BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — It’s a place to leave your burdens, to find hope, even love and to pour your heart into something that’s bigger than you.
In Blowing Rock, there’s a shop that’s currently closed after a fire. But it’s what’s outside of the store that’s captured the hearts of neighbors, visitors and even the world.
Walking by the store, you can’t help but notice the thousands of prayers hanging from a tree rooted beside the shop. The prayer tree is a holy and special place to visit especially for those leaving behind their prayers, wishes, hopes and dreams.
Before the fire, Sherri Furman, with Take Heart Boutique said, “God told me to put wooden hearts and pens outside the store,” but she didn’t know why.
She left for vacation and returned to find all the hearts hanging from the trees and was overwhelmed.
“I started reading the prayers and just saw how vulnerable people were in their requests. Then I started praying for everyone.”
That’s when Furman said she asked God, “What do I do next?” He said, “Get more tags.”
Soon dozens of prayer tags turned into hundreds, then thousands.
The shop received so many prayers that they turned it into a social media movement. They began to track the answered prayers.
Sometime in between, the Take Heart Boutique caught on fire. The shop was devastated. However, the fire didn’t burn one single prayer.
“It was a miracle, God protected all those prayers. Not a single prayer burned,” Furman said.
The shop's owner turned to scripture and posted the following passage from Isaiah 43:2, outside the burned shop near the prayers.
“When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
The prayer tree grew from 14,000 tags before the fire to more than 23,000 after it.
While the shop is rebuilding, Furman said God is at work.
“God has done very precious miracles and healing. Even cancer has been cured, couples who couldn’t have children are now pregnant. People have even gotten married at the tree,” Furman said.
There’s a reason for the response and praises of healing Furman has received from those who've placed tags on the tree.
”God told me that, ‘If they dare to write a prayer, I’ll answer.’’’
Blowing Rock's Prayer Tree Is a Holy Place
The prayer tree has become about community and inspiration.
"It's a place of unity. We’re not all that different,” Furman said.
The response even started a worldwide movement with prayer trees in places in California and Argentina.
Furman said she can't wait to reopen her shop but until that day comes, she'll wait on God to answer a few more prayers left hanging on the tree.
You can keep up with the Prayer Tree movement.
Email: takeheartnc@aol.com
Facebook: Take Heart Tree BR
Twitter: #ThePrayerTree
Instagram: takeheart_nc
Shop Blog: sentfromtheheart.com
The new WFMY News 2 phone and tablet app boasts a modernized look and feel—download now.