking the streets of your city praying for your people.” This was well received and created the opportunity for us to pray for him, his wife, and daughter-in-law. Not many days later, one of our friends was able to sit at the same shop and converse deeply with this man in his own language, leading him toward repentance. May he soon see and fully embrace the beautiful gift prepared for him.
September 2022:
The Lord gave our group a prayer strategy to pray a particular route of a significant shape crossing the middle part of the city. We spent time at each of the four points of the prayer route, declaring God’s Word and praying. In addition to that, we planted flower seeds at each of these points as an act of faith that the seeds of the gospel will be planted and flourish in this city, and that the fragrance of Christ will be dispersed throughout the whole city. The Word of God was rich in our hearts as we interceded; we sensed God’s yearning for the people of the city to know him, follow him as the Good Shepherd, and be a part of his sheep fold together with us. We sensed his heart cry for them, “I must bring them also!” (John 10:16) We also had the rare opportunity to meet some of his sheep in the city! We were invited to join a small gathering of believers and had an amazing time of precious fellowship, prayer, and mutual encouragement together with them.
July 2022:
Our group was blown away by the way we were loved and received by the locals in our prayer city. Everywhere we went we got invites for tea, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We were ecstatic when we stopped to pray at a mosque and a local man invited us over for dinner, and proceeded to show us the mosque and introduce us to the Imams. They all were so happy that we would come to see their city and spend time with them! We all did not want to leave by the time our trip came to a close and would love to one day return!
July 2022:
In our prayer city we were extremely blessed by one family that took us in and hosted us for meals the entire time we were in the city. It was amazing to spend multiple meals with them as we got to learn about their family, work, and faith! They were beyond happy to receive prayer from our group. Many of the local women came to the women on our group asking specifically for prayers of healing - one woman even brought her friend so she could receive prayer! We felt like family by the time we left and all would love to one day go back to see our hosts again!
July 2022:
We had no idea what to expect when we arrived in our prayer city except that we were there to pray. We knew we couldn’t fail with this objective in mind. God went over and beyond to answer every single one of our prayers. He brought us 6 different people of peace, a person’s home to stay in to lay our head down at night, multiple families that welcomed us into their entire community, gospel conversations, and the opportunity to share the Word with the people God brought to us. We found that prayer opened up doors that never would have happened if we didn’t pour our hearts out to God to soften the hearts of the people we came into contact with. This trip was absolutely life changing for our team and opened our eyes to the reality of the billions of unreached people on this earth. How will they know if they don’t hear? We are honored that God chose us to go and tell. All we had to do was say yes and God did the rest.
June 2022:
God provides, sustains, and is faithful. The Lord calls us to go, pray, and make disciples. The time that our group spent dedicated to going and praying was a time where our group experienced God's faithfulness, provision, equipping, and divine meetings. Here is an example: On our first day in town, within the first fifteen minutes of being there, a young man walked up to us and asked what we were doing. We shared that we were visiting and praying. He happily joined us and volunteered to take us to the main attractions in the city. He spent five or six hours of his day with us and was open to letting us pray for him. Our new friend not only welcomed us to the city but also opened up our hearts to the knowledge of the spiritual climate of the town. The Lord blessed us with a connection and insight into how we could pray more specifically for the people in it!
May 2022:
It was the first time for most of us to do a trip where we didn’t know where we would stay, but God was quick to dispel our uneasiness. Upon arriving in our prayer city, we were greeted by a woman who quickly introduced us to her family and offered her home to us for four nights while she stayed with her mother. The next few days were filled with time walking around the city praying for schools, hospital, places of worship, soccer field, wheat fields, and the homes of the people there. We hiked up two mountains to pray over it, worshipping and calling for God's Holy Spirit to move in people’s hearts. We felt we had thoroughly covered the whole city in prayer by the end of our third day there. Our time was filled with such soft-hearted responsive people who were eager to hear why we were there. We happily proclaimed we were there to pray for them and the city. Some were skeptical, but several were very receptive and welcomed us into their lives giving us much hospitality and affection. We got to pray for each of these people and their families for healing, blessing, and guidance, which they received gratefully. On our last day, we walked to each of the people who had welcomed us during our stay to give them our final goodbyes. It was a very bittersweet time. We were brought to tears as we left, having come to truly care for these people much more than we expected. We were amazed at how strongly the Spirit moved, some of us having never experienced something like this before. This city and our friends there will continue to be on our hearts as we pray for them.
May 2022:
Going into our 3 days of prayerwalking, we had no idea what to expect. We were all uncertain as to what might happen, and we definitely felt pressed up against the boundaries of our comfort zones. However, instantly we found our hearts open and breaking for the people around us, which in turn broke down our reservations about our task. When we first set out to truly pray for our city, we felt confident of the Spirit's leading in what to pray for and where to go. Over the course of our 3-day journey, we were able to encompass the city in prayer and prayed up and down many of the streets. We saw God work in many interesting and unexpected ways and most of our group had at least one unforgettable encounter with a curious local. These people and this place will be in our hearts, on our minds, and in our prayers as this transformational experience remains in our memories. Truly a life-changing opportunity.
May 2022:
We found a picnic table in a gazebo in a local park and spent some time sharing verses that the Lord had placed on our heart for the city, sharing pictures that the Lord gave us, praying into the verses and pictures, and singing worship songs as He brought them to mind. One of us had a picture of a woman kneeling down at a river. Another was struck by the dry creek bed we passed walking through the park. We prayed that the Living Water Jesus offers would be received by the people of our prayer city. Another team member sense that we should buy some seeds to plant near the dry creek bed as a symbol of Gospel seeds being planted. We went to the local market and ended up buying some cherries. While we were praying for the Lord to show us a place to plant the cherry pits, a local woman began engaging us in conversation. After several minutes she invited us inside her home and served us a meal. We sensed that we were supposed to give her the cherries as a symbol of planting them. We stayed for a couple hours and then ended by praying a blessing over her and her household in the name of Jesus.
May 2022:
Our team experienced the intensity of learning to pray together and over a place, as well as the joy of God-ordained meetings. For the first two days, we had very little interaction at all with. We walked, we labored in prayer. But people we saw and passed on the streets seemed to look right through us, as if we weren't there.
The spiritual intensity began to break on the third day when we went to the weekly open-air market. A local woman who lived in Germany was visiting her mother and aunt at their market stall. When we stopped to look at the beautiful homemade items, our visit became an opportunity to share stories and to pray. This was the breath of encouragement that we needed. Then the real excitement began the next day. We entered a shop in order to discover what was sold there. Two young men working in the shop came to help us. That unexpected moment became several amazing hours of talking, laughing, drinking tea, eating baklava, and meeting co-workers, friends and even a few relatives. The two young men accepted our identity as believers, our prayers, and more.
