Prayer: An Essential Element to Our Faith

An Incredibly Important Element of Our Faith

(Based on J.C. Ryle’s A Call to Prayer ,Banner of Truth, 2002)

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”  Luke 11:9

Do you pray? In J.C. Ryle’s small but important book, A Call to Prayer, he challenges readers with this simple question. Ryle asserts “there is no duty in religion so neglected as private prayer.” I’m sure many of us would agree; of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer is often the hardest habit to form and one that is most quickly broken. However, we should strive to pray often, because prayer is an incredibly important element of our faith.

Here are a few reasons Ryle gives for why prayer is so important:

1. A habit of prayer is one of the surest marks of a true Christian. The greatest heroes and heroines of the Bible often shared a similar attribute- they were men and women of prayer. To take your frustrations, challenges, joys, hopes and dreams to God on a regular basis requires a great deal of faith - you are essentially relinquishing control and telling God, “I trust you will work on my behalf in this situation.” Do you have this kind of faith? Do you pray?

2. A habit of prayer brings great encouragement to the one who prays. In the Bible, we see that prayer moved God to raise the dead, heal the sick, save souls, draw water from a rock and send bread from heaven. Prayer even made the sun stand still! The fact that prayer moves God to action should be a great encouragement to us. Are you encouraged by God’s provision and power? Do you pray?

3. A habit of prayer creates holy men and women. The more we seek God out in prayer, the more our hearts are aligned with what God desires for us and we become holier men and women in the process. Are you growing closer to God? Do you pray?

4. If we do not pray, we run the risk of backsliding in our faith. Let’s be clear - Ryle doesn’t mean we should fear losing our salvation. However, without prayer we run the risk of becoming stagnate in our faith, if not falling back into sinful habits and temptations we had once overcome through prayer. When a relationship turns sour, often a main cause is poor communication. So too with us and God. Do you feel stagnate in your faith or distant from God? Do you pray?

5. A habit of prayer brings peace and contentment. We live in a sin-filled world. Sorrows and troubles abound. So how do we combat sadness, disappointments, fears, slanders, and hurt? When we cry out to our Father, he offers us peace that transcends our understanding. This is one of the richest blessings of our faith. Are you experiencing this blessing? Do you pray?

Intersecting Faith and Life:  Ryle says, “In every journey there must be a first step.” If you desire to become a more prayerful person, take time today and go somewhere quiet, shut the door and pray aloud that God would give you the grace and strength you need to develop a habit of prayer. Then be encouraged- God greatly desires you to be in regular prayer with him- if we ask, seek and knock, he will open the door for us to a richer prayer life.

Further Reading:    Hebrews 5:7    Matthew 6:5-6   Romans 8:26

Prayer Requests

PRAYER REQUESTS  9/14

MALARIA STRIKES THE FRINK FAMILY

            With only three months into the transition process, our new directors at Otino Waa have already experienced malaria. A mild case has effected three of the four. Please pray continually for protection and good health with our leaders. We need them!

RECOVERY AT OTINO WAA

            As the kids continue to process the death of Joshua please remember all of them.  The seven remaining house mates and house mom are continually reminded of this great loss.  We can share the grief and ask for the comfort only God can bring.

UGANDAN VISITORS TO OREGON

            The first time on a plane.  First time to see the ocean.  First time in a foreign country or eating strange foods.  First time to speak in front of an all-white audience.  The list goes on.  As we welcome guests from Otino Waa later this month, please consider the list of “firsts” and the granting of comfort, laughter, discovery of God’ creation in the NW and new friends.  Dickens and Patricia will welcome your efforts!

Norman Lemo

Norman Lemo

Norman was born on 10/9/1998.  He has four siblings.

In 2005 the LRA rebels made life very difficult for villages in northern Uganda.  Raids were frequent and Norman’s parents were both killed as the village was raided.  All the children knew the drill.  They had done it many times before – quickly find the designated hiding place.

