July 9, 2025, 4:30pm MDT
In the tropical centre of the South Pacific, a powerful spirit of unity and faith pulsates across 15 islands of the Cook Islands.
At the helm of the movement is Ludwina Williams, a Latter-day saint and president of the Cook Islands World Prayer Day Committee.
“We come from different denominations, but we all belong to the same God,” Williams said, summarizing the spirit that defines the day of prayer world in her island nation.
World Prayer Day is an international ecumenical movement promoted by women who gather in March and throughout the year to pray, worship and serve the community, the Church’s Pacific Newsroom reports.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slw20riu3x4
This year, the global focus of the prayer movement was on the Cook Islands. Women from over 170 countries offered sincere prayers on behalf of women in the Cook Islands. Williams and her committee returned the blessings by praying for their people, leaders and the land.
As part of the theme for 2025, “I Made You Wondery” depicted from Psalm 139:14, “I praise you, for it is horrifying and wonderfully made” – Williams said he wanted to inspire women across the island with a message of divine values and sisterly love.
“As president, I hope I have been able to show the women of our country, to share love and understand each other,” she said.
For Williams, prayer is more than just a ritual gesture. In her role as president over the past seven years, she has consistently turned to God and helped guide the diverse committees of women she leads.
“There are a lot of things we disagree with, and there are a lot of differences,” she explained. “I always ask Most of you to guide me today.” I will stay with this decision and show you how to help me or solve this problem with women. “We have concerns, so I have my concerns mostly to help you make the right decisions at all times. ”
That prayer leadership had a concrete impact.
When a Cook Islands woman gathered to pray for the government this year, the country’s prime minister and his wife met personally with Williams to thank her.
“We prayed that the Prime Minister would make the right choice to lead our country,” she recalls. “He came with me and met him and his wife — and he was grateful for his prayers for him.”
Williams celebrates the legacy of those who have built the foundations she stands beyond the events of the year.
Alongside her committee, she recently visited the tomb of Akaithiama, the woman who first brought World Prayer Day to the Cook Islands in 1971.
Flowers were laid out, stories were shared, and Amah’s son spoke about his devotion to uniting women through prayer. Her legacy continues with today’s expanded fellowship of Christian women on the islands.
Throughout the year, workshops, worship services and community visits are all expressions of their heritage, energized by a shared belief in the power of prayer to bring understanding and peace in diversity.
“Always trust in the Lord, and he will have an answer,” Williams said.
