The Garden City of Toowoomba, Australia is not somewhere you'd immediately expect to find a spiritual awakening, and yet, they seem to be on the brink. For the last few years, pastors of every denomination and creed have been casting aside their differences to meet and pray for each other and the city they love. The results are incredible. Besides being home to Easterfest, the largest non-alcoholic music festival in Australia, Toowoomba also has a thriving YWAM base, as well as other influential ministries such as City Women, and Bella Magazine. 



                                                                               Jake, Bec, and Hope 

Two people with a huge vision for the relatively small inland city, are Jake and Bec Fischer. Jake, a 6 foot something surfer, originally hails from California, while Bec, a petite, dark-haired beauty, is Aussie born and bred. After working several years at YWAM New Zealand together, Bec felt the call of God to return to her native city. After getting engaged, they moved to Australia to start a new life in Toowoomba. By a crazy God-coincidence, they happened to meet a couple who were looking to start a YWAM base in the city and felt led to help them lay the ground floor. The last few years of their married life have been spent discipling young musicians from around the world and helping the foundling YWAM base grow into a fruitful, burgeoning ministry. When I spoke with Jake and Bec recently, their hearts were full of God's new direction for their lives, the founding of a House of Prayer in Toowoomba.  



With the aptly named Hope, bouncing on Bec's knee, their eyes lit up as they told me about "The Hub" (Formerly Toowoomba House of Prayer) and its potential for growth. 

"There's a lot of anticipation this year. At the moment we're working towards a Friday night to Saturday night day of constant worship and prayer. There's been a lot of interest and a lot of people who are wanting to help out, so that's pretty cool" said Jake. 

What began as a small dream, is quickly turning into an amazing reality. Every Thursday night, the Hub meets for a few hours to pray for the city and worship God. There is always at least one hour of complete worship, but there remains a flexibility in the plan to follow God's agenda. 




The future for the Hub looks promising. For the past few years, Jake and Bec have had the feeling God wanted them to buy a strip club on a particular street and turn it into the House of Prayer. Last week, they discovered other ministries in the city had been feeling the same way. Directly above the club, there is now a space for sale in which the Hub, and two other local ministries are hoping to share as an office space and place of worship. The site is currently set at 3 million dollars, but Jake and Bec are believing in a move of God to provide what they need when they need it. 

When I asked Jake what his vision for the future was, he replied, "I feel like God has so many plans for this city. God is wanting to bring congregations to walk together and pray together. Not a program, but a movement where people are wanting to worship because God is God." 


                                      The Fischers with a few of the YWAM staff 

If you'd be interested in partnering with Jake and Bec, you can donate @PayPal
You can follow them on Facebook @Checkout Jake + Bec
Or check out the Hub @ http://www.thehubtoowoomba.com/


You can also partner in prayer with them! 
-Some of their requests are for finances to buy a house (they are hoping to foster children in the future), as well as finances for current necessities and ministry costs. 
-They also are asking for prayer for wisdom on how to create something that isn't just another program for people to attend, but a genuine community of people who want more intimacy with God.