Global Prayer Initiative

About ten years ago, we found ourselves needing to move. The house we’d been living in was no longer available to rent, so we did what we’ve always done when it comes to housing—we prayed: “Lord, put us in a home close to people who are seeking—people in whose hearts You are already at work.”

In God’s kindness, He provided just the right apartment for us. It was in the same neighborhood we’d been living in—so we could maintain relationships built over time, close to Philip’s office, and a perfect fit for our family… all answers to prayer! What we didn’t realize was that the real answer to our prayer lived directly beneath our feet.

Our new landlords lived on the floor below us, and the landlady, Dee, soon became a friend. Being skilled in painting, woodwork, and jewelry, she owned a small art shop.

Lynn began stopping by her shop every Friday, simply to visit, sit with her,

and be a friend. On one particular Friday, Lynn’s parents were visiting. They all stopped in to see Dee, shared coffee and conversation, and at the end of the visit, Lynn’s mother—true to form—told Dee, “I will be praying for you and for God’s blessing in your life.” She said that to many people she met, and she meant it.

About a week later, during Lynn’s next visit, Dee asked, “When your mom said she would pray for me… did she really mean that? Does she actually pray for me?” Lynn smiled. “Yes. She does. She truly will.”

That simple expression of faith stirred something in Dee’s heart—a desire for more conversation about God. She was already, in many ways, like Cornelius in Acts: God-fearing, spiritually aware, and respectful toward God… but without someone to clearly point her toward Jesus. And the Lord, in His perfect timing, had placed us right above her.

When Dee eventually closed her business and stepped away from the shop, her visits with Lynn didn’t stop. They simply moved into her home or onto her porch, where Lynn and Dee drank coffee together—sometimes two, or even three times a week. They talked about life and faith, children and God. Little by little, Dee’s God-fearing heart blossomed into a sincere, joyful faith in Jesus as her Savior and Lord.

We had prayed for God to put us near someone that He was already drawing to Himself, and we were so thankful to find that she lived right below us. Ministry in Southeast Europe and Eurasia is often like this—by prayer, ones and twos come to faith, walking a slow, steady path from unbelief to joyful trust in Jesus.