Washington DC Prayer Breakfast

The National Prayer Breakfast in DC is unlike any event you can imagine. Sponsored by the U.S. Congress, for the past 57 years thousands of people gather the first Thursday in February to pray for the President and all those in government as well as for global issues.

It should really be called the International Prayer Breakfast as representatives of many nations attend each year as invited guests. Besides the "main event" the activities of the week include meals with special speakers and highlighting ordinary people doing extraordinary things through God's guidance and power.

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For example, we heard from a young couple who as newlyweds started a business/ministry to make small business loans to underprivileged individuals in impoverished countries. Now they are handling millions of dollars in loans over the internet each year with a 98% repayment rate!

Then there were two inner city, black women who are spearheading a ministry focused on promoting reconciliation. That would just be a great vision except that the son of one of these women murdered the son of the other. Reconciliation is not just theory to these brave activists.

Likewise, following decades of war and strife, a Catholic and a Protestant from Ireland took the stage and were interviewed by two Senators, one Catholic and the other Protestant. God is doing miracles in that country because of the prayers of many and because a few are determined to stand up and resist prejudice and discrimination in the name of religion.

So what were two couples from little Ensenada, Mexico doing in the capital of our neighbor nation as delegates of this unprecendented event? First of all learning and listening to what our God is doing around the world. Secondly uniting in a vision for our own city, state and country and its leaders that they would know Jesus and be challenged to govern following God's principles. And finally meeting others from many places we may never visit in this life who have this same heart for the places they came from.

We truly believe that one day we will send out invitations to the Ensenada Prayer Breakfast. Now that is something worth praying about!