As Christians, we know that prayer can change everything. We have seen it and we believe it, so we get excited at the opportunity to pray with others and watch God work. Many times, though, He uses that prayer in ways we would have never expected. 

On our second full day of ministry in New York City, half of our group took the subway down to the center of Brooklyn and joined a couple of men who set up Prayer Stations every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon in order to love on the locals and hear their needs. It was a little intimidating as we spread out along the street where dozens of people passed us by every minute. We had our tracts in hand and nervous smiles on our faces as we prepared to reach out and hope someone would do more than ignore us as they walked by. Later in our debrief, most of us admitted that we had been a bit skeptical about whether or not anyone would really want to talk to us, let alone ask us for prayer. 

Then it started happening. People did walk up. People did smile and take our tracts. People did ask us for prayer. People even prayed for us in return. And with every new teary-eyed acquaintance spilling their struggles in hopes that our listening ears and prayers would bring relief, we grew stronger. We grew more confident in what we were doing. We began to feel overwhelming joy and excitement as we layed hands on strangers and asked our Father to change their lives and be near to them. 

Before we knew it, our skepticism and nervousness had faded and been replaced by radical faith and unconditional love for people we barely knew. And with every prayer, each of us was encouraged beyond our imagination.

What we didn't know, was that God was using those prayers, not just to bless those we were meeting, but also to prepare us in huge ways for ministering in the moment countless times throughout our week in New York. We became confident and able to walk up to broken, ignored, and lonely homeless people who we passed on the street and pray for them in love and compassion. We were equipped to do something we probably would not have dared to do even a week prior. 

The same was true of the half of our team who worked with a Relief Bus in Harlem the next day. They handed out soup, soap and socks to countless Hispanics in need. During that time, one of our team members, Sabastion, began talking to and serving over 100 people in Spanish before another student, Nick, prayed for them in English as they were leaving. They both called it their favorite part of the trip, because after Sabastion connected to these people in the language that they understood, Nick was able to lift them up in our language to the God who hears and understands us all.

So, when I talk about the power of prayer on this trip, while yes, God did some great things in the lives of those we ministered to, I am really referring to the power it had in our own lives. This team of youth students and leaders from Michigan and Illinois are forever changed by the intersession made on behalf of the people of New York City. With every prayer uttered, our souls were encouraged and our faith was renewed again and again.