Veteran offers drive-through prayers

QUEEN CREEK, Ariz., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A disabled veteran has set up a drive-through prayer stand in a small Arizona community 25 miles southeast of Phoenix.

"One day, I drove by an orange stand on the road and I felt God telling me to open up a prayer stand," Matthew Cordell told ABC News. "I thought it was a crazy idea, but it's God's idea, so I decided to try it."

Cordell's stand in Queen Creek is modest, with a makeshift awning, a sign propped against his car reading "Prayer Stand, Drive Through" and one constant companion, his Chihuahua Skye. He has been open since August, operating the stand three mornings a week from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

A 38-year-old who served in the first Gulf War, Cordell wants to make sure those who stop at his stand know he is not a minister.

Those who do stop appreciate his services.

"The metaphor of a prayer drive-through really symbolizes how fast-paced our world is and that sometimes we just don't stop," said Isabella Crowe, who lost her job a few months ago. "It's convenient and it's nice."