Manhattan Miracles
By Shenalyn Page
Jason and Dee Patton planned to visit Peru for their seventeenth anniversary. But then they found something more intriguing—the opportunity to be Manhattan missionaries in New York with Prophecy Odyssey, an evangelistic series hosted by Amazing Facts International in collaboration with the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and the Greater New York Conference (GNYC).
“We did the worst possible thing,” Dee grins. “We decided to pray about it.”
It didn’t take long for the Pattons to reschedule their anniversary trip. Instead, they joined local church members, Amazing Facts staff, and 125 missionaries from as far away as England and New Zealand to share Christ in the mission field of downtown New York City. Together, they reached out through prayer, personal invitations, and an epic evangelistic series.
Pastor Doug Batchelor, president and speaker for Amazing Facts, preached the 15-part Prophecy Odyssey series from September 20 to October 5, 2024. The series was held in the heart of downtown New York and attracted an average of 800 locals on weeknights and 1400 on the weekends. The series was also broadcast live in English and Spanish on 3ABN, AFTV, and Hope Channel International and has amassed over 48 million views on Facebook and YouTube. In addition, artificial intelligence software translated each session into 17 languages, available at www.prophecyodyssey.com.
Barriers loomed large in advance of Prophecy Odyssey. Hosting an evangelistic series in the world’s most iconic city and streaming it to the world would not be cheap or easy.
“We started praying. A lot!” says Batchelor. “We moved forward by faith, and the Lord opened the door for us to return to the Manhattan Center’s largest venue (instead of the smaller one where I preached Millennium of Prophecy 25 years ago). It’s been a wild ride ever since.”
Much prayer and hard work preceded the massive evangelistic effort. In addition to Amazing Fact’s months of preparation and promotion, a team of 18 local Bible workers, led by Pastor Bianel Lara, the personal ministries director for GNYC, labored on the streets of New York’s five boroughs, following up with interests and giving Bible studies. “I am praying for 250 baptisms, and I have no doubt that God will give them to us!” smiled Lara.
God did even better. Three-hundred and seventy-seven (377) New Yorkers joined the church through baptism or profession of faith. A Chinese church and a Spanish church were also planted. “We’re seeing results in parts of the city where we’ve never had growth before,” said Pastor Alanzo Smith, president of the GNYC.
The Pattons and other Manhattan missionaries began each day with sessions of united prayer led by Pastor Martin Kim, Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism’s (AFCOE) outreach director. Prayer time was followed by evangelism training with AFCOE staff. Then, the missionaries went out on the city streets to offer prayer and invite people to Prophecy Odyssey.
“We were genuinely surprised by the spiritual hunger we found in the city,” says Carlos Munoz, AFCOE director. “There were a lot of people who were very receptive.”
The following stories are just a glimpse into how prayer opened doors for the gospel in New York City.
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Justin Cooke, a discouraged missionary, prayed quietly, “Lord, please lead me to someone within the next two minutes!”
“Hi, how are you?” greeted Renan, a man cleaning the streets of New York.
Justin took that as the answer to his prayer. “I’m impressed that I’m supposed to pray with you,” Justin announced. Shock played over Renan’s face, but he bowed his head as Justin prayed.
“In all of my life, I have never, ever had anyone want to pray with me,” Renan said afterward, then his tears began to flow. He began to pour out his troubles to Justin, even telling him of his plan to do something “really bad” to his girlfriend and her new lover. Justin pointed Renan to our Savior as the One who can solve all our problems and encouraged him to attend the meetings.
“I know the Lord sent you to me to stop me from doing something terrible tonight,” Renan said as he hugged Justin goodbye.
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Erica Mendez and her two pre-adolescent children were headed back to the hotel after the prophecy meetings late one night when a very drunk man approached them in the subway station. Erica pulled her children close and began to pray silently and intensely for the man.
“I wasn’t really scared of him,” she remembered later. Instead, she found herself interceding for the man’s salvation and deliverance from alcohol. Then, as they boarded the subway, the man looked up and clearly said, “Thank you!”
“The Holy Spirit must have told him that I was praying for him,” she said, amazed at what God can do through prayer.
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James was growing spiritually but seemed unable to shake his addiction to tobacco. Things began to change when he was hired as a security guard at the Manhattan Center during Prophecy Odyssey. He listened eagerly as he scanned the hall for threats. Tears frequently slipped down his cheeks.
One night, an Amazing Facts staff member approached him and asked how she could pray for him. “Pray I can stop smoking,” James requested. She prayed for him and ensured he received the free Bible studies and magazines.
The last night of the meetings, she spoke with him again and noticed he no longer reeked of tobacco. “I haven’t smoked since you prayed for me,” James smiled. “I tried a couple of times, but it burned my lungs, so I threw it all out.”
Today, James is studying the Bible with a local Bible worker. “I was so blessed to be paid to listen to these meetings!” he says.
“I underestimated the power of prayer when I was younger,” says Batchelor. “But I’ve learned that more prayer really does equal more power. The more we pray, the more God can do to reach people’s hearts with the gospel.”
Shenalyn Page is a homeschool mom and a writer for Amazing Facts International. This story has been shared with permission of Amazing Facts International.
World Church Prayer Requests
November 29 — December 5, 2024
Papua New Guinea: Pray for the Wapenamanda district in Papua New Guinea. Over 100 pastors will be hosting Wapenamanda for Christ and preaching to target 10,000 souls. This evangelistic series will be taking place December 15-28, 2024.
Nigeria: Pray for WAD IMPACT 2025, an evangelistic effort to bring the Gospel to every corner of West Central Africa. Pray that the Lord will repeat the experience of Pentecost in all the evangelism sites.
Kenya: Please pray for the elected workers for 2025 that they may yield their hearts to Christ. Pray that they may be prepared the work ahead and be filled with the Holy Spirit to accomplish their God-given mission. Pray that the Roysambu SDA Church may be united in oneness of purpose and that it may be a center of influence for Christ.
Zambia: Pray for Chipulukusu Adventist Youths Alumni (CAYA), a ministry eager to support soul winning and to create mentorship of active young people. They will be hosting their first reunion event on January 25, 2025, in Ndola, Zambia.
United States: Pray for Light of Hope SDA Church, a church plant in Allentown, PA. Please pray for God to help the church members reach the hearts of the people around them and persist despite discouragement.