The time in the prayer city that began with such a feeling of pressure and turmoil became a joy-filled answer to prayer. May the prayers we prayed and the people we met ultimately find their place in God's great plan raise up believers in the city.
May 2022:
As we began praying in the city it began to rain and we looked for shelter in a nearby park. A family immediately beckoned us to join them under a sheltered picnic area. They gave us food, asked us where we were staying and the mum immediately made a phone call to find us somewhere to stay. In the meantime we all bundled into their car and went to their home. They opened up to us about some of their struggles. We prayed for them and for the children – the whole family were very receptive and warm to us. We found the town to be generally warm, open and seemingly soft ground. In our time there we were invited into many homes, fed much food, and given opportunity to pray, worship, and share our faith…and our presence was welcomed throughout the town.
May 2022:
We felt our role was to soften hard ground with prayer, and when we arrived we saw the name of a local landmark which confirmed this. We received a warm welcome as people but when we told people we were there to pray we were told to be careful and that there’s nothing in the town, nowhere to stay and that we'd find somewhere in a neighbouring city. An extremely helpful young man helped us look for a place to stay. After finding nowhere, and hearing that God had told us to come, he took us to his house. We prayerwalked the town and prayed over the town from a hill. We prayed for locals who have moved away to get saved and bring gospel back, and in another town some days later, we met a person from that town who was following the Lord!
April 2022:
There’s something about ‘firsts’ of how the Father moves and it was no different the first man we met in our prayer city, literally the first person outside of the hotel we asked for directions to find a restaurant and there was a huge miracle that started. Andy and I asked a gentleman sitting on a bench about directions. Andy had no idea this man was giving us advice to find another restaurant. As a speaker of their language I was ready to dismiss this man, but Andy heard a word of knowledge from the Lord that this man had knee pain. We asked the man (I’ll call him Shoeshiner, that’s his profession) if he had any pain in his knee and sure enough, Shoeshiner had an injury that only allowed him to raise his left leg inches off the ground. We pray for him and the pain decreases slightly. Then Andy has an idea to ask if he’s had any dreams of Jesus "the man in white". So I simplify and ask if he’s had any dreams of a man dressed in white. Sure enough, he had! The first dream had this Man walking on the sea! The second one the Man parts the sea and calls Shoeshiner to Himself! Wow! I’m floored as I translate this. We then proceed to see if Shoeshiner knows who this Man is. No, he doesn’t. We tell him this is the Most High Prophet Jesus the Messiah. After taking time to think about it, he agrees! “Yes, it is, you’re right!” He replies contemplatively, yet enthusiastic. Then we tell Shoeshiner that this Man who appeared to him in His dreams has the power to heal and will heal him, our faith was very high after hearing about his dreams. So we pray again and Shoeshiner receives full healing in his leg, to where he walks us towards the restaurant! It is clear Jesus is on the move in this city!
The next days we see Shoeshiner in the town square and he’s totally healed, zero pain. Then some of the our group visits him and his family. More crazy stories happen from there and the whole family gets to experience the healing touch of Jesus, even one family member through a video WhatsApp call. We give them the most precious gift of the NT and the discipleship journey begins. Pray for this family that they can be followed up mature Followers of Jesus and that they continue to experience full life in Him!
March 2022:
We came without accommodation planned and were dropped in the main street which was void of any life. It was freezing cold with a strong wind, but we were quickly invited into a bakery and served tea and hot bread. Yum!
Then walked in a man. “We read about you this morning!” we exclaimed. This was the District Governor coming in to buy his Saturday bread! We spoke briefly and he arranged a place for us to sleep in the adjoining town.
This place is covered with Christian heritage, old church ruins, a cave church being excavated… but no known followers of Jesus! But…We covered this town in prayer, praying on each small street. We visited the church ruins. We drank tea with locals. We prayed for anyone who would let us. We pray that the residents of this place will find true treasure even greater than gold!
March 2022:
We felt the hand of God on and in our time in our prayer city as He beautifully used the different giftings present in our group. Some of us were led to coffee shops where we made young friends, shared the good news. Others were led to pray and travail over the land; sensing heaven coming to that place. We believe that the land and its history belong to Jesus. He is reclaiming and restoring what is and always has been His.
March 2022:
We had such a special time in our prayer city. On the first 2 days, we went out in groups of 3-4 people and were able to pray, worship, and make friends. We had so many special encounters of meeting shop owners, baristas, DJs, mothers in the park, etc. With each person we met we were able to share Jesus in some way whether it was praying for them, talking about faith, or sharing the Word. We also made very special connections. One group met a family who worked in a small soup restaurant. God gave them the idea to return with flowers and verses on cards. The family was overjoyed and received our gifts with hugs for all of us. Someone else made friends with a DJ and ended up being invited to a wedding. God also gave us prayer points and words as we prayed. We prayed specifically that God would “till the land”, then noticed a planter box filled with hard soil. As we prayed and as a prophetic act, we broke up the hard soil on the surface and followed it with an outpouring of water to signify the watering of the Holy Spirit. Our final day, we all went out together and worshiped publicly. It was a great way to praise God for all He is doing!
February 2022:
“You passed by 5 barbers to reach my shop. Why did you pick me?” wondered a local barber as he cut the hair of one of our group. The answer to him was the same as the reason we were in the city in the first place…”Prayer”.
On one day our group had the sense that we were break into 3 groups and simultaneously pray through specific scriptures for this city. This led us to look for a triangle shape to correspond to our 3 groups…and we found a park in town that was a 3 cornered park shaped like a triangle. Some locals had asked us to pray for water for their city…and the 3 cornered park “just happened” to be on the edge of a dried-up lake. As we prayed through the scriptures, we also took this as our cue to pray the Lord would provide water for the city, both physical water for the body and living water for their hearts.
December/January 2022:
While being delayed by Covid for almost 2 years, we determined that we would pray more, not less, before we went to our prayer city, a large biblical city in the heart of the country. From home, using Google Street View, we virtually prayerwalked through the city. During this time the Lord gave us plans for how to pray once we actually arrived. On one of these virtual prayerwalks, a particular house stood out to us as significant. Once in the city, we decided to find that house, and the surprised family welcomed us in for coffee. We were able to pray for the father’s injured leg. Imagine the son’s shocked face when the father said his leg felt better! The family was also thankful for our prayers for employment and provision. Through all of this the Lord opened their hearts to accept a Bible in their language - surely the first in their home.
