Calvary Creekside Church reached out to our Bellingham City Director, Katie Steele, because they wanted to stand with her team in real time prayer. Their prayer team gathered each week to pray for specific needs coming from the sidewalk as Katie and her team offered hope to families walking into the abortion center. For more than a year they had seen no saved babies, but they refused to grow weary. They kept praying specific prayers, believing God would bring specific answers.
One of the greatest challenges they faced was the number of Spanish speaking women arriving for abortions. No one on the team spoke Spanish. Katie asked the church to pray for a way to reach these moms with the hope of the gospel. God answered that specific prayer through Pastor Ivan Montenegro of Hispania Gracia. When Katie saw a Spanish speaking mom arrive, she would call Pastor Ivan. He always answered. As soon as a window rolled down, she handed her phone to the mom or dad, and Pastor Ivan spoke life and encouragement in Spanish. Katie said you could visibly see hearts soften when they realized they were talking to a pastor. It was another reminder that specific prayers bring specific answers.
One day, a young Hispanic couple stopped for Katie at the entrance. Before they even rolled down the window, Pastor Ivan was already on the line. Katie handed the phone to the young man, and Pastor Ivan began to encourage them and pray for them in Spanish. The couple pulled into the parking lot and continued to listen. A few moments later, the young woman stepped out of the car and walked into the abortion center. The team on the sidewalk watched and prayed, not knowing what would happen next.
Minutes later, the young woman came back out, got into the car, and the couple drove away. At that moment, Katie did not know what had happened inside. She only knew that their church had prayed specific prayers, and now this young couple had left without saying a word.
Later that weekend, Pastor Ivan told Katie that the couple had come to his church. During that service, the young man surrendered his life to Jesus. Two weeks later, the young woman also submitted her life to Christ. Their story was already becoming an answer far beyond what anyone had imagined.
Katie did not hear the full story about the baby until the Celebrate Life Prayer Walk. As Pastor Ivan shared the testimony there, Katie learned what really happened inside the abortion center that day. The young woman had not gone in to follow through with the abortion. She had gone in to cancel the appointment.
As Katie listened, she realized how many individual moments God had woven together. The prayers offered up by the church, the timely connection with a Spanish speaking pastor, the conversation through a phone at the entrance, and the courage of that young couple all pointed to the same truth. God had heard their specific prayers and answered them with unmistakable clarity.
Their baby is alive. She is thriving in her mother’s womb. The couple asked Pastor Ivan to baptize them, and they chose a fitting name for their child.
They named their baby Isaiah.
Never doubt this truth. When the church prays specific prayers, God gives specific answers. He hears. He moves. He pours out grace. And when His people show up to pray and act, miracles follow.
“It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24
This miracle began with believers praying specific prayers. To see real time prayer points from cities across the US and join us in praying for families in need, visit lovelife.org/prayer.