about
My name is Francisco Arteaga, my friends and family call me “Paco”. I am 25 years old and live in Kansas City, Missouri. I am full-time intercessory missionary at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) and serve as a drummer on a worship team. I have been on full-time staff at IHOP-KC since 2003. I am married to my beautiful wife Liesl and have a precious daughter named Frances.
my story
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. I moved to the United States when I twelve years old and lived in several different states before moving to Kansas City when I was fifteen in the summer of 2000. I had always been a “good” church kid but had no true vibrant relationship with Jesus... It was not until I did the first “Fire in the Night” internship at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) that I truly discovered who I was in Christ. I had accepted Christ as my Savior as a child but if I think about it that was the summer I truly had a defining deep encounter with the Lord. After that summer I joined full time staff at IHOP and began playing drums for some worship leaders such as Chris Dupre, Todd Ganovski, Julie Meyer and others. At that time I also began to really give myself to prayer, fasting, and studying the Word of God. As time went on I began to play drums for different worship leaders at IHOP like, Justin Rizzo, Misty Edwards, and Ron Downing. I played drums on Misty’s team for almost four years. I'm currently on Jon Thurlow's worship team in the morning section in the prayer room. (Watch anytime for free at IHOP.org)
That summer of '01 is also when I met my wife. I met Liesl, shortly after I moved to IHOP-KC. Her family was in charge of temporary housing and helped my parents find us a place to stay when we first decided to move. After that our families became very close and we even traveled to South America together on a mission’s trip in 2001. Liesl and I eventually were on full time staff at IHOP-KC and then got married in the spring of 2005 shortly before our 21st birthdays. God has so blessed our relationship, and family with Frances Ann.
what I do
My primary calling at the House of Prayer is to minister before the Lord in the prayer room as an intercessor /worshiper as my primary vocation and calling. Being on full-time staff one is required to have a minimum total of 50 hours a week, twenty-five serving and twenty-five in the prayer room. I spend 25 hours in the prayer room every week. While in the prayer room I spend my time praying and studying the word of God. I love being able to give myself to the ministry of beholding the beauty of Jesus though His word by His Spirit in me. Loving God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength is my primary calling (Mathew 22:37); this is first and foremost what I have been called to do. I am also called to be a messenger therefore I give a lot of my energy to study of the Word of God as a means to grow in love for Jesus by the transforming and renewing of my mind. Along with fasting to mourn for Jesus' return. Everything I do must over flow out of this reality; to love God with all that I am.
I also serve by playing the drums on an IHOP Worship Team; this means I play six 2 hours sets a week. I absolutely love and consider it the highest calling to worship the Lord daily as my job, it truly does not get higher than that because it is what is going on in Heaven right now, unceasing non stop worship of the Creator. The total hours combined that I spend with the worship team are about 18 hours a week (After practices and briefings added), plus other commitments around the base. These are some of the things I am involved in as part of a 25 service hours required for being on full-time staff.