October 2021:
Though I had never heard of the town we went to, it turned out to have significant ancient and national history that we prayed into, as well as praying over the next chapter of the city's history and believing for a redeemed future for the residents. The Father also gave us some specific tasks to do while there—like worship during one of the local holy nights—as well as specific places around the city to intercede.
One woman we met shared how she has lived in that community for years yet still feels like an outsider. As we prayed we also asked the Father's blessing on her children. The next day we returned to see her. It turns out that her teenage daughter had left home earlier in the week and this lady was really worried for her. The same day we prayed her daughter returned home.
She was so touched by us praying for her that she started crying when we had to leave. "It's so sad to say goodbye to such kind people," she said. She was comforted when a long term worker offered to exchange telephone numbers, and they have since shared some verses with her via text message.
Even though we're no longer there, one of our team saw an image of our prayers rising up from the city still, like incense to the Father as our intercession continues in and for that place.
September 2021:
The Lord gave much favour every moment in our prayer city. On our first day there, one prayerwalking group didn’t get very far before they were invited into a lady’s garden who showed them showed all kinds of fruits and vegetables and offered some to them. Later, one of the prayerwalkers explained that for months she had been having dreams of delicious fruit. The Lord was saying to her, “Here, you can take this.” We felt this was a big confirmation of how there would be a great harvest in this area.
After eating a meal in a small restaurant the owner came in and offered us tea. He insisted on paying for our food and before we left he asked us to pray for him, his wife and two small children. When we ate there again, he truly opened up to us, sharing his struggles. We were able to pray in person for his whole family and his employees!
Another day, we met a young man, a university student who then introduced us to the mayor. The next day we were summoned to the mayor’s office where we were officially welcomed into the city. The mayor put us in the hands of the young man to take us around to various places where he asked us to pray - an abandoned church, the home of a famous local musician, a bunch of relatives harvesting a crop, and other places. The day ended at this young man’s home where we prayed for the Holy Spirit to touch him and his mother. Following that, he said he was open to meet with someone to read God’s Word.
May 2021:
Our team spent 3 days in our prayer city and we had an amazing time praying over the city and seeing Jesus touch people with his healing power! We started out praying on one of the hills overlooking the city declaring an open heaven over the city and hearts to be open to the gospel. From this we were so excited to meet the people and share about Jesus as we were prayerwalking. Outside of the mosque we had some words of knowledge (felt like God was sharing with us his intentions) over a man’s shoulder and knee in which both of them accepted prayer and were healed. We saw many other healings along the way as we initiated connections with people everywhere we met. It was truly only God who connected us to the right people at just the right time! Perhaps one of the most incredible moments was as we were leaving our hotel and asked if we could pray over a man’s back. After he got completely healed we told him that this was the honorable prophet Jesus the Messiah who was healing him. The man then replied in tears, “I have been seeking Jesus.” What an honor to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this city of people who are so hungry for God’s love.
April 2021
Working around virus curfews and lockdowns, we were still able to cover a lot of ground as we covered this city in prayer. Entering an unused room in an ancient religious building we came across an unusual carving of a pre-Islamic pagan deity - reminding us that worship of false gods has a very long tradition here…Mindful of this, we spent time declaring the true identity of the Creator and Savior, as well as calling upon the Lord to send workers to this place to be part of seeing a lasting testimony raised up.
While restaurants were technically take-out only…we found that the law of hospitality supersedes the law of the land, and were invited in anyway. May these same welcoming hearts soon welcome the King of Kings.
February 2021
In our prayer city, God gave us favor even amid country-wide curfews and restrictions. We were welcomed and shown great hospitality at a restaurant where we enjoyed delicious meals every day during our stay in the city! God used our English-speaking host at the restaurant to point us to two of our significant prayer assignments.
A major theme the Lord gave us was: Pray for the church that will soon arise in our prayer city, and prophesy the truth of God’s Word over the future church and over the city. Psalm 45:1 was an exciting verse to our team…That our tongues could be his pen to write the “future story” of our prayer city. We did this as we traveled in circuits around the city, praying and declaring God’s truth over the people of the city.
Two specific prayer assignments the Lord gave us included:
- Praying at an ancient Hittite site declaring the One True God and his truth in the face of the false gods that have brought deception for generations. A pure river coming out of the side of the mountain in this location provided water for our entire prayer city. At the Lord’s prompting, we poured a communion cup representing the blood of Jesus into the river; to our amazement a local woman came and threw bread into the water moments before we poured the cup! She was totally unaware that she had participated in a prophetic act that the Lord directed us to do! It was a beautiful picture to us of the church of this nation arising.
- Praying at an ancient caravanserai (an inn for caravan travelers, including camels and horses). We anointed a big iron ring where long ago horses were tied and prayed that, just as the caravan carried treasures, the treasures of the Gospel would be carried from our prayer city to the surrounding region and nations. Amazingly, a local man came in just then and took hold of the very ring we had anointed and held on to it as he explained its purpose. He unknowingly gave us a picture of the people of this nation being anointed to take the treasures of the Gospel out to their region and the nations!
August 2020
Even in the few days that we were in our prayer city, we could feel a change in the spiritual atmosphere. On the day we arrived, the team felt a distinct lack of welcome. By even the next day, there had been a significant change. People we met went out of their way to show us hospitality, and even passersby on the street called out greeting and welcome to their city. As the week progressed, this spirit of welcome only increased.
God gave us a few themes for our time in our prayer city. One was the theme of clearing away brush, in preparation for the laying of the foundation for a local expression of the Body of Christ in the city. Another was the theme of stairways, and the truth that the way of salvation is open. One team member was given the prophetic act of interceding for the city at the bottom of stairways, and then celebrating what the Lord is going to do at the top. We acted this out in faith at several different stairways in the city leading up to high places. Another theme that kept popping up was the wedding celebration, and Jesus calling his bride to himself.
Throughout the trip, the Lord guided our steps and led us to divine appointments. He put specific places and people on the hearts of our team members throughout the trip. One time, we simply got on a bus and asked God to let us know where to get off. All of a sudden, several of us got the sense that we were supposed to get off at the next stop, so we did. As we prayerwalked through the streets, we were led eventually to the foot of a large hill. An abandoned stairway, overgrown with brush, led to the top of the hill. We prayed for the salvation of the city at the bottom, prophetically cleared some of the brush away as we climbed, and sang praise and worship over the city at the top, thanking the Lord for what He was going to do. As we sang...the joyful noises of a wedding procession drifted up to us from a street below.
