Eilene Anderson is a firm believer in prayer and has seen firsthand what persistent, fervent praying can do. This is why she has aligned herself with the mission of standing in the gap, not just for her community of Longville Park, but also for her beloved country.
Anderson, who has been involved with prayer outreach at her church since 2005, said that just after COVID, the Lord sent her to pray for the community, and she obeyed. Following that, she kept asking the Lord, “What more? What more?” When she did not receive a response, she left it there, continuing her prayerful intervention for the community.
“Last year, God came back again and said, ‘Go back and pray for your community.” I started in February this year for this one,” she shared with Freedom Come Rain, pointing out that although she got the call last year, she had planned to begin in January 2025. However, she ended up beginning the following month as part of the Freedom Come Ministry International (FCMI) peaceful, purposeful, persistent prayer protest.
The non-denominational peaceful prayer gathering is currently taking place in over 80 locations islandwide. It is focused on advocating for spiritual and societal change through prayer, Scripture readings, and non-violent peaceful protest. The goal is to encourage righteousness and national transformation through faith.
At the time she joined, the intervention was being led by Olive Johnson at another location, with team members who lived in Longville Park, Rocky Point, and other areas. Anderson said Johnson told her that the Holy Spirit was leading her to split the group, and she sent her to focus on Longville Park.
From Mondays to Fridays, between about 8:30 a.m. and noon, Anderson can be seen at the entrance to the plaza with her ministry cards. There are times when she is alone and other times when team members join her. Anderson said there are days she steps away to engage in home fasting.
The prayerful intervention has not been without its highs and lows. The highs include persons stopping to request prayer. One of the lows she shared was a day when the sun was extremely hot, and she stood near a house, where there was a tree to get some shade.
“I wasn’t at the gate, but there was a tree planted there, and the sun was so hot. So when I reached there, I stopped in the cool shade a little and was reading the Bible. Then I heard the man inside quarreling, asking what I was doing there and saying he didn’t want me there,” she recalled. However, she also heard a woman’s voice—presumably his partner—defending her, saying, “The lady is not doing anything.” When he insisted, the woman responded, “Leave the lady alone.”
Anderson did not move, but she kept alert in case he came outside. He did not.
She also had a supernatural encounter one early morning at about 6:30 a.m. while standing at the plaza. She saw a man approach and ask what she was doing there. She told him the Lord sent her. He mentioned that some of the shops there had been broken into often. She asked where he worked, and he pointed in the direction of the hardware.
Thinking she had never seen him at the company before, she said nothing and walked a little distance away. A moment later, when she turned to ask another question, he had completely vanished.
Shortly after, Anderson said she felt her hair rise and a strange sensation come over her.
“I’m feeling the wave. I said, What is this? You know, you can realise that the demons are still there, but they disappear. My head is waving. And I just start to say, The blood of Jesus, the blood of Jesus is against you. And then I felt a little better.”
This was not the first unusual occurrence during her prayer interventions. She recalled praying near the bus stop and seeing a garbage barrel rocking from side to side.
After she finished praying, the Holy Spirit instructed her to look inside the barrel — and it was empty.
“I realise that there are a lot of demons here,” she noted, adding that there are altars in the community.
The prayerful intervention has also opened doors for witnessing. One young man she felt led to minister to did not accept the Lord, but thanked her, admitting he was going through something and that her words brought him relief. She has not seen him since, but she is hopeful that the seed planted will bear fruit.