An uncle took over the care of the children, but this proved to be too much for a poor farmer.  Norman’s siblings were scattered to other family members, but Norman was able to stay as he had learned how to best care for the goats.  Fortunately the uncle knew the value of education and made sure Norman attended as much as possible.

In 2010, after being put on a waiting list, he was able to come to Otino Waa Children’s Village.  He is delighted to find a new life there and finds math to be his best subject.  He would like to be a teacher someday.

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Orphans & Inmates: An Orphan's Perspective

Inmates scattered all over Oregon have sponsored Otino Waa kids for years.  Visions of Hope, the inmate art project, demonstrates an even deeper level of passion, as art is created to support even more kids.  If you were to ask the kids what this means to them, what would they say?

Inmates have been sponsoring Otino Waa children since about 2004.  Currently there are 22 who support one or more of our kids.  In 2009 a new and unique project was birthed to create a fundraiser with art directly from the prisoners.  To date 345 pieces have been included in the Visions of Hope project.  Various events and promotions have generated over $26,000.  The unique and one-of-a-kind endeavor has connected the inmates to the orphans in a very special way.

Recently, a short term team went to Otino Waa, in northern Uganda.  One of the many projects included interviews with the kids to see what their reaction might be to the efforts of these men in prison.  The inmates have seen this, amid tears and applause.  

Hope lives in Otino Waa AND in prison.

 Click HERE to play video.

What part do you play? 

Want to encourage an orphan?  Sponsor a child!

Want to encourage an inmate?  Provide funds for art supplies!

The Day My Mom Went Crazy

The Day My Mom Went Crazy
(Originally from John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com)
I don’t remember the day of the week—so, let’s say Wednesday. I’d just returned from work and was making the walk from the parking lot to my apartment.

Before I could get to the door, the call came. My cell phone cracked and spluttered as my brother spoke on the other end. His words tumbled into the hundreds of miles between us. But I understood enough. My mother had stopped her meds again; she’d lied about it; and now she didn’t know her youngest son existed. My family wanted me to talk to her to prove I was, in fact, real. The idea sickened me, but I didn’t have time to object before the phone went to her. Really, it took that long for me to recover.

They didn’t tell her who I was, just that someone wanted to talk to her. My mind whirled around a prayer—a very inadequate bottle rocket—as I waited through the rustling and murmurs and silence. Mostly, I just hoped she wouldn’t take the phone.

She did.

If you’ve never been told you don’t exist, it’s not something I recommend. You hurt for the person who doesn’t want to remember, and you hurt for the lost connection. But that’s what happened when I said hello and told her who I was. She screamed into the phone that I had died as a baby, that I didn’t really exist, and that I was lying to her. The whole moment will never really fade away.
When I visited my mom later in the hospital, a shell sat across the table from me. Her eyes dulled under the fluorescence. There was no recognition, no love in the hazel. She only resembled the woman who’d once wept when I moved out.
Loving her then gave me the smallest glimpse of what it was like for God to love me—even when I ran away, even when I denied He existed. I couldn’t see back then. My eyes couldn’t recognize His goodness because I convinced myself that the lies of this world are more satisfying. I denied Him and raged against Him in turn. I hated that He loved me.
Slowly, over months, my mother began to remember. She got back the names and faces that had vanished from her mind. She saw us again.
And how slow my own journey has been. First, I came face to face with a very real Maker of the universe. Then, I fell down before His ridiculous love for me. Since then, I’ve been slowly regaining my sight, seeing the world through His eyes. I once blinded myself, but now I’ve been granted new eyes. I couldn’t see until God’s preceding grace tore away the haze, and, suddenly, I remembered what love is.

The whole situation hit me with the truth of what John 3:16 really means. God longs for us to recognize His love. But we have selective amnesia; we forget the one who created us.
Even that doesn’t stop Him, though. He pursues us in Christ Jesus, who went through the pain of being rejected to heal our forgetful hearts. Nothing could stop him from that.

