Alabama WMU continues prayer effort with walk in New Orleans’ Zone 6

As groups of prayer walkers from Alabama Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) rounded the corner in New Orleans’ Zone 6, Jean thought they looked as if they could help her.
  
“Do you have any bus fare?” she asked.
  
One of the walkers handed her $2, and she headed for the bus — then she paused.
  
“Hey, are you church people?” she asked. “Would you pray for me? Satan’s got a hold of me and won’t let go. My name is Jean — like the jeans you’re wearing.”
  
But the prayer walkers didn’t really need help remembering her. Thirty-seven from Alabama WMU had gone to Zone 6 — the area adopted by Alabama Baptists as part of Operation New Orleans Area Homes (NOAH) Rebuild — to lift up Jean and the thousands just like her.
  
In fact, they had already been praying for her for weeks, though they didn’t know her name then.
  
The prayer walking, which took place Oct. 26–27 with about 40 women from Louisiana WMU, put feet to the Mission New Orleans effort Alabama WMU has had going on since Aug. 6. Women across the state have been receiving weekly e-mails detailing prayer requests from three sources in Zone 6:
  
– Tulane University’s Baptist Collegiate Ministries,
  
– Gary Walker, Alabama Baptists’ project manager for the rebuilding work in Zone 6, and
  
– Loving Four Baptist Tabernacle (see story, this page).
  
“Since Alabama has adopted this zone, we wanted to be a part of that process,” said Candace McIntosh, Alabama WMU executive director. “We will be involved in other ways, too, but we will definitely be a part of the prayer ministry.”
  
The prayers of Alabama Baptists “soften the hearts so that God can work” in Zone 6, McIntosh said.
  
And the prayer walk helped lay the foundation for the work that will follow as state Baptist teams continue to go to New Orleans, said Pat Ingram, Alabama WMU missions and ministry consultant. “Almost all of the people we encountered were very open to speaking with us and asked for specific prayer for their lives and families.”
  
The women were also able to give out tracts and copies of the Here’s Hope New Testament as they talked with people on the streets, Ingram said.
  
For more information about the Mission New Orleans prayer effort, call 1-800-264-1225, Ext. 292. To receive the weekly prayer request list from Zone 6, e-mail Ingram at pingram@alsbom.org.