Day4

Dear friends of the vision,

The sky over Trenton, NJ was like an inverted blue bowl. What a gorgeous day to hold our 48th prayer time, praying across America.

We were so blessed with a sizeable group of people representing various ministries and churches. Our greatest gift was the state director for National Day of Prayer. She had stayed in touch for several months and was ready for the great moment when we would pray on the steps of the capitol building today.

We started our prayer time with the sound of the shofar, and moved with great faith into the prayers we have now prayed 48 times.

New Jersey was the turning point of the Revolutionary War. The Battle Monument commemorates the 1776 Battle of Trenton. This battle was the turning point for the Patriots in the Revolutionary War. Now, once again, it is here in Trenton, New Jersey that we sense a turning point in the spiritual battle for America. There is a ground swell of men and women who are doing battle in "spiritual trenches" calling on God to intervene in America. The strongholds of evil are slowly losing their grip on the state and nation. We cannot slack off for a moment; we must say in the Spirit, "we have only begun to fight!"

On Tuesday evening, we traveled to Ocean City, NJ for a reunion with a friend we had met at our prayer time in Tallahassee, Florida in January. After a great meal, we went to Mom's House of prayer. What a thrill to find such hungry hearts for more of God. We shared for a time and then began to pray corporately and individually for the state of New Jersey and the nation.

We also found a praying church through a unique process. We attended all three of their services on Sunday and received an enthusiastic welcome! The evening prayer service continued for nearly three hours. It was a long day, but an incredible one with Jesus and people who love Him!

We now journey to Dover, Delaware, This will be number 49! It won't be long and the finale of Washington D.C., September 11, will be here. We have been notified that we have our permit and are preparing for worship and prayer on the west lawn of Capitol Hill. We will start at 12:00 noon and end by 3:00 pm. Go to our website at prayeracrossamerica.org and look at the Washington D.C. page for more information.

Bless you for caring! We could not have made it if you had not prayed and supported us! __ Pastor Phil and Vicki Epperson

Hi everyone,

We made it to Trenton, New Jersey. This is our 48th capital visit. I have attached pictures of the Capitol building and dome inside.

The motto of New Jersey is "Liberty and Prosperity. The state dinosaur is Hadrosaurus. It was in Menlo Park that Thomas Edison invention the light bulb.

Long before European settlers came, the Lenape Indians farmed, hunted, and fished in what is now New Jersey. The Lenape, or genuine people, traveled along the rivers in canoes made from logs. In the 1600's the Lenape shared their land with Dutch and Swedish fur traders who had arrived in the area. The English came later in the 1600's. They named the area New Jersey after the English island of Jersey. New Jersey became the third state in 1787. It grew quickly. The New Jersey people still live in big cities. Nine out of ten state residents live in or near big cities. To get away, they go to the beaches on the Jersey shore and swim, fish, and sail. People from all over the country come to New Jersey's most popular resort, Atlantic City.

Despite all of its cities, New Jersey's nickname is the Garden State. Today, more than 17 percent of the land in New Jersey is farmland. The state is a major producer of flowers, tomatoes, and peaches. During the 1930's America was going through an economic depression. Few families had extra spending money. They looked for ways to have fun at home. An out-of-work salesman invented the game Monopoly. He named the prosperities after some streets in Atlantic City, New Jersey. People all over the world now play the game.

We have two more capitals to visit and then Washington D.C.

It's been a long trip but very meaningful. I hope to share some of our experiences someday.

Phil Epperson