The Story in 60 Seconds
One woman's quiet prayers, heard around the world
What began as a private conversation with God in the darkest season of Stefania's life became a devotional read on five continents. Here is everything, fast.
How it happened
Stefania Fernanda Leão never set out to write a bestseller. She set out to survive a dark season, and the way she survived it was prayer. Five to ten minutes each morning of scripture, reflection, and honest conversation with Jesus, written down as she went.
Her co-author, Alexander Debelov, a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur behind Virool, Go X, and Kairos, edited those pages into a finished book, wrote several of the final chapters, and hand-painted all thirty watercolor illustrations, one for every day. They published it independently on Amazon, expecting nothing.
Within months, The Prayer: Rise with Jesus hit #1 on Amazon in English, Portuguese, and Italian, won three international book awards in a single year, and was translated into six languages. Readers began filming themselves opening it, thousands of them, unprompted. And every cent the book has ever earned goes to homeless outreach in San Francisco and a ministry in Malawi, where copies are handed to readers in person.
Three languages, three #1s, three awards — all from one woman's private conversation with God.
At a glance
The fast facts
- Title
- The Prayer: Rise with Jesus — 30 Days to Transform Your Life
- Authors
- Stefania Fernanda Leão (writer) and Alexander Debelov (co-author, publisher, illustrator)
- Category
- Christian devotional · 30-day morning prayer book · non-denominational
- Published
- April 15, 2025 · independently published via Amazon KDP
- ISBN
- 979-8-218-64761-2
- Rating
- 4.8 / 5 stars across 96+ reader reviews
- Awards
- Three 2025 honors: Best Indie Book Award (Christian Prayer & Meditation), Storytrade Award (Christian Devotional), Readers' Favorite (Devotion & Study)
- Bestseller
- #1 Amazon Best Seller in three languages (English, Portuguese, Italian)
- Languages
- Published in six languages: English, Portuguese (Oração), Italian (Preghiera), French (Prière), Spanish (Oración), and Russian (Молитва, in production)
- Illustrations
- Thirty original watercolors, one per day, painted by Alexander Debelov
- Formats
- Paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and Audible
- Proceeds
- Every cent funds homeless outreach in the San Francisco Bay Area and a ministry in Malawi
- Press contact
- stefanialeao.books@gmail.com