Much remains to be done in the city, but the clearing of the brush has begun, and ground has been softened for the next step.
December 2019
As we walked into the town we were praying, asking the Holy Spirit for directions and a place to stay. A man walked up to us and said “Hi! How can I help you?” and helped us find a good place to stay!
We prayed at the 4 entrances to the city and “planted” scriptures there. On the way back into the town we got invited into older woman’s house and she served us food. We prayed for her and she got healed of her back pain.
There were a couple of important places in town where we wanted to pray – and we were invited into these places! Through a divine appointment we were able to meet the religious leader of the town and gave him a copy of the Holy Book. We left our prayer city happy and in awe of the goodness of God.
November 2019
With this Luke 10 Team, we launched Anatolian Harvest into a new part of the region with new hosts. We had 3 alumni on the trip, all getting to experience a very different trip. We were in a large city and were given the opportunity to pray primarily in the city center. We walked a lot. We prayed a lot. We enjoyed Jesus where he is not known. Being a college town, we met several students. We even found a coffee shop whose regulars strongly value community and welcomed us in over and over. Not only did they welcome us, they were open to talking about Jesus.
On this trip, we had the opportunity to share Jesus. Our focus is prayer. However, when you get asked certain questions, the only answer is "Jesus." We even met locals who have read Scripture and been to church, which is extremely rare. Praise Jesus for all He is doing in this Prayer City and all He is going to continue to do there.
October 2019
We were a small group from India going to a small town where we didn’t know the people, place, or language. Our prayer assignment began immediately. We quickly met a teacher who helped us a lot, and everyone was curious to see people from our country visiting that town for the first time. Restaurant owners welcomed us and gave us discounts, supermarket workers became friends - hospitality wise they are very good.
We were able to share deeply and pray with a man who questions about our faith. We were able to answer him in a way that pointed him to our savior, whom he wanted to follow. We prayed for schools, hospital, police station, market places, mosque etc. The last night we prayed in the town's square where we envisioned having an open air meeting one day.
October 2019
We’ll never forget our days in our prayer city as we were to listen in the spirit and ‘go ahead of Jesus where he was about to go’. We felt immensely privileged to prepare the spiritual soil, visit the ancient crossroads and re-open the ancient wells that living water can flow again in this town.
While the inhabitants were very hospitable, our presence as foreigners in town was a great enigma to them, but all accepted a blessing and prayer with thankfulness. We were able to share words of life in different forms.
The light we carried inside of us, was obviously visible. One evening a deaf-mute gentleman came to our table at a restaurant with outstretched hands to be prayed for. We prayed, anointed his lips and ears and expectantly trust that his first words in 40 years will be praising the Lord all through the town!
We had communion every night and realized that maybe this was the first time communion was shared in the town in centuries, or ever. How prophetic is this! May His Kingdom come here soon!
September 2019
The four of us commenced our prayers from the highest point in the town, offering prayers for the whole town. As we began praying the whole town was covered by a great shadow cast by the clouds, but when we had finished praying there was not a cloud in sight. The locals were so hospitable: pouring tea, gifting fruit from their trees and most willing to engage with us. Indeed, many were willing to listen to stories from the Bible and our own lives, and anyone who was offered prayer accepted. Throughout the time God led us to bless the town in prayer, worship and scripture. We prayed over significant locations and continuously prayed aloud on every street we walked down. For some parts we walked towards specific landmarks to pray over, at other times we let the Spirit lead our direction. We prayed obediently, listening to what God saw as the need, and therefore always having the words to pray. Community leaders were keen to welcome us, offering tea, and enquiring as to our presence there, being most grateful of our prayers for the people. In all our time there we invited the presence of the Lord. Despite a spiritual opposition to our presence, we received a warm reception as foreigners and guests. Prayer has begun to make the way for the Kingdom of God to be known there according to His will.
August 2019
As we began prayerwalking, our group had several enthusiastic welcomes from people who seemed delighted in the simple fact that we had chosen to visit their city – a place not frequented by tourists. As we purposefully prayed through the city, we were welcomed with open arms at every turn. When we shared that we had come to pray for their city – this opened the door to pray also in person for individuals.
One of the main themes of our prayer was “Groundbreaking”. To help express this prayer, we bought a small shovel and used it to symbolically “break ground”, praying open the way for future communities of believers to be built up in that place.
July 2019
In the mornings we took time to worship God in a park and ask him for instructions for the day. Two members of our team simultaneously had the sense that they should talk to a group of veiled women who were passing by with their children. Although they couldn't understand each other, the women invited our team-members to join them for a picnic. They were able to pray for them and bless them in Jesus' name. Another person we met there was a university professor who had been born in this city before his family moved away. He enthusiastically showed us around his home-town providing insights into its history and what life was like: perfect fuel for our prayers.
We declared the praise of Jesus from the highest point in the city, prayed for hope for the refugees who live there, and declared scripture.
July 2019
It was the dry season, but as we arrived there was a heavy rain. We divided into four groups and prayer-walked through every street, including government places, schools and mosques. During the journey everyone experienced the hospitality of the locals. We were welcomed with tea and food, and some of us were invited to stay in a home and had fellowship with whole family. Even though we had language barriers we used translation apps to communicate with each other, and pray for them. Our group started and finished everyday with worship and prayer together to see what the Lord wanted to tell us. We felt the Lord told us to focus more on prayer for we also felt the spiritual dryness and fear in the hearts of people. We believed that as the Lord could send rain in a dry season, He would also make a change in people’s heart through our prayer.
July 2019
As we felt God lead us, we prayer-walked the streets, worshipped in the parks and interceded for His kingdom to come in countless mosques. On the university campus we prayed for the local students, for God to awaken a desire to know Him, and that He would bring believers there who could share about Jesus. We made fast friends with a group of local students who worked at a small museum and were keen to know more about us and also our faith. We met up with them again twice for coffee, got to share Jesus and pray for them. Turns out that a google-translated museum tour is a great way to kick-off friendships with a laugh. Another fun opportunity was when a chess team from a different part of the country invited us for tea late one evening. Since we had a common language, we were able to share with them about why we follow Jesus.
July 2019
In our prayer city, we couldn't walk 30 feet without someone inviting us into their home to eat or have tea! Everyone wanted to know more about us and why we were there. We spent lots of time speaking and praying with townspeople. The fruit was in season, and the people gave us cherries, apricots, plums, and almonds. We walked around the town and planted seeds in places where the Lord led us. This was a symbol of the spiritual seed of the gospel being planted in this town.
