10 Jul Prayer Partners for Wheeler
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
I first began volunteering at the old Care Center (what would later become Wheeler’s Center for Women & Children) in 2007. I used my Bible study teaching gifts, honed by Bible Study Fellowship and Precept Ministries. But by 2013, I was retired, a member of Kaleo, and felt led to serve more!
On a cold, February day in 2013, the Prayer Partners ministry was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the minds and hearts of Julie Alvis, Chris Hemsley, and me—Ellie Hashman Timberman. We’d all been involved in the prayer ministry for Anne Graham Lotz’s Just Give Me Jesus 2012 conference in Indianapolis. God’s working through prayer has always been abundantly evident in the ministry of Wheeler Mission, but there wasn’t yet an organized prayer ministry within the organization.
The vision of the Prayer Partners ministry is “to seek the heart and will of God as revealed in scripture and pray that it would be evident and fulfilled in the lives of the staff, volunteers, and guests at Wheeler’s locations.” Chris and I disseminate requests submitted by the Wheeler staff on a bi-weekly basis to over 100 faithful prayer warriors—many outside of Indiana!
One of the outcomes of the Prayer Partners ministry has been personal, bi-weekly contact with the guests at the Center for Women & Children, to pray for and with them. What a blessing it has been to be able to pray for the program participants and graduates! We pray them through their programs and rejoice in their success as they fulfill Wheeler’s mission “to see every man, woman, and child we serve equipped to be productive citizens who enjoy lasting success in Christ.”
Here are some pictures of the most recent Higher Ground graduation (May 2019). It is such a joy and delight to pray for these dear women that I’ve come to know so well.
In this case, I loved praying especially for Michelle. When she started the program, we shared a scripture that means so much to both of us:
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. Deuteronomy 8:2 (NIV)
That night, I prayed this verse, and that God would continue to work in both her life and mine!
P.S. Interested in learning more about Wheeler Mission’s Prayer Partners? Go here to learn more and contact Julie Alvis to join the ministry!
This piece is authored by Ellie Hashman Timberman, a High Impact volunteer at the Center for Women & Children.