By Ken Smid

Ten years ago, the National House of Prayer (NHOP) moved into their large 11,000 sq. ft. building in Ottawa’s Lowertown. During this time, NHOP helped facilitate a strong praying presence on Parliament Hill and saw many answered prayers. It also helped bridge the gap between the government and the Church, inspiring many believers to pray for their elected representatives in Ottawa.

The past year marked the beginning of another exciting journey, both for my family and for NHOP. I recently moved back to Ottawa to join the NHOP team, together with my wife, Deb, and daughter, Olivia.

Deb and I were part of the pastoral team at Dominion Outreach Centre for more than 7 years, in Ottawa’s east end. In 2013, we were led back to Kitchener where we returned to secular work. We were shocked when we received a call from Rob and Fran Parker, Founders of NHOP, asking us to consider joining the NHOP Team.

Through a series of substantial confirmations, we accepted the call to move back to Ottawa and assist the ministry as associate directors. Our responsibilities range from teaching and guiding teams to helping lead prayer, coordinating various programs, and looking after the building.

Construction begins for the two-bedroom apartment. Photo courtesy of NHOP.

Our adventure began with making arrangements for a place to stay. The team felt it was important for us to live onsite, allowing us to be more involved in the day-to-day work of the ministry. So we embarked on a major renovation project, turning the undeveloped east end of NHOP’s basement into a two-bedroom apartment.

We put our trust in God for this project. Within days of deciding to move back to Ottawa, a prayer missionary from the West Coast gave $15,000 towards the construction. This generous donation gave us the faith boost we needed to believe God for the rest of the funds.

The official building project began with a local architect in June 2015. It took months and multiple revisions to finally get our building permit approved.

We started construction on January 6, 2016, and God was obviously in the project. We were amazed as we watched God provide who we needed, when we needed them, throughout the 80-day construction period.

Local Christian tradesmen volunteered to lend a hand. More than 50 individuals came to give of their time and expertise in various ways. A friend from Rockland, Stephane Crete, helped oversee the job from start to finish, while in school full time.

God came through every time. When we needed an electrician, God brought Mark, from Nation Valley Electric. Another time, Wilson Electric from North Bay donated the labor of four guys for five days, putting up drywall and helping in other ways. It was an incredible week.

At one point, the city told us we needed a “certified ventilation expert” to balance the apartment’s HRV unit. “Where would I find a ‘certified ventilation expert’?” I asked myself. A few hours later our window guy, Doug from Good News Window and Doors, showed up. I asked Doug, “Do you know a certified ventilation expert?”

“Well actually, I just met a man and his wife yesterday, when I was doing work at the Mission,” Doug responded.

Twenty-four hours later, Allan Herbert from Herbert Heating and Air Conditioning was at NHOP. Over the next 80 days, Allan and his wife Nancy showed up many times, helping with whatever we needed to complete the job. They were two strangers who became our good friends.

There is a drop-in open house to see the new place this Saturday, from 4 to 7 p.m. Contact NHOP for more details.

The transformation from construction site to finished apartment. Photo courtesy of NHOP.

There is no question: God is in the details. He demonstrated to us that a house of prayer is important to Him and He will look after our needs. We head into the future with expectation and excitement for what God wants to do here at NHOP, in the Church, and in the nation. Our heart is to see every room at NHOP filled with strong, praying believers, every day of the year. We want to see believers contending for Canada, that the truth of the gospel would manifest on Parliament Hill and in every home.

Ken Smid is an associate director at the National House of Prayer. He is passionate about seeing the manifestation of the gospel in Canada and he understands this is not possible without a praying Church.

Ken, Deb, and Olivia Smid are back in Ottawa, serving at the National House of Prayer. Photo courtesy of NHOP.