June 2019
Our group left for the prayer city with high hopes and eager expectations that we will see what Jesus had in store for us. Our bus driver was a pleasant man who did not know what we were doing because of the language barrier. When we arrived, he asked us where our hotel was, and we told him that there wasn't one. He was shocked that we wouldn't have a place prepared, and took it upon himself to find us a place to sleep. He took us to the mayor, who arranged for us to stay in some public housing. From there, we conducted our walks and prayer times. The Lord provided in a way that we certainly were not expecting!
June 2019
The Lord really moved in our prayer city. We had the opportunity to cover it in prayer as well as meet several people. God provided a welcome to us, from the very first minutes we arrived. In addition to praying through our prayer city, a smaller town, we were able to go hiking in the country and pray over it. Multiple people invited us to an area festival, outside of our prayer city, which the whole town and surrounding areas attended. This festival has been going on for over 200 years and we were able to meet the mayor of our prayer city. Probably the most exciting part of our visit was having the opportunity to talk about Jesus. Our hosts regularly brought up spiritual topics and our team responded by sharing the love and hope of Jesus. Praise the Lord!
June 2019
The people in this small agricultural town weren’t quite sure why 8 foreigners chose this place for a destination, but the curiosity did not hinder their generous hospitality. Within our first hour in the town, we were led to a restaurant. The owner not only fed us a feast, but he also gathered locals in the town to find a place for us to stay. We then were invited into his own home, and the home of his Uncle. While in the home, we sat at the dinner table for hours. We were able to speak about the difference between religion and relationship, and our host even welcomed us to read him a passage from the Word. We asked to bless their homes, and as they nodded, all of us opened our hands and prayed together. Oh God we pray that these people will open themselves to you, just as they opened themselves to us.
Alongside these two families, we quickly connected with a family we met in the park. As they hosted us for meals, we gathered on their porch and the younger girls in our group had spiritual conversation with the English speaking daughter, while the older men chatted and laughed as if they had been lifelong friends. When we weren’t spending time in homes, we prayed throughout the streets, fields and buildings. We felt specifically led to pray over the local community center. God gave us the vision of the community center transforming into a training center for workers spreading the good news throughout the country. In response to the vision, we worshiped from the center to the edge of the building, dedicating it to the Lord and claiming it as a place of peace.
March 2019
We were hungry when we arrived in our prayer city so we stopped at the first restaurant we saw. As the chef made our meal, she asked where we were staying. Before eating we told her we were going to bless the food and asked what we could pray for her. She asked for prayer for her business. As we ate more people came to get place orders. The owner commented how business had picked up since we had prayed. We told her the story of the Good Samaritan, and she invited us to return that evening to spend the night with her family. After dinner at her home other family members and neighbors came over. The biblical concept of households coming to faith came alive as the living room filled up throughout the evening.
Every day while walking throughout the city and praying people kept telling us we should visit a city 20 minutes away with interesting sights. We wanted to stay in our prayer city, but for our last night, the Lord arranged a divine appointment. We walked into a store and the shop owner spoke to us in broken English. He also mentioned the town 20 minutes away. His family runs a hotel there and invited us to stay at their hotel. So, after coffee at the workplace of a neighbor of the chef, this man arranged a ride for us to the nearby city. Over dinner at the hotel, the store owner prayed and brought up spiritual things. He said he saw light in us and that we were more than tourists. We had important things to discuss and he was excited to be able to discuss deeper things.
March 2019
Our team arrived with a sense of excitement...something was happening in this town that was much bigger than any of us could imagine. Immediately we were noticed on the Main Street- who were these foreigners and why were they here? We soon realized that visitors in this town were a rarity. After eating a quick meal in a nearby restaurant, we established the hotel as our home base and split up into smaller, less intimidating groups. We then set out to explore and cover the town in prayer, worship, and bring the city before the throne of God. Little did we know the impact these people would have on us- their generosity, hospitality, and warmth was shocking to our western sense of individualism. We prayed as we walked, using whatever we witnessed to inspire our prayers. Mosques, schools, shops, private homes- from the center of the city out to the edges. We prayed God’s peace over the city, for the people’s eyes to be opened to the truth, and for a person of peace to reveal themselves to us. As God is wont to do, we asked, and He provided. Before we left, we were able to identify a few potential persons of peace, pray for the close relationships we had formed, and bring the light of the love of God to these people. We left behind a piece of our heart in this beautiful land, but we know that God is not done with this people. God’s word has promised that every tribe, tongue, and nation will be present before His throne and we will cling to this promise until that day comes.
August 2018
Our prayer walking journey was incredible. God led us to a small agricultural town. In less than a minute (!!!), we were greeted by a woman who asked why we were there. We conveyed to her and others that we wanted to experience the real Turkey and they took us right in. From that point on, God placed dozens of opportunities in our path to pray, to worship, to seek his face for this town. Before we’d even tasted our first Turkish tea that morning, we were invited to stay with her family. God provided housing for us for the entire time in two different locations! It was unbelievable. After lunch that first day, we began walking throughout the city and found a natural spring. We began praying and pleading with God for this spring to be a metaphor for what he was going to do here one day. We prayed for living water to come, for a church to be planted, and for the gospel to go out. This quickly became the theme of the trip. The entire trip was God’s providence. We were even to share about our faith with the local police. Hour by hour God was present with us. Our times of prayers were sweet, and they still are. May God raise up his people in this town.
July 2018
None of our small group of students had spent much time in a country like this before, let alone in a non-touristy rural location. But God graciously provided for all our needs. Very quickly a host for our stay came forward and offered lodging, and we were offered non-stop tea and food for virtually our whole time. We committed our time to prayer and meeting locals, spending most of the days walking through the town - from the central square's tea houses, to back street homes, to a local school, to a council building, to mosques, to a local park containing a beautiful waterfall. We met many people who were keen to pray together and even speak about faith. The most significant connection was between one man, M, and one of our group who spent many hours talking very personally, openly and clearly about the merciful invitation of Jesus.
In the town is an old Christian memorial grave. It is derelict, covered in birds nests and has been raided for valuables. Rather macabrely the locals told us to go into the tomb to see the bones inside. But perhaps that is the metaphor which fits the town, dry bones. We went on our trip to ask God to give life to the dry bones in this town. Will you join us in that prayer?
