Filed under: Compassion, El Salvador, Evangelism, King's Castle, Missions
From AG news:
On October 31, 1998, a nonstop prayer and fasting vigil planned for
the remainder of the 20th century began in the Prayer Fortress at
King’s Castle International Training Center camp in El Salvador.
But when the new millennium arrived, it seemed a natural conclusion
to keep praying, so day after day, and year after year, the vigil
continued. And on October 31, 2008, many people from around the
world gathered at the Prayer Fortress to celebrate 10 years of
unceasing prayer.
“After two years, we had developed the habit, and we couldn’t
imagine stopping it. So many people had been called into ministry,
and so many people had witnessed miracles,” says missionary to El
Salvador Terri Triplett, who founded King’s Castle Ministries with
her husband Don in 1989.
Since its inception, the main prayer focus has been for revival and
a modern day Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit in El
Salvador and other nations.
Although the number of Prayer Fortress participants varies from week
to week, there is always a minimum of six intercessors on duty who
cover a pair of two and a half hour shifts each day. The Tripletts
estimate that approximately 12,000 people have participated in
prayer over the years.
Ten years of continuous prayer and fasting have had tremendous
impact in El Salvador. Thousands of people have been baptized in the
Holy Spirit and hundreds have experienced a call to ministry. The
Tripletts say the Prayer Fortress has become a spiritual refuge for
many in their country.
“Young people who are now pastors and young people from churches
will make a pilgrimage and spend one or two days in the Prayer
Fortress,” Terri explains. “When they have a problem or if they want
to shut out the world and focus on God, they come to pray.”
But the Prayer Fortress’ impact is by no means limited to El
Salvador.
“Through the prayer focus, young people have gone as missionaries to
other countries,” Don reports, adding that powerful ministry
movements have occurred in Venezuela and Nicaragua as a result God’s
work in the Prayer Fortress.
In addition to the young Salvadorans who have been called into
ministry, many students from the U.S. have received a call to
missions while working with King’s Castle Ministries.
Each year the Tripletts and King’s Castle Ministries welcomes
approximately 1,000 youth participating in AIM short-term missions
trips. Every AIM team spends an evening in the Prayer Fortress
before they go out to minister.
Stories of Prayer Fortress-related miracles abound. The Tripletts
can recall many instances of healing, deliverance and divine
protection.
Maintaining nonstop prayer for 10 years has not been without its
challenges. On October 1, 2005, Don and Terri left El Salvador to
speak at services in the U.S. A half-hour after they left, the
country’s highest volcano exploded, only five miles from the Prayer
Fortress.
At the time, the Tripletts’ daughter Michelle and her husband Jon
were serving as missionary associates in El Salvador. After the
eruption, Michelle learned that the man in charge of the Prayer
Fortress had decided to suspend prayer because the entire zone was
being evacuated due to the rising threat.
Believing that the prayer should not cease, Michelle called a local
Master’s Commission leader and explained the situation. When the
leader heard the news, she said she would go to the Prayer Fortress
with a group of Salvadoran Master’s Commission students who agreed
that they should persist in prayer. Michelle drove the group to the
Prayer Fortress, traveling “against the tide” as others evacuated
the area.
Never wavering in their commitment to prayer, the Master’s
Commission group stayed in the Prayer Fortress for a little over a
month, until the crisis was over. During that time, the students
believe an angel stood guard between the center and the erupting
volcano. Terri reports that when the rest of the area was covered
with ash and sulfur, those at the Prayer Fortress were not affected
by it.
The Tripletts can personally testify to the impact the prayer focus
has had on their family. Two of their daughters and their families
are currently serving as missionaries, while their youngest daughter
plans to work in India one day with her husband.
Each year Don takes two eight-day prayer shifts, as a time to get
away with God and seek direction for their ministry, which continues
to expand across Latin America.
On Friday, October 31, 2008, many people gathered to celebrate the
prayer effort’s 10-year anniversary, which coincided with the King’s
Castle Alumni Homecoming. To mark the momentous occasion, 162 people
ran 26 kilometers (about 17 miles) from the church where
Pentecostalism first came to El Salvador in 1906 to the Prayer
Fortress.
“We are calling the youth to remember their Pentecostal roots that
date back to 1906, when the revival in El Salvador was started,
straight from Azusa Street — the initial outpouring,” Don explains.
“We don’t want to deviate from the Word or our heritage.”
While the 10-year milestone is an impressive one, the Tripletts have
no plans to stop the continuous prayer, as it is central to all that
King’s Castle Ministries does.
“We are not praying for an experience that lasts for the moment,”
Don says. “We are praying for a relationship with God that lasts for
eternity.”
And thousands have found that relationship with God as a result of
10 years dedicated to prayer in the Prayer Fortress.
To learn more about King’s Castle Ministries, go to
–Kara Chase
Click here for link to Article on AG news.
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I was an AIM student in ’96 and ’97 during the construction of the fortress. It was a holy place even during the process of building. It is so amazing to hear what God has done, with the Triplets and so many others, to guard the words and hearts of El Salvador’s believers. I hope someday to return and pray with the faithful in the place my heart never really left. Thank you God for your faithfulness.
Comment by Olivia Basham March 4, 2009 @ 2:48 pm