The 3 Word Prayer that Sent us to Africa

Hey friends - It’s me, Whit.

I was talking with Jake recently about my reflections on 2025, and he gently said, “You should share this.” So here I am, praying this resonates with you, because that’s who our God is. He sees. And He responds to the heart.

For me, it all began in January 2025.

I could feel something building on the inside, an internal pressure I couldn’t ignore. After completing my third year of ministry school, I kept asking myself: How do I steward everything I’ve seen and learned?

I didn’t want to be someone who could say, “I went to ministry school,” as a checkbox. I wanted to remain surrendered, to live as a laid-down disciple of Jesus. What I had encountered in Him was far too rich to return to a complacent, familiar faith.

So I began praying a simple but bold prayer:

“Jesus, mark me.”

I knew I couldn’t will myself into full surrender. I needed Him to do something inside of me, something lasting. Over the next few months, that prayer became constant.

“Jesus, mark me.”

Even as I prayed it, I felt the weight of it. I knew it would be costly.

It would mean giving up control.
Releasing timelines.
Letting go of old identities, approval-seeking, comfort-loving versions of myself.
And being willing to be misunderstood, even by people I love deeply.

Yet every time I counted the cost, something in me came alive, and I prayed it again.

Then, in March, God answered in ways I never could have imagined.

Over the span of four weeks, I had eight powerful encounters with God. Most of them happened after worship, in front of classmates and strangers. My body would shake uncontrollably, sometimes violently, for two to four hours at a time. I’d sweat through my clothes and genuinely wonder if my body could handle the intensity of His presence moving through me.

Other times, I would snot-cry, weep, and wail for hours as my heart broke open, and I’d hear Jesus whisper,

“Don’t forget to stop for the one, Whitney.”

Jesus marked me.

Not because I’m special, but as an answer to my prayer.

To be honest, after those encounters, I assumed I’d be instantly transformed, more patient, more loving, more kind. But that didn’t happen. I was still… me.

So what changed?

A holy dissatisfaction began to stir in my heart.

The success, fitness goals, ambition, and life I had aimed at for most of my life suddenly felt tasteless. The Lord was pruning me, doing the deep inner work that only He can do.

Those encounters didn’t just impact me either. I could see them gently, but profoundly, rattle Jake, in the best way. Jesus was drawing him deeper into the mystery of it all too.

By May, God had brought both of our hearts to the exact place they needed to be to invite us into the greatest adventure of our lives, moving to South Africa.

The wild part? God spoke to Jake and me separately, on the same day. Neither of us had clarity on why we were going, only that we were supposed to say yes.

What followed were six months of wilderness.

Dryness. Uncertainty. Spiritual warfare in our marriage. Intense financial pressure. Health challenges, for Jake and other family members. All while slowly saying goodbye to the life and people we loved in the U.S.

More than once I wondered: Was this really God’s answer to my prayer?

Yes. Absolutely.

It was refinement. Consecration. Pruning.

It brought us to a place where the only thing we wanted to say was,

“Here we are, Lord.”

Honestly, if God hadn’t stirred my heart to pray boldly, and given us endurance to stay surrendered, I know we would have found reasons not to say yes to South Africa.

The thought of missing this makes me tear up.

Because even if we had to leave tomorrow and never return, I’d be forever changed.

Living here, even for just two months, has broken paradigms, reshaped my heart, and given me a perspective on life I could never gain from a vacation, a book, or a sermon. This place, the people, the land, has already left a deep imprint on us.

So as you look ahead, maybe into a new year or simply into your next season, I want to ask you something:

What is God stirring you to pray?

Maybe your prayer feels small. It isn’t. Nothing is too small for God.
Or maybe it feels impossibly big and will require Him to meet you in ways you never imagined.

It doesn’t have to look like mine. He knows exactly what you need.

All I know is this, our lives were altered by a three-word prayer. God answered it in ways that truly marked us.

“Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination!”
Ephesians 3:20 (TPT)

Your prayers, encouragement, and financial support have made it possible for us to say yes to what God is doing in this season. We don’t take that lightly. You are part of this testimony, and we are truly grateful.

With gratitude,
Whit