All You Have to Do Is Ask
Within minutes of reading her sister’s text, Christen (pictured center) was en route to the hospital. What began as a precautionary visit to check on a few symptoms, quickly led to her sister’s diagnosis of an autoimmune disease known as aplastic anemia. Out of five siblings, Christen may have lived the closest to her sister, but it did not take long before the others arrived, and not one hesitated to rush to her side during this time. Despite the severity of this diagnosis, Christen shares, “I had an overwhelming sense of peace that this was not the end of her story.”
At the news of her sister’s diagnosis, Christen reached out to her community for prayer and support. A friend at church asked if she could put their family on the HP Pres prayer list. When Christen agreed, a flood of prayers followed soon after, covering her family in encouragement, blessings, and prayers for healing.
Things progressed quickly and they soon learned that her sister needed a bone marrow transplant. Two of her siblings were miraculously a match, Christen being one of them. She stepped into action again, reaching out to her church community for prayer before the procedure. Christen shares, “It was so impactful to me that they would lift me up and my whole family. In all the spaces I went to in the church, I had people asking how my family was and praying for us. And they still are to this day.”
After a successful transplant, Christen’s sister faced a journey to full recovery. During this time, Christen and her family continued to receive weekly messages from people in the church who were covering them in prayer and offering tangible support. Christen shares, “My family has never felt so loved, seen, and comforted by our church as during this past year. I am so grateful that our family was able to witness her healing on this side of heaven.”
There is nothing too big or small to bring to God in prayer. In November of 2025, Christen’s sister officially rang the bell, marking one year since her “rebirthday.” Christen bore the scars from her bone marrow donation, a reminder of the pain they had experienced together. However, the day her sister rang the bell in celebration of her remission, Christen noticed her own physical scars were gone. She shares, “For me, this was a reminder that God healed us both, and I didn’t need a scar to remind me of any pain I had experienced; he took care of it. He is the real Healer.”
If you are in need of prayer, all you have to do is ask. Go to hppres.org/prayer or look for the red lanyards on Sunday mornings to speak with one of our prayer volunteers.
