WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?
Yesterday seems like we were still at the beginning of the year! Let’s take a look of what has taken place so far in 2025…
With our Christmas tree still flashing pretty lights in our living room, January started with a much-needed time of rest and catching up. We have really focused this year on how we can best support the prayer room. God has pointed out some precious intercessors and worship team members that have become especially dear to us. We have committed them to prayer, and have determined to make them feel loved, supported and not alone in the prayer room. We want to love their families and have them in our homes as much as we can.
As the weeks and months continue deeper into 2025, I just want to say something. This House of Prayer is an amazing place. We not only are blessed with amazing and exceptionally talented, anointed worshippers, prayer leaders and intercessors that are totally in love with Jesus; but these people are firm and grounded and have stayed planted during some exceptionally difficult times. They are so well beyond their years in growth and in faith and love of the Lord and His Word. I cannot emphasize enough how much love and respect we have for these precious ones. Some seem so young to have such solid grounding in their faith, and such solid commitment to “keep the fire burning”. We are constantly humbled and so unbelievably grateful to be part of such a community of rock-solid warriors; those fighting daily on their knees as intercessors and those holding down the fort on the worship teams, laying down their lives for God’s purposes. Many have young families, and they have made this ministry their full-time job, raising their own support, faithfully serving day after day. Many are on Night Watch, staying up all night to keep this House of Prayer and worship going 24/7. It’s incredible to just look around this place and be overwhelmed to see the faith, hard work and commitment it takes to do this. We are truly in a company of a people like no other.
And the flaggers and dancers- OH the flaggers and dancers. I (Hazel) have become so in love with being among them and using beautiful flags to worship my Lord. And the children. This place is full of them. When we have an alter call at one of our special gatherings, the young teenagers are right there with the adults praying their hearts out for those who come forward for prayer. And the little ones worshipping in the back of the prayer room with those of us who dance and flag in worship- they are so precious. They look
up at us with their little eyes and just wave their flags to Jesus. This Gramma’s heart melts to watch them. I want to be like them when I grow up!
We both have scheduled our prayer room hours around the worship teams and worshippers God has led us to focus on, and we just love them so much. We go to as many of their sets in the prayer room as we are able to, and are still part of the Israel, America and Moral Outcry special prayer groups that meet in the side rooms. We have become very close to the home groups we are part of, and our Home Church. We meet with the “Community Gatherings” as they are called, in the Prayer Room, on Saturday nights. Most of our prayer room time is during the daytime, but we do come to some of the evening Israel prayer sets as well.
There are often special prayer events and potlucks just to promote a close family atmosphere. We love our Simeon Friendship Group that meets every other Tuesday in a member’s home, with fellowship, prayer, testimonies and worship. (and supper!) There have been
many severe health needs in our group, and we have been able to hold each other up and walk through things together.
As for Tony’s and my own health, he has regular follow up appointments since his stroke and is taking more walks and doing well. This year I have focused with determination on nutrition and daily exercise. My treadmill and I have a daily morning appointment!
It’s a great time of quiet with the Lord to start my day! I had a recent routine EEG (measures brain wave patterns) as a follow up on some meds I have taken since 2021 when I started with some seizure activity. This has been completely controlled, but I do follow up regularly, as I still take meds for this. Tony had a recent test for possible carpal tunnel surgery, as numbness and tingling in his right wrist has been more of a problem for him. Apart from those things, our health is really good. We continue to make plans for more concentrated prayerwalking in the towns and cities around where we live, as the weather gets better.
April brought another birthday for Tony- he is 86! I will be 70 soon and going strong.
May brought us some family time that took us to Colorado, and some sadness that took us to Indiana. We were able to spend a week and see the kids, grandkids and two great grandkids in the Denver area. We were so grateful for every minute we got to be there
with them. While we were there, one of Tony’s Indiana brothers sadly passed away. We left from Colorado for Indiana to attend Tony’s brother’s funeral and see another of his brothers in the hospital after a stroke. It was a sad time but precious to have all the family, including out of state family, come together and support each other. It is always sweet time when family is together, even if the circumstances are not what we’d have chosen. We are grateful travels were safe and everyone got back to their homes without incident. God is so good!
Soon it will be June first. It’s hard to believe this year is nearly half over. Our immediate plans include more prayer room time and more prayerwalking, a short respite time in Branson, Missouri for 3 days in June, and completion of that summer trip to the southeastern loop of America that we couldn’t complete last summer! We are also asking the Lord about a journey to DC in October to join others in praying onsite over our Capitol, and to be part of Awaken the Dawn’s “Communion America”. It will be an incredible time of prayer and unity there, and you will be hearing more on all that later. In the meantime, we stay focused on our prayer work here and thank our Lord that we get to have this time in this place. Every day is a new day and time will tell what God has in store for the rest of 2025.
Blessings, and thank you so much for your prayers!!
