The 2006 Montana Prayer Conference was held in Bozeman Feb. 17–18 and featured speaker Steve Chinn, Adventist Medical Center (Portland) head chaplain. He and his wife, Claudia, shared insight and ideas for prayer in our churches and homes and for family, friends, strangers and (not to be forgotten) ourselves.
Chinn spoke on fervency in prayer and how important it is to be eager to share our thoughts with our Master and be warmed by His compassion. He also emphasized the importance of pleading our case for ourselves and when we pray for others.
Three guest speakers shared their testimony on how prayer led them to the truth about the Sabbath and the true teachings of the Bible. Del DesJarlais shared his personal story about how an Adventist man questioned him about being Catholic and started his quest for truth. He shared the trials he suffered and how he was hospitalized from a nervous breakdown after reading in Revelation about the last days.
The Lord continues to work with DesJarlais, who has been able to share with others how wonderful life is with Jesus by his side.
On Sabbath morning Dean Berg from Moore, Mont., shared his story on how he was led to the Sabbath day. One day Berg happened upon what appeared to be a quaint, little school house beside an Oklahoma highway, but the sign read, "Seventh-day Adventist Church." What a strange name for a church, Dean thought, but he was touched by the peacefulness that surrounded him and decided to visit an Adventist church some day.
Time passed, he attended a tournament in a neighboring city and drove past another Adventist church. There was that name again, and he thought, I'm going to check it out. But he showed up on the wrong day, Sunday. Two weeks later, he tried again on the right day, and so began his quest and more doors to the truth were opened.
The third prayer conference guest was from Roundup, Mont. Being of Italian decent, Tony Ditonno started out rough and lived a tough life. But eventually, he decided to start a center for abused and homeless children. He was directed to Roundup and, through prayer, he was able to build a church.
When the church burned down in November 2005, Ditonno reached out to local churches for help, only to be rejected. Through 3ABN Ditonno heard the name "Leo Schreven." He contacted Schreven and asked for prayer. This led to a friendship, and now Schreven will be in Roundup June 30 through July 2 for a series of meetings.
Ditonno remains strong in faith and continues to help children that are less fortunate.
From left: Dean Berg, from Moore, Mont., Steve Chinn, Adventist Medical Center head chaplain, and his wife Claudia, from Portland, Ore.; Tony Ditonno, from Roundup; and Del Desjarlais, from Ronan, Mont., were the featured speakers at the Montana Prayer Conference in Bozeman, Mont.
