Prayer Ventures (Aventuras de Oracion)
Goes Bilingual

Betsy Lee of Prayer Ventures (center). Pastor Phil Wagner of Trinity Lutheran Church
on her right and Pastor Edras Perez on left with his Hispanic congregation.

When we get to heaven, the Bible tells us, “every nation, tribe, people and language” will worship God together (Revelation 7:9). In January and February, 2009 Prayer Ventures held its first bilingual prayer workshop. It was a little taste of heaven.

The purpose of the four-week workshop was to train people how to pray for their friends, families and neighbors in their churches and communities. Of the fifty people who came, there were attendees from Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Uganda, China and the UK.

Prayer Ventures partnered with Trinity Lutheran Church in Waconia and Westwood Community Church in Chanhassen to put the workshops on. A faithful group from La Iglesia Evangelica Ministerios Renacer (IMR), a Hispanic congregation that meets at Westwood, joined us every week. The classes were held in Spanish as well as English. Six translators helped produce written material and interpret the presentations.

The prayer training culminated in a community-wide healing service, a blend of teaching, worship and one-on-one prayer ministry that drew 115 people. What a night that was! We danced and clapped, praising God in two languages. “It was amazing to see God unite our hearts,” said Jeanne Savitt, “He transcended the language and culture barriers and made us one.”

When the service was over, Pastor Phil Wagner, the senior pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, smiled and said, “Thank you. Prayer Ventures has opened doors for us.”

We look forward to developing our partnership with Trinity and Westwood and our hermanos y hermanas en Christo (brothers and sisters in Christ). Perhaps we don’t have to wait to get to heaven to experience the rich and wonderful oneness of the Body of Christ.