Ivan

Ivan was born on 10/2/2000.  He speaks Luo and English and has one sibling.

Little is known about Ivan’s past. He was born as a result of rape. His mom, Florence, was attending a secondary boarding school in 1999. One night the LRA rebels raided the village and school sending the students fleeing for their lives. As Florence was hiding she was found by a boy she knew from school.  They hid for days to avoid the rebels, but somehow she placed too much trust in him and was raped. Shortly thereafter the boy was killed as he ran from the rebels.

In 2002 Ivan’s mom gave birth to a girl. Shortly thereafter the mom and baby disappeared. Ivan has not seen them since.

Ivan went to live with a grandfather in 2003 and stayed with him for many years. It was here he learned how to build homes as the grandfather was a skilled carpenter.

 In 2007 the grandfather became ill with TB and quickly lost health. Ivan became full time caregiver as well as the only support for the two of them. In 2008 Ivan was interviewed to be admitted to Otino Waa, but was put on a waiting list of over 500. He had almost lost hope of living there, but in 2010 he was admitted.

Ivan loves his new life at Otino Waa. He seldom attended school in his younger years and has many grade levels to catch up to. He continues to want to be a builder.

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"3" Significant Daughters

Uganda – 2013
“3” Significant Daughters

Before going to Uganda, the church I attend had a prayer time over me. During this time I received several “words” about the upcoming trip. One of those was the number “3” would be significant to me on this trip. I was going to Uganda to assist with projects. One was to update pictures and profiles on the orphans at Otino Waa Children’s Village for current and future sponsors. My wife Rhonda and I had no agenda to sponsor a child.

I was blessed to spend a lot of time on interviewing these orphans, asking questions such as; what’s your favorite activity, what makes you smile, what makes you angry, what is your favorite subject, what do you want to be, what is one thing God has done for you, what does your sponsor mean to you, and where would you be without Otino Waa?
I heard some incredible stories of hopelessness and hope. I remember one child telling me; “Russ, before I came to Otino Waa, I did not know hope! I did not even know the word hope “I did not know what hope even meant! But now I know hope!”

I heard stories of difficulties that I will never know, stories of struggle, abuse, suffering, Aids, war, hunger and death! I heard stories of what Otino Waa means to these children, that meeting their basic needs (food, clothing, and shelter) is such a blessing! They highly value the education they are receiving and now see a bright future. The stories about what the church means to them and how they love to dance praise and worship God! I don’t know how many times I heard the children say; ohhh, I love to read my bible, ohhh, I love to pray!

One young man told me he loves to pray for people for healing. I asked him to further explain, he said after church service is over and the people go up front for prayer, God shows him who to pray for healing. When I pray for them they get better! I asked him, anything else? He shared that last time he went home to the village, there was a man lying on the ground and very sick, he was like dead. God told me to put my hands on him and pray that he would get well. After praying for him, he got up! He’s fine! I was amazed and later thought; maybe we should sponsor this young man and keep up on his life!

Another question we asked was; what does your sponsor mean to you? All of them were so thankful for what is provided to them by their sponsors! One girl said to me “I am a candle, and my sponsor lights my flame." I was captivated by that and it later would come back in an unexpected way, which leads me to my next story.

I was going to Uganda with team leaders who oversee sponsors. I was not strongly pursuing a child to sponsor, but at the same time was open to it if the Lord directed. It seems the Lord was directing because there was a young lady by the name of Serina that God kept putting on my heart. It increasingly was becoming stronger.

