“That’s changed my life. That’s changed my whole life, man.” 

The words of one of the youth who used the prayer space at Dreaming the Impossible festival still ring in my ears weeks later. 

My husband and I, along with our 1 year old, headed up to Stafford from the Prayer Spaces offices in Woking a few weeks ago to set up and host the prayer space on site. Thanks to the amazing Sam Phillips of The Youth Net, who lent us lots of brilliant things, we were able to set up a large prayer space, dimly lit with fairy lights, lamps and hanging string lights.

We had youth drop in to the space to pray in the Be Still tent, read their Bibles, and use the 20+ activities we had set up for them. The prayers that youth left behind on each activity were raw, unfiltered and honest – some of them quietly broken and some desperate to see revival in their schools and towns. We were so moved by how much each young person engaged with the activities – coming back day after day, even bringing their friends.

We set up lots of activities including some we had created just for the festival. The most loved activities were Big Questions, Fizzy Forgiveness, Letters From God, Sorry Stones and Mirrors.

It became a still, peaceful space within the beautiful chaos of the youth festival where people could come and meet with God in a quiet and individual way. 

Here are just some of the prayers that we found around the space:

“Is there a heaven?”

“Are you ever going to answer my prayers? Why does bad stuff always happen?”

“Why are you so far away?”

Hopes and Dreams: [I hope] “to become an Olympic swimmer and share you with the world.”

“I want to see hundreds of young people on fire in Farnham. Schools transformed.”

We are grateful to have been invited and we were blessed with a brilliant team of volunteers who helped to set down, host the space when it was open until nearly midnight and who blessed us and many with prayers and encouragements.