June 2018
We went up a mountain and prayed blessing over our prayer city just as the sun was coming up. Driving into the city we met a lady on a donkey who told us to go into the center where we met a sheperdess who befriended us and was our host most of the day. It started with tea, then we purchased ingredients and had dinner with them. We got to meet most of her extended family and prayed for her and her daughter. The second day we went to all the old churches and monasteries to pray and worship at each site and visited a family we met just walking down the street. Third day we wanted to go up the mountain again early in the morning to pray blessing over the city, then the ladies went back to the family from the day before and the men went to pray for the hospital. The ladies had a great time with the women at the house, praying and sharing with them for a long time. I personally felt so much at peace and excitement that "random" people who we met on the street became friends and welcomed us into their homes.
December 2017
Our prayer city was small enough that we quickly realized we would not simply blend in. Soon after arriving we were directed to a local restaurant where a total stranger paid for our meal! The owner of the restaurant soon became our patron and turned up everywhere around town to take care of us. People invited us into their homes and showed us great hospitality. We walked and prayed through some significant church ruins and tried to enter an old empty church in the center of town, but found it locked. In God’s wonderful ways, would you believe a local historian turned up at our hotel to give a presentation of the history of the city? Very helpful information for our prayers. By the last day, we were amazed to be ushered into the Mayor’s office as honored guests, introduced at local schools – and they even opened the locked church where we were able to pray and read scriptures with our hosts following along. Our footsteps were truly directed by the Lord through the direction of the kind people who received us.
November 2017
The Lord is at work in Anatolia. We were extremely well received in this small city. God led us to visit with some of the same people each day and even led us into spiritual conversations. One potential person of peace even started the conversation on God. He went out of his way to make us feel welcomed and safe as Christians. We also had the opportunity to pray over the whole city from a hilltop vista. On our way up, one member of our team was struck by the Spirit at one point. He had a dream the night prior, and saw something from his dream that led us to pray over a particular house. This led to a conversation with a neighbor and the opportunity to pray over this man. These people are so hospitable and God is continuing to move mightily in Turkey.
June 2017
Travelling together as six women initially we were slightly nervous about our adventure, but it proved to be an amazing time of witnessing God’s leading, safety, provision and goodness. We prayed through two cities with Holy Spirit readily directing us as we would start in each city with times of worship, prayer and listening to God. He gave us pictures, scriptures, impressions, songs and various prophetic words. We found a distinct spiritual atmosphere in each place we visited. As we got to know the history through friends and locals, there was much confirmation of the words we sensed God giving us.
Both towns were hospitable and curious to see 6 foreign women walking around their streets and overall they joyfully accepted our blessing and prayers. We even got to spend a night in a refugee family’s home whom showered on us their love, gifts and hospitality.
The locals are such beautiful people. It was a blessing to love on them and have that love reciprocated. It was an amazing and very memorable experience of partnering with the Holy Spirit, with one another and with the body of Christ. May God bless this ministry and continue to lead others to partner in this service.
December 2016
Our welcome in the city increased each day, including an enthusiastic welcome at the city hall and a presentation of gifts to the team. While covering the city in prayer, we received a special welcome into two small family-owned restaurants. In both places the Holy Spirit brought words of knowledge that opened the door to pray personally for healing (physical & emotional) for the family members and their workers. Those ministered to were eager to be prayed for and wanted their friends to be prayed for as well. They were visibly touched by the Lord. In a small store we were welcomed to pray for the owner and his wife, and three others in the store. At the prayer’s completion the English-speaking owner expressed gratitude for the prayer and urged the team to visit again. Lord, raise up your vibrant, love-filled followers in this city!
November 2016
We visited a small town heading into the cold season. There were not a lot of people out but we were there to pray - so it worked out well. In this town there is a seeker who claims half the town would follow Jesus if not for the repercussions from the community. Also there is a Christian family from this town that visits in the summers. Our team was able to pour the water of prayer on the seeds God has already planted here!
June 2016
We were amazed at the ways God directed our footsteps and paths in a city where there were no local believers that we knew of, and a city where we met less than 10 people who spoke English. We had no clue where to walk each day and had to simply trust that the Holy Spirit was in our every move, guiding us along step by step--just like a shepherd. God used the onset of rain to keep redirecting this group's path as we prayed each day. As we kept pondering and marveling at how God uses everything in this world, even rain, to guide us, we were inspired to pray that those in this city would also marvel at Jesus as their shepherd one day. And even more than that, we started praying that God would bring followers of Jesus to shepherd these people and lead them to the Good Shepherd. God showed us the beauty of how he shepherds our hearts as a means to shepherd the hearts of the lost.
May 2016
Our group traveled to a city of tens of thousands of people and no churches and no known Christians. We spent days literally walking up and down roads, in and out of neighborhoods, along valleys and across mountains, praying, worshiping and declaring the word of God. There is no way to fully explain tears of intercession. I just know that when I was silently crying on the ride to the airport as we ended our journey, I felt those warm tears connecting with the prayers we had sown over the course of the trip and Isaiah 55:10-11 was the confidence I took home with me. "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void [says God], but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
April 2016
As we were walking through the city praying, we were invited to join a family for a picnic, then were invited back for another picnic the next day with 20-30 people. We ate together, danced, laughed, played soccer, and music. We prayed for them, which was warmly received. As we prayerwalked past the mayors office we were invited in. Hearing that we hadn't been outside the city, a car and driver was quickly called to escort us to various sites - some which overlooked the entire region - a wonderful place to pray over the whole city! The final day we were escorted to the front row of a city gathering and seated with local dignitaries who were addressing the town. They even asked us to say a few words! We came as strangers, but we were welcomed and treated as honored guests. May the Lord truly cause His peace that was proclaimed to remain on that city and its people.
December 2015
One of our teen-age team members had a dream that led us to focus on a particular area of the city. As soon as we arrived in that neighborhood to pray, a local family compelled us to enter their home for tea. After a wonderful visit we asked to pray a blessing over their home and family. Having done that, we prepared to leave. However, this family asked us to come back and stay with them! So, our remaining days were filled with the delightful hospitality of our host family and many of their friends and relatives! During the days we prayed through the town, and during the evenings we enjoyed the rich opportunities to share the love and joy of Jesus with our new friends. May they find that their hearts continue to rejoice more and more as they find fulfilment in the King of Kings.
