Speakers at an annual National Day of Prayer event in Santa Maria on Thursday urged those in attendance to share their faith.
Lisa Bodrogi of Community of Prayer Inc. recalled how a religious retreat marked the beginning of her journey of discovery and building a new relationship with God as she and her husband formed a community of faith that meets weekly years later.
“They are my family, and we have grown in our love and relationship with Christ every step of the way with each other. That’s what we’re called to do,” Bodrogi said.
“I call that feeding the tiger. We need to feed the tiger because we do need to be evangelists out in the world. We need to be able to share our love of the Lord so when we gather with others who feel the passion that we do that’s like feeding the tiger.”
The two-hour National Day of Prayer event, the 24th in the Santa Maria Valley, occurred as a drive-in service in the parking lot at the Santa Maria Fairpark with audio available over the radio.
Typically, hundreds of people fill a building at the Fairpark for the servics, but COVID-19 safety measures forced changes to ensure the 2021 event took place safely.
Attendees sat in vehicles, or in chairs set up nearby, for the service, sounding horns in agreement or support.
“Honk your horns for Jesus,” Bodrogi said.
For those who missed it, a livestream of the service occurred and remains available online by clicking here.
Bodrogi assumed the presidency of Community of Prayer Inc., a Santa Maria Valley nonprofit organization, after the prior leader moved out of state.
On Thursday, she also shared how her faith was tested after a cancer diagnosis.
Eleven years ago, she underwent a six-hour surgery, with complications landing her in the operating room again and then in the intensive-care unit on a ventilator.
“I just said, ‘Lord, please God, let me live. I have so much more work to do for you.’ That was 11 years ago, and praise God, praise God because I’m here,” she said, drawing applause.
Twenty weeks of chemotherapy and nine weeks of radiation followed.
“God was by my side. Jesus Christ, every step of the way, he walked by my side. There were days I could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. All I could do was put one foot in front of the other, and he carried me through just like the footsteps in the sand,” she said, referring to the “Footprints in the Sand” poem.
She resumed her life until sharp pains — like a shooting star — randomly hit various parts of her body from head to toe at random times.
“I wasn’t even thinking cancer because I’d been through that,” she said, adding that the cancer returned more than two years ago and metasticized in her bones, leading to regular treatments that continue today.
She recalled being angry with God before reaching acceptance, leading to her new role in the Community of Prayer.
“I truly believe that God put me here to lead this group, to lead this day for his purpose, for his glory, for his honor,” she said.
The service also involved some leaders from Santa Maria Valley’s faith community as they led prayers for civic leaders, businesses, nonprofit organizations, first responders and other sectors of the community.
“I believe today we have our marching orders,” Mayor Pro-Tem Etta Waterfield said. “We need to pray. We need to be bold. We need to share the love of Jesus. We need to make people aware of that.”
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.