House of Prayer, Cuernavaca

Just wanted to drop a few raving lines about the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Cuernavaca. I believe it is the only one affiliated with the original movement out of Kansas City, but they assure me that there are countless other "Houses" around the country.

I went at the invitation of a lovely person, fun, fresh and fabulous Sarahi. Other people I've come into brief (some not-so-brief) contact with have some connection there, so I felt curious to see this place, and to find out a little more about the House of Prayer in general.

We arrived, and I was enamored right away. I was acting like a crazy person who hasn't seen the outside world after a long time of isolation - asking the taxi driver what that was, if the city was this beautiful everywhere, if there were a certain monument I shouldn't miss the opportunity of seeing.

Soon, we walked through a gate, down a lovely stone staircase, to a covered courtyard surrounded by tropical flora where they were already gathered for worship. I was shown into the room where they cover the country and the world with prayer for 24 hours a day. We were invited to dine with the internship graduates and congregants of the local church. And they arranged a full "set" for us to spend two full hours just hanging out with God.

I have never been among more amiable people - no offense to those who I've been among in the past, you are quite amiable, as far as I can remember. They received us not with just a smile and necessary niceties. They were genuinely happy to see us without even knowing us. Props to Maya, the internship coordinator for her extra niceness.

We arrived during the internship graduation's closing remarks. There were messages shared by people who accomplished impossible things, and whose calling in life is very much a Mary vs. Martha - they work by sitting at the feet of Jesus everyday, interceding for the world. I can't think of a harder job, or a more desirable one.

We did what I like to call a "Perkins," because, when I was young, we would all do the same thing every Wednesday night after youth group - go to a restaurant called Perkins and hang out.  They recieved us, sat us down, we talked like old friends. The time they spend with Jesus every day simply oozes out their pores.

That's the explanation I'm going with: oozing Jesus-pores.

One day was not quite enough for me....