Steinbach MLA and Minister of Education and Training Kelvin Goertzen says that it wasn't an easy event to get into, but something he's wanted to do for a while. 

This morning Goertzen was part of the National Prayer Breakfast (NPB) in Washington, D.C. The gathering, which featured worship music by Chris Tomlin, and an address from U.S.A. President, Donald Trump, was just part of a wider important three days of meetings, according to Goertzen.

"There really are three days of meetings where world leaders talk about freedom of religion. But not just freedom of religion. I was able to meet with the ambassador in the United States who's responsible for trying to stop and prevent human trafficking and sex trafficking."

Over those three days Goertzen says there are a lot of important discussions surrounding policy and "what's happening in the world, and what influence can we have in the world to protect freedom of religion, which is recognized as a human right."

One of the people Goertzen heard speak was Pastor Andrew Brunson. Brunson is a pastor who spent over two years in captivity in Turkey.

Brunson remarked on what a humbling experience it is to have people all around the world praying for you.

Goertzen says that Brunson said he wished everybody could experience what it's like to have that many people praying for you, but at the same time you wouldn't want that many people praying for you because it likely means "you know you're in a lot of trouble."

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While a lot of news from the United States as of late might show a country divided, Goertzen says that it was encouraging to see an event such as the NPB filled with people from both sides of the aisle.

Goertzen serves on the International Committee of the Council of State Governments (CSG), which led to his invitation to the breakfast. "The mission of CSG's International Committee is to track and interpret international trends of importance to state governments," according to the CSG's website.