Jun 26, 2006 - 02:09:20 CDT
For the Tribune
By GWEN BRISTOLBy GWEN BRISTOL
In April, Lola and Robert Copenhaver went halfway around the world to pray.
They stood on the Mount of Olives and looked down at Jerusalem. Lola Copenhaver said being there felt like a dream. They took a moment for prayer.
Copenhaver carries visions of prayers like that to the Healing Rooms of the Northern Plains.
The Copenhavers opened the Healing Rooms in Bismarck three and a half years ago. Currently, the Healing Rooms are opened on Mondays from 2 to 8 p.m. at 209 N. 24th St.
Copenhaver described the Healing Rooms as a non-profit, non-denominational walk-in prayer clinic. There is no charge, the prayers are confidential, and anyone from any walk of life - including those who don't attend church - are welcome to stop in with prayer requests.
"There are so many people who have not had individual prayer ever in their life," she said. "Someone just focused on what they need."
But she said she believes that, at least in the Bismarck area, that will change in the next few years.
"I like what I've seen with the National Day of Prayer and with some of the pastors getting together to pray," she said. "I think God has big plans for our capital city."
The Healing Rooms sees as many as 20 people each week. A prayer team anoints with oil, lays hands on the person requesting the prayer, and prays individually with that person for around 20 minutes.
"We deal a lot with the spiritual roots of disease," Copenhaver said. "We've seen miraculous things, but most of the time healing is a process."
Copenhaver enjoys the time she spends with her ministry.
"When I sit at the desk, I see people come in with pain, but I can also see the change as they leave," she said. "There's a whole lot of joy."
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