ABOUT Minister Lisa
Minister Lisa Cousins-Harris is an ordained minister, visionary, and the founder of Created To Pray. She is also a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother—but above all, a passionate follower of Jesus Christ. Her heart desires to become all that God has called her to be while inspiring others to pursue the same calling in their own lives. Minister Lisa firmly believes that a life rooted in prayer is the foundation for true transformation. Through many personal challenges and years of leadership in multiple nonprofit organizations, she discovered that lasting change does not come through human strength alone, but through the power of prayer, worship, and a deep relationship with our Heavenly Father led by the Holy Spirit.
Of all the women the Lord could use to lead THESE Ministries, I would have picked myself last.
If asked, Minister Lisa often says that of all the women the Lord could have chosen to lead these ministries, she would have chosen herself last. Her journey began with significant obstacles.
At the age of 17, she became a teen mother. A year later, she married the man she believed would be her lifelong partner. From that marriage came two beautiful daughters. On the outside, life appeared picture-perfect, but behind the scenes, she endured years of domestic violence, including physical and emotional abuse. Ultimately, she made the difficult decision to leave the marriage as a survivor. During that season, life became extremely difficult. Minister Lisa found herself unable to fully provide for her children, and they lived in a small one-bedroom space attached to her grandparents’ home. The room was so small it held only one bed, one bed she shared with her children. Even in those difficult circumstances, God surrounded her with faithful support. Her grandparents, both devoted believers, her grandfather a pastor, continued to nurture, care for, and faithfully pray for her family. Still, Lisa struggled. She faced seasons of drinking, partying, another failed marriage, and choices she now reflects on with humility and gratitude for God’s mercy and grace.
But God had other plans for my life.
But God had other plans for her life. More than twenty years ago, she met the man she knew without question that God had sent her way. She recognized it because he saw her the way God saw her—with grace, value, and purpose. Through that relationship, she experienced true love, healing, and redemption. Minister Lisa’s passion has always been serving women and youth. She spent many years in ministry as a Youth Pastor and as an Executive Leader within two nonprofit organizations. During that time, the Lord began stirring a deeper calling within her heart. One that would impact families and generations to come. Out of that calling, Created To Pray was born. Created To Pray provides a sacred space where women of all ages can step away from the noise of everyday life and intentionally seek the presence of God. Through prayer retreats, fasting, worship, and transformational workshops, women are invited into a deeper intimacy with God and equipped to live lives rooted in prayer. Minister Lisa’s testimony is a reminder that God does not call the qualified—He qualifies those He calls.
HISTORY Of The Retreat
As I began to reflect on my own life and ministering to women through various ministry opportunities, I came to an undeniable realization: the root of lasting transformation is prayer. Many women, just like my younger self, either have no knowledge of how to pray or only a superficial understanding of the powerful spiritual tool available to them. I knew something had to change. It became clear that women needed more than encouragement. They need a safe space where they can experience what it truly means to pray and how to cultivate a prayer-filled lifestyle. From that burden and vision, the retreat was born. When we launched the first retreat, the response was overwhelming. Women encountered prayer in a way that forever changed how they approached God and their spiritual disciplines. We cried, we hugged, and we laughed, and many shared that they had never experienced the presence of God in such a personal and transformative way.
There is truly something powerful about gathering in a prayer-soaked atmosphere. When the refreshing of the Holy Spirit touches the human spirit, it brings healing, clarity, and renewed purpose and hope. And leaving such a sacred space is never easy. Through times of teaching, worship, prayer, journaling, and reflection, women not only learn about intimacy with the Lord through prayer but experience it, practice it, live it, and discover or be reminded of what it really means to have an encounter with God.
After carrying this vision close to my heart for years, in 2026 the Lord brought my sister in spirit and purpose to walk beside me in a new way. Though she has faithfully served with me at prayer retreats for many years, my BFF, my fellow warrior, Terrah Sims, has now answered the call and stepped into the role of Co-Founder.
Together, we are committed to stewarding this calling with fierce love, deep devotion, and hearts fully surrendered to God.
At the heart of these retreats is a simple yet powerful truth: we are Created To Pray. It is our deepest prayer that every woman who attends leaves knowing three things:
Through Jesus Christ, she was created to have an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father,
She was created to thrive in healthy relationships with others, and above all,
She was Created To Pray.