Serina

Edith

At nights when I was back at the hotel, I would text my wife (Rhonda) and my daughter Jess (she is the one responsible for me being here:) and tell them I believe the Lord is showing us that we are to sponsor Serina. I would ask them to pray and see what God is stirring in them. The Lord was also showing me that He had another young lady in mind too, her name is Edith. I was thinking to myself, ok, wait a minute, one at a time I need to focus on Serina first :)

One afternoon I was walking across Otino Waa and Serina approached me. She said, “Russ, I cannot believe out of all (spreading her arms wide) the children here you would pick me!” I was taken aback by what she said and not sure how to answer her. Now mind you, I have not said one word to Serina or anyone else about the possibility of us sponsoring her. I quickly changed the subject, as we continued to walk. I thought to myself, I wonder if this is a way for them to get you to consider sponsoring them? But I have to say that I immediately disregarded that thought as I knew these children are so truthful, respectful and polite.

That night back at the hotel I once again texted my wife and daughter and said I believe we are to sponsor Serina, they agreed. The next morning after arriving back at Otino Waa, I contacted Emmanuel, who oversees the children and is familiar with each one. I told him we would like to sponsor Serina and asked if he could get her. Serina came and I sat down with her and let her know we wanted to sponsor her and that my family was so excited they were in tears. Serina was smiling ear to ear as well.

As the day progressed, the Lord kept showing me that we were to sponsor Edith as well. That evening, I once again texted Rhonda and Jess and shared more about Edith, we agreed that we should sponsor her too. We will have to figure it out financially, but we needed to do this. Tears were flowing again!

The next morning, I found Emmanuel and asked if he would mind getting Edith. No problem he said, she is in circle 3, house 4! I thought this is the same house as Serina! My mind raced to a thought of oh no! If we are active sponsors and we don’t treat them the same in their eyes it could cause jealousy in the house. Once again I tossed that thought quickly, as these are some of the most sharing kids I know. Edith came and I shared with her about how the Lord kept putting her on my heart and that we wanted to be her sponsor. I also told her that Rhonda and Jess had tears of joy! That really touched Edith and she had tears as well, she said, I do not know how someone could shed tears for me who has never met me? I felt like I needed to tell Edith that we were sponsoring Serina as well. After I told her this, she looked at me and said, oh no problem, she’s my sister! I said are you kidding me? I was overwhelmed with emotion, and now the tears are really flowing. I’m thinking of all these children here how is it that we end up with sisters?

Naume

I asked her, well are there any more sisters? She said yes, there is Naume! I said well we are not leaving Naume out; we are going to sponsor her too!

That evening I texted my wife and daughter again and told them the whole story, they were filled awe and tears. Then Rhonda said to me “Well there is your significant “3”! My daughter Jess said, “I have 3 more sisters!” I was able to talk to all 3 girls and made sure they understood, We Truly Love Them and considered them our Daughters and Sisters!

I want to briefly go back to some of the words that were spoken over me before I left my church. Of course there was the significant number “3”, but another word that also struck me, was a word that said you will be the “bearer of the flame”. Now going back to my interview time with the orphans, as stated earlier, there was a young lady I interviewed who said “I am the candle and my sponsor lights my flame!” Well as it turns out, this young lady is Edith! I honestly did not connect any of this as I was the one who interviewed her. God you are amazing!

It’s Sunday April 28th and time for our team to leave. I am sitting here with all three girls.
My heart is a total mess! I am truly ruined for the Lord and them! It’s a great place to be...
I turned to Serina and said you are the one who started all of this. You were the spark! I said, I need to ask you something. That day I was walking across Otino Waa and you came up to me and said “Russ, I can’t believe out of all these children you would pick me!” Why did you say that? Serina said, “For over a year I have been praying to God that He would send someone to love me like a daughter. So for the last year God has been showing me in 4 or 5 dreams that a man was coming. As recently as two weeks ago, I was crying out to God, when? When is he coming? The Lord showed me in a dream, hang on just a little bit longer, he is coming soon, and you will know him because he will be kind and gentle, he will love you like a daughter! And when I saw you Russ, I knew you were him, because you are the same man God has been showing me in my dreams!!!
Ok, I’m on the ground... totally overwhelmed... by the Love of God... and these girls... Serina, Edith and Naume, my significant “3”, they light my flame...

Ruined – Russ R.

Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show great and mighty things, which you do not know”