Amanda Schmidt

Amanda I started my journey with Jesus at 17 years of age, doing a 180 degree turn in my lifestyle. I had been struggling with substance abuse, cutting, and severe depression for several years. Jesus broke in with such power and strength that I have never been the same since! I can testify first hand of the war that the devil wages over this precious generation and the God who wars harder for it to be His!

After a couple of years I began to thirst more and more for relationship and depth with the Lord that would satisfy my heart and cause me to be a burning and shining lamp in a very dark generation. I was introduced to the message of the soon return of Jesus at the Onething conference in 2003 in Kansas City, MO. Over the four days of the conference the Holy Spirit bore witness in a powerful way to what God was doing in the Prayer Movement. It was truly a turning point in my life with God and set me on a course to live a life of prayer, fasting, and preparation. I now truly had a vision for my purpose and my destiny.

I started going to the Lubbock International House of Prayer where God began to do a beautiful work in my heart. He was telling me what my identity was as a much beloved daughter, a priest in the House of God, and the Bride of Christ. He is a truly beautiful God! I would sit in the worship and prayer sets and pray the Word back to God and ask Him to move with power on our city and nation. I started to learn how to minister to the heart of God in prayer. I was, and still am, amazed at the dignity and honor that God gives to us as sons that we would be able to move His heart and agree with Him for what He wants to do on the Earth. We can actually feel His heart for Justice, Salvation, and Revival. He is NOT indifferent to the injustices on the earth but desires very much to have sons and daughters that would agree with Him to bring His kingdom to the Earth.

In 2005, the Lord called me to minister in the House of the Lord full time so I moved to Kansas City, MO to the International House of Prayer. This was a very difficult transition that caused me to face much fear in my life and taught me how to trust in the provision of the Lord. I can tell you after doing this for 5 years that He loves to provide for His kids! He is waiting for a people that will take Him at His word and step out in faith like children.

This past year the Lord answered a desire in my heart for marriage and brought Joshua into my life to be my partner, friend, and husband. We are learning how to live a life of prayer and consecration throughout all of the seasons of life. God has cast vision into our hearts for being set apart for Him and preparing this generation for His soon return. We long deeply for His government on the Earth and wait with joy and expectation! We can testify that He does and will chase us, His children, down with His mercy and goodness!

Tim Durham

TimI was a student at Texas Tech and the Lord awakened my heart to a life of prayer and worship. I was longing for a place to connect and run after God and even to intercede on behalf of Tech, Lubbock and just family and friends and the Lord gave me the Lubbock International House of Prayer. I was so blessed during my time there. I found a place where I could go and just run after the Lord. I found that the Lord truly wanted to speak with me and draw me away in worship and loving Him. I found a place where people would pray for me and encourage me. I would encourage anyone and everyone to pray about whether or not God is wanting you to be involved at a House of Prayer, specifically the Lubbock IHOP if you live there. For your heart to truly be alive I believe we need so much more than Sunday morning or even Wednesday evening Christianity. God is calling you to love Him with all of your heart, and I would encourage you to seeing if the House of Prayer is part of that for you.
 
Since moving to Kansas City in August, the Lord has just been overwhelming my heart with His goodness. The Lord is so faithful and kind to us even in our weakness, and He longs for us to surrender to His mercy and receive His love. I have been so blessed to get to go to the Forerunner School of Ministry and now I have switched to the Forerunner Music Academy. It's amazing the things the Lord is doing. God has been preparing this community for great exploits in ministry and even great persecution. He has been pouring out His spirit upon the school and even the whole base. I felt the Love of God pushing on my heart and the jealousy of God drawing me to surrender my wounds and fears to Him that I might meet with Him in a deeper place. It has been a truly stretching time for me, but I feel so alive. I love love love my music classes and getting to learn about guitar and keyboards and even getting to do a worship set with a team 8 hours a week. I love getting to learn about and diving into intercession through worship and worshiping through singing scripture. I find that my heart is so alive when I am singing scripture and am understanding this as part of what I was made to do. God is so good to us, and I am so thankful for my time here in KC. I am learning there is a great calling on my life that I have yet to tap into and I feel that the more I devote myself to prayer and fasting and the word of God, the more God wants to show me vision and wants to partner with me as His son, and as His beautiful bride.