September 2015
We walked the complete perimeter of the town, including the two entrances, declaring God’s purposes, praying prophetically, and confessing particular sins of the past which we discovered linked to that town. We walked the streets and greeted people. At every opportunity we got to know the locals, and drank tea with them while we shared Bible stories and testimonies, and received enthusiastic responses when we offered to pray for them. One young man was completely paralyzed and in a wheelchair. His body was completely disfigured but he was so radiant and hopeful. We prayed for God to heal him completely. Another lady repeated over and over, "Allah sent you here," as we prayed for her. The people were curious as well as suspicious of us because it is not a town tourists visit. Some thought we were after gold recently rumored to be there! So when they asked we told them we were there to pray God’s blessing over their town because God loves them and wants to bless them. One of our group was invited to have lunch with the local association of farmers and has been asked to visit again as a consultant to introduce alternative methods to help farmers increase their efficiency.
September 2015
God doesn’t call us to be successful, He calls us to be faithful. On this Luke 10 Team, we did not get into deep spiritual conversations or find a Person of Peace, like we had anticipated. We simply were faithful to leave our Prayer City prayed for, in Jesus Name. As a group of couples, God used this trip to pass His vision for this land onto our spouses, igniting a fire for its people that will not be put out. As we are faithful, God is faithful. As we pray, we prepare the way for Jesus to continue to work among the people in this city he loves so much.
June 2015
Our time was incredible. We came with a team of 9 and our purpose was to prepare our prayer city for the work of Jesus. Many on our team experienced the sense of a heavy spiritual darkness at the beginning of the trip. Our goal there was to pray — to prayer walk the city for 4 days straight. As the week went on, our team started to truly feel the spiritual darkness lift. One of our sub-groups felt led to walk around one of the biggest religious buildings. Through their prayers they started to have some encounters with people that were friendly and open to spiritual conversations. Our team was very impacted by the power of prayer during our trip. We were humbled that through prayer and with the Spirit moving, the Kingdom of God entered that city through our team. It was amazing and we were definitely changed forever through our time there!
June 2015
From Tea to Prayer: On several occasions we had the pleasure of seeing people respond positively to our prayers in Jesus name.
A man serving tea at a local restaurant became misty-eyed and very receptive when we asked if we could pray for him.
A family added their own enthusiastic “Amen” to our prayer for them while we visited in their home.
Following the example of the group, an astonished local young man walking with our prayer group prayed blessings over his city probably for the first time.While sobered by the sheer number of people living in forests of high-rise apartments in this city, nevertheless, our group prayerwalked through them with faith and confidence that the One who sent us has wonderful plans ahead for these delightful and hospitable people. May your kingdom come, your will be done, in this city as it is in heaven.
May 2015:
God didn’t take long to reveal to us just how much better his plans were for us than our own. We had the opportunity to meet a couple of ladies with the same name. Open and unashamed as they were, they didn’t want to pass the opportunity to brush up on their English. It made conversation easy. While at first defensive in their conversations about our spiritual differences, by the end of our stay they were asking for a Bible and where to find the Scriptures we were referencing. What was impossible with man, was possible with God! His Spirit is moving!.
May 2015:
One kind man served a meal to our group. He wouldn’t let us pay, insisting he wanted to do this for us. He told us some things about his family. We felt so encouraged…his hospitality was almost too much to handle, and felt like God's grace...something you do not deserve, but all you can do is accept it, swallowing your tears. The last day after we returned from the streets of our prayer city, we were surprised to find a bouquet of daisies left on the grass near our tent. It was strange because the place we camped was pretty remote and all those days we walked inside and outside the city we didn't see any daisies...So whoever did this, made an effort and definitely did it with a purpose. We felt really blessed.
The days we spent in our prayer city were powerful moments. God was so faithful and merciful that He exceeded our expectations and met us in our fears and hesitations. We felt God's protection over us, we felt he walked with us showing us what to pray for, opening our eyes for the needs of the people and giving us a loving heart for them, guiding us every step of the way. We fell in love with the hospitality and kindness of the people and beauty of their simple life. The way that God spoke to us was so unique and graceful. We felt amazingly honored to be part of His plans for them.
March 2015
It started with an invitation. As we walked through the snowy streets of our prayer city, a man pulled his car over and asked my team where we were going and if we wanted something hot to drink. We accepted his invitation. He took us to a tea house to warm up, and then to his house, where he fed us, serenaded us, and opened his home for us to stay the night. He and some friends also took us around their city and surrounding area to show us historic places and overlooks. They didn’t know it at the time, but they were taking us on a prayer tour.
Over the next few days, as we prayed through his city, this kind man introduced us to many people in his community. He never monopolized our time, but checked in with us regularly to make sure we were taken care of. It was clear God had prepared this man to host us long before we arrived. Another invitation is being extended – God is calling this city to come to Him. Please join us in praying!
November 2014
In the days before this team left, one team member in prayer kept seeing the face of a woman with her husband and son. She felt it might be significant and shared it during orientation. As we arrived in our Prayer City, there was uneasiness on the team due to being in an unfamiliar country for the first time (for some) and especially due to the fact that we did not know where we were going to stay for the next three nights. For several hours, we walked through the city with new Turkish friends hoping to find somewhere to stay, but found no options. We prayed about the situation, probably with a little frustration and doubt. Then, just as it got dark, we met a lady, who ended up hosting all 8 of us the first night. And, yes, her family matched the description of the one seen in prayer before the trip! This family may be people of peace in this place. The Lord provides. Before long, it seemed like the whole town was competing to see who could provide the most hospitality…so we gave thanks that the town welcomed us in as we spent our days in a combination of new friendships and praying for the Holy Spirit to come and move on this city filled with people created in the image of God and designed to worship Him.
August 2014
When we first entered our prayer city we found a place on top of the hill and from there we started to pray and read aloud Scriptures, proclaiming the glory of Jesus over that city. After praying and reading we built an altar made of rocks on which we wrote Jesus is Messiah. While coming down the hill we met a modern older couple in their 60’s who were returning home after work. They asked us where are we from and offered us a place to sleep. It was God’s sovereignty because we had the chance to eat and discuss with them about Jesus. The next day we had the opportunity to meet their grandson, a teenager who was 18 and had previously done a Bible Correspondence Course. That night we read from the New Testament in their mother language and had the chance to eat and pray with them. This was a door open for a follow up and we continue to pray so that they will be open not only to meet new people, but also to recognize Jesus as Messiah.
June 2014
While in our prayer city a teammate and I had an opportunity to visit and help on a potato farm. When we arrived on the farm two things were immediately apparent: the land was in desperate need of water, and our host, Mustafa, was in need of healing. He has a permanent limp caused by a spine injury. We asked if we could pray for his spine in the name of Isa Messi (Jesus the Messiah) and he said yes. We laid hands on him and petitioned for his health and the health his crops. We also prayed for rain, which came within a couple of hours. It then rained the next three days, which is a rarity there this time of year. After laying irrigation pipes for Mustafa, he invited us to his home to meet his family and eat dinner where he asked me to pray for the meal. The fact that he requested we pray for them in the name of Jesus suggests a spiritual openness. This was a good representation of the welcome and response our team received from the majority of people we met.
