Prayer Drive Thru where the Holy Spirit moves in profound ways

Everybody who stops is offered prayer and the love of Jesus

It’s called the “Lorraine Prayer Drive Thru” but the name doesn’t do justice to what Jesus has been doing through a group of volunteers in a roadside park in Gqeberha since August last year.

“It actually seldom happens that it’s a drive-thru because people get out of their cars and they say: ‘Here I am.’ They start with a long list of things that they need prayer for — marriages, prodigal children and just a lot of brokenness and a lot of tears normally.” said Malinda van Eeden, the founder of the ministry outreach in Sedan Road, Lorraine.

“Even the volunteers start praying for each other. So it’s just amazing how Holy Spirit takes over. It’s like, you just know He’s there because He moves every heart.

“And we’ve had a lot of people that got saved and got baptised. We have a pregnant lady who came initially because she has had miscarriages. And now she’s a volunteer. It’s like that, you know.

“And I keep contact with every single person. We take down their name and their number and we disciple them. It’s not just getting them to be saved, but we go the long haul in the Kingdom.

“We baptise them. We disciple them. They become part of our cell group and we really help them along,” said Malinda.

She recalls how they could not follow up one “young fellow” who stopped for prayer because they recorded his phone number incorrectly. “But at the very next drive thru he came again. And that week after we made an appointment with him he gave his heart to the Lord at a coffee shop. It’s just wonderful to see how his life has changed. And he’s now also part of the drive thru.”

A microbiologist, wife and mother to two sons, Malinda said that while at home together during the Covid lockdown, the family pressed into God’s Word. They were all baptised during this period.

“That is when the fire in the belly started for going out and actually trying to carry out the Great Commission and the Great Commandment,” she said.

She got the idea for the prayer drive thru from a Facebook Reel of a small prayer drive thru in Texas. “The pictures showing hunger and desperation in people’s eyes just touched my heart,” she said.

She got municipal permission to set up a prayer drive thru on a stretch of road adjacent to a beautiful park frequented by dog walkers, families with children and joggers.

Malinda organised signs with pertinent Scripture verses, “Jesus Loves You” boards and flags to attract the attention of road and park users.

Her husband Dawid, and her youngest son, Tiaan, 22, are part of the volunteer team that serves at the drive thru.

She said Dawid prefers to be in the background but supports her all the way. “He’s very bold for the Lord. He stands on the street corner and doesn’t let one car go by without giving them a tract, saying to them: ‘Make a U-turn, go and take one minute for some prayer.’ And the people make a U-turn right there and go back to the prayer drive thru.” she said.

“So even if they don’t pull off. every single person, whether they’re in a car or a bike or a pedestrian, they walk away with seed in their hands. And then every person that stops for prayer — we give them a Bible and a tract.

“I’ve designed a little wristband with all the steps to accept Jesus. And so we give that as a gift to them as well.”

Since their launch last August they have held a drive thru every second month — setting up at 8am and serving from 9am to 1pm.

“We normally have five teams of prayer warriors of two each. And then we have someone that does the worship — just playing on a guitar and worshiping in the background. And we have a coffee team that caters for people who want to stay for a while. And then there is the welcoming team that brings the cars in.” she said.

“And we have different shifts that start every hour. And the two volunteers will pray together before they start their shift.

“The week before the drive-thru we normally fast and pray that God will prepare us as volunteers and also prepare the hearts of the people that must come past the drive thru.

“God is very good. He provides the funds. He provides the workers. He provides the harvest,” said Malinda.

At the request of volunteers they are increasing the frequency of their drive-thru days from every second month to monthly. They are also starting monthly prayer ministry visits at a local hospital, starting this Saturday. The next prayer drive thru will be on Saturday July 6.

Anybody who is interested in joining the vounteer team is welcome to contact Malinda at +27 82 290 3734.

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