Who We Are
Ministers of biblical counsel and prayer, who are compassionate, caring, and competent in ministry. All prayer ministers have received extensive training and are experienced in applying biblical principles of counseling, healing prayer, and ministering with the Holy Spirit.
What We Do
- We pray healing for the places of pain, disappointment, hopelessness, and fear.
- We bring encouragement and hope by presenting biblical counsel for new avenues of personal growth and changed lives.
- We give guidance for the process of opening ones heart, spirit, and mind to God, for the weeding out of unwanted behaviors that hurt yourself or those you love.
- We help you identify who you really are – that wonderful YOU that God created with purpose and a plan.
- We seek with you what God has in His heart for you through listening, prayer, and revelation from the Holy Spirit.
How We Do This
By providing a safe and comfortable place, respecting confidentiality, your dignity and choices, and recognizing that you are a unique individual. We do this, not by a method or a set of steps, but through transformation, by asking God to impart to you the wisdom, revelation, and truth needed for what you desire to be changed by the work of the Holy Spirit through repentance, confession, and forgiveness.
This is a process
It begins with your permission, your investment in the process, and your commitment to the work needed to bring change. The elements of the journey are disclosing your pain and burden through confession of sin, repentance, and renouncing wrong beliefs and practicing in new ways in which to walk by the power of God who loves you very much. We lead and guide this process, seeking to impart God’s love and healing power to your heart and spirit.
Bridget Shank - Founder/Director
Bridget a visionary with a heart of compassion, gifted with administrative and leadership skills, felt a calling to start a prayer counseling center. In 1996 she established Desert Gardens Prayer Counseling as a safe place of hope, healing and spiritual transformation. It is her heart to see brokenness, pain and captivity brought into new life and joy in relationship to God, others and oneself. Her heart is to bring healing, and to equip others to fulfill their purposes in God and as a member of the body of Christ.
Bridget has acquired her skills, knowledge and extensive experience through a variety of resources. Her foundational training in Prayer Ministry came through Elijah House School of Prayer Ministry. Other perspectives of healing and spiritual formation include; The Life Model of Jim Wilder, Leanne Payne on pastoral counseling, Genesis training for addictions, and basic course in theophostic prayer and many others. Bridget has been a Christian for 38 years and has served in many areas of leadership, ministry development and ministry coaching. She has been a missionary overseas, and has taught prayer ministry in Germany and Russia. Her career as a Nurse also brings a variety of resources to Desert Gardens.
Peer Review and consultation, teaching seminars, classes or retreats, are some of her favorite things to do when she is not prayer counseling. Bridget enjoys teaching on parenting, identity, trauma, personal growth issues and spiritual formation. Bridget and her well-trained staff offer a safe and reputable resource to the community and local churches.
On a personal note, Bridget has been married for 34 years, has 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren. She enjoys traveling, reading, being a grandmother and her rose garden.
Natalie Meyer-Jurkowski
Natalie a mature Christian, has over 30 years of serving and leadership in relational ministries. She has facilitated Bible studies, mentored young couples, and ministered on prayer teams. Currently Natalie is involved in Aglow International, National day of prayer, the governor’s prayer team, and ministers in her local church. She has been trained in various ministries, including Elijah House School of Prayer Ministry. It is Natalie’s heart to represent God’s love and power in all His authentic ways. Her passion for others is to be filled with joy in the Lord, obtain mercy, and impart hope for victory, new life, and spiritual transformation. Natalie is an encourager with compassion and empathy especially for those who have experienced traumatic lives. She seeks to bring to others spiritual stability, strength of purpose, single-mindedness and spiritual revelation.
Natalie joined Desert Gardens staff in 2003 because of her passion to see people healed and fulfill their purpose in God. She and her husband have four grown children and two grandchildren.
Kathy Smith
Kathy has been a Christian for 38 years. She and her husband of 32 years lived on a Kibbutz in Israel for four and a half years ministering to youth from around the world. During this time two of her three children were born. Her family experienced what it was like to be the “body of Christ” expressed in daily life and community. This grew a passion in Kathy for family, marriages, and parenting. Her desire is to see Jesus develop in the heart and character of people.
Kathy developed a heart for home schooling and home schooled her children. She has been involved in church planting, marriage ministry and in various leadership roles in the church. Kathy was inspired to receive prayer counseling training as she witnessed God’s healing power to change lives and bring spiritual renewal. She has also been trained in Genesis program for addictive behaviors, and Elijah House School of Prayer Ministry. It is her desire to bring others to live in their true personhood and identity in Christ.
Kathy has been on Desert Gardens’ staff since its inception in 1997.
Brenda Zamorano
Brenda, the oldest in her family of 11 children, has been a Christian for 35 years. In the past 25 years she has served in the local church in a variety of leadership roles and ministries. She has been on numerous prayer teams, has led women’s groups, and conducted women’s retreats. Brenda loves to teach and has taught in many settings, seminars, and classes. A highlight was a trip to Russia teaching ministry skills and prayer counseling to church leaders and others.
Brenda’s passion is to impart God’s truth and inspire people to discover their unique identity and purpose in God, and come into new life. Her heart is for the restoration of struggling marriages and to see all family members be reconciled through forgiveness, honor, respect and acceptance of one another as God sees them.
Ministry training for Brenda has included Genesis Training for issues of addiction, ministry coach training and extensive training in Prayer counseling, and Elijah House School of Ministry. She has been on Desert Gardens’ staff since its inception in 1997. Brenda has been married to her high school sweetheart for 37 years, has two sons, and two grandchildren. She loves music, reading, and enjoying a good movie.
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