May 2014
When our group first entered the city, we found a place to sit atop a hill and began to sing, play guitar, and read Scripture aloud. Almost immediately, a group of high schoolers approached us and were curious to find out who we were. To our surprise, even after hearing that we were followers of Jesus who wanted to pray for their city, they invited us to stay with them for the next few days. They treated us like family and provided everything we needed – food, a place to sleep, and even gifts. They spoke almost no English, which quickly taught us to rely on the Spirit and not ourselves. By the grace of God, we were given the opportunity to read the Bible with our new friends! It was so incredible to hear them read the words and stories of Jesus out loud to their entire circle of friends. We witnessed these friends hearing the word of Jesus for the first time, and experienced the joy of seeing them discuss it among themselves. We pray that God would continue to work in this group of friends, and lead them to become a unified body of believers!
April 2014
We entered our "prayer city" thinking that we were the only believers in a city of 100,000 people, but within 2 hours we had met a passionate Christian refugee from a neighboring country and we were able to pray for and encourage him. We divided the city into 4 quadrants and spent much time walking and praying for the neighborhoods. We also found a great overlook point where we daily prayed for the whole city. One day we were quite tired from logging 15 miles walking and praying. Instead of resting, we crossed paths with a fluent English teacher and invited him to join us for supper. He brought friends and our conversation went late. As the restaurant closed, then a tea house and then a coffee house...the evening ended with the man holding out his hands and asking the group to pray for him on the spot. The next day our friend joined us again-with 2 new friends, seeing new parts of the city. Both days, he wanted us to pray with him several times. Since then we've heard encouraging reports from friends who have followed up with him.
March 2014
With our luggage in tow, we were trying to find a particular park on the map…when to our amazement we were welcomed on the street by a local mosque leader. This dear man genuinely took our group under his wing, leading us around, introducing us to people, and helping us find a place to stay. While we didn’t speak each other’s language, we greatly enjoyed spending time together and often shared meals. By the second day, he knew without a doubt that our group wanted to pray for the people of his city, and he even began pointing out particular people that he wanted us to pray for – knowing that we were praying in Jesus name. The Lord led us in times of deep intercession for this city that will now forever be in our hearts as a place where the Lord is creating a welcome for Himself!
February 2014
It honestly feels like wrong turns don’t exist when you are prayerwalking in Turkey. We were in our “prayer city” for most of 4 days. Everywhere we went, we were warmly received by the Turkish people. In fact, we often didn’t make it to where we were going because someone would begin talking with us and invite us in for tea. In this way we sat in many homes, businesses, offices of political parties, and even helped a family in their vineyard. One team members family back home was praying for the Mayor, and the next day the Mayor came down the street and introduced himself to the team! We had numerous opportunities to pray for and with local people. May their warm welcome to us be their first step in welcoming Jesus!
October 2013
Our team was made up of a Brazilian, a Romanian and couple from the States. We prayer walked lots of the side streets of the small town we visited. The Lord put on our hearts to intercede for the people we were passing by, the children, elderly, poor and all types of people. We found a small hill overlooking the city that made for a great prayer place. We were amazed at the number of mosques for such a small town. We wondered what kind of reception we would have from the people, but soon learned that they were eager to host us and were very hospitable towards our group. We played soccer with a group of kids on the edge of town. As we played, a lady appeared out of the blue with a bag of apples that she gave to us and then disappeared. We were served tea and snacks in a small room surrounded by 15 or 20 smiling faces. A restaurant owner spent most of an hour at our table talking about our countries and the Lord. We met his father, a famous local poet. We were able to give them a Turkish New Testament. We left with lots of love in our hearts for this dear place and its people!
September 2013
The Lord connected us with a young Turkish man who knew that he had some Christians in his ancestry, but he didn’t know much about what they believed, so he started asking us questions. This resulted in the opportunity arising for him to be presented with his very first New Testament in his own language. He was very touched by the whole conversation and by receiving his first Scripture and asked if someone would be able to come back and talk to him about these spiritual things.
September 2013
We spent some time trying to walk up to the highest point over the city to pray for the city, but obstacles meant we couldn't get up as high as we wanted. Yet, the next day a friendly Turkish man wanted to show us his city, and so he took us in his car to the very high point we were trying to reach!
The Lord opened the hearts of one family to invite the two ladies on our team to stay at their home. While there, they were able to share that they are followers of Jesus and to pray for the family.
A young man quietly shared with one team member that one of his parents was a follower of Jesus - but he himself hadn't yet made up his mind. Join us in prayer for H, that he would soon have faith in Jesus and share him with his city.
June 2013
As we gathered for our initial team meeting, we realized that our prayer walking experience was going to be much different than what we'd prepared to see happening while we were in Central Anatolia. We learned that the previous team had used the Luke 10 model and had seen God at work in many ways in their prayer visit. Putting our trepidation aside, our team walked and prayed through the city, hospitals, schools, university campus, and neighborhoods. We were encouraged to reach out to all local people that God put in our path that were willing to practice their English with us. We felt God's Spirit move many times in the short time we were on site. Our visit with refugees was also a highlight for our week. We came away from Central Anatolia with a new found commitment to pray for the people that call that provincial capitol their home.
June 2013
We were a family team and enjoyed prayerwalking in a provincial capital. It is delightful to see the openness of the Turkish people and how they are so quick to reach out and welcome us. We were able to have a number of significant conversations with people. It is truly amazing how much can be communicated even when you don’t speak the same language. Our hearts are touched by these people and we are excited to see the blessing that the Lord is preparing for them. One team member said “I loved when we walked and found people to try to talk to…their curiosity made it easy to connect with them and share our faith and pray for them.”
May 2013
We spent most of 4 glorious days in our assigned "prayer city". In the model of Luke 10 we showed up in town with no plans of where to stay, no car, and no contacts. Would you believe the first people we met when we arrived ended up being our main hosts?! And our first evening meal was provided by the local mosque leader who said we were "God's guests"! We felt as if the entire town of 6,000+ received us and showed us uninhibited hospitality in every way. Everyone we met went out of their way to be gracious and welcoming to us. We believe all our hopes for visiting this town were well met and even exceeded. Since our visit, some friends have visited that town and have a Bible Study with 2 of the potential "people of peace" that the Lord led us to. Thank you, Lord!