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.

Become a sponsor today.

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.

Become a sponsor

"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”

Your Prayers for these Concerns.

Transition –  Rory & Pam Frink continue to work side by side with Bob & Carol Higgins to gain as much insight as possible in the day to day workings at Otino Waa Children’s Village, Uganda

Many times we are never aware of the details and wisdom required to “fill shoes” or take on new responsibilities.  Here is a quick glimpse of what they must learn: 

 (Pam)     “I am taking some of the duties with the house moms at Otino Waa. One of my jobs is to oversee their needs. I issue their leave passes when there is something they need to attend to. I listen to such heart aches, as death in the family or babies that are unable to eat.

I oversee their needs and repairs for their homes at Otino Waa. Recently I received the request for sleepers and brackets in the bathroom.

I went to work right away to research these requests. The sleepers turned out to be slippers. The brackets turned out to be buckets. That is part of the transition as you get used to a new dialect and culture.”

Please pray for wisdom.

Our “Vulnerable” Kids – Are you aware there are a handful of children at Otino Waa who need medical assistance on a long term basis?  

Some, such as Oscar, require multiple surgeries. 

Others, like Vickie need special shoes or other mechanical assistance.

Please pray for physical and spiritual health.  If you would like to bless these kids with designated medical funds please go HERE. 

Children’s Church

Each Sunday, across the road from Otino Waa, over 600 locals gather to worship at Ilera Community Church.  The building vibrates with enthusiastic song and dance. 

After a time of music and worship, the children (to age 12) are dismissed to go across the highway to their own service.  There is a mixture of community and Otino Waa kids, but the majority are from the local villages.

 

Please pray for wisdom and leadership as the older Otino Waa kids play an important part in teaching and shaping these young minds.  This is the future face of Uganda.

God's Good Grace

God's Good Grace
by Ryan Duncan, Editor at The Fish.com

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9 

I was driving back to my apartment when I came to a stop sign on the side of the road. Now, I knew this area didn’t get much traffic, and I was in a big hurry to be home. So instead of coming to a complete stop, I made a quick glance to make sure there were no cars coming… and coasted through to the next street. That’s when I looked in my rearview mirror and saw there was a car behind me, specifically a white car with spinning lights and the word “police” stamped across it. In that moment I knew I had to be the dumbest driver in the history of automobiles. Sure enough, the lights went on and I got pulled over.

After the officer had taken my license and registration, I sat in my car feeling like an idiot. All I’d needed to do was stop for a full second and I wouldn’t be in this mess. I attempted to calculate the cost of the ticket, and which part of my budget I’d have to slash in order to pay it. I suspected it would be the grocery section, and that I’d be eating a lot of ramen noodles in the following week. Instead, the officer walked back to my car, handed me my license, and said, “I’ll just give you a warning this time. Drive safely.” I was floored.

When I think about the relief that came over me in that moment, I begin to truly understand how much grace God has shown me in my life. Running a stop sign has been the least of my sins. It’s very humbling to look through the darker moments of your life and realize God has forgiven you if you’ve asked him to. Christians can get so lost in the concept of grace that we forget what it’s like to really experience it, to feel the weight of guilt and shame – and sometimes even consequence – suddenly lifted from our shoulders. With Grace, you immediately get a clean slate, every mistake from the past is gone, and once you’ve experienced that you begin to understand the power that lies in verses like John 1:17:
“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
This day, extend the same grace toward others that God extended to you.

Morris Ocen, Otino Waa

Otino Waa Children's Village, Lira Uganda

Morris Ocen

Morris was born 8/1/99.  He has three siblings and is the youngest.

In 2000 he lost his dad to malaria. He lost his mom in 2007 to unknown causes. He was left with an uncle who took him and his siblings to stay with his family. The total in this household was now 14.

Morris was fortunate in that the uncle was a firm believer in education and did all he could to see that the children went to school. As school fees were needed this was accomplished by rotating the kids through various grade levels and holding some back. Morris did miss some grade levels and spent the off times helping his uncle with cattle and vegetable

gardening.

In 2007 Morris was interviewed for placement into Otino Waa. He was placed on a waiting list and remained hopeful. He had to wait until early 2011 to have his dream come true.  He now had a new family, home and hope for a future.

He has started school again and wants to be a doctor. He would love to meet his sponsors some day and is very grateful for what they are doing for him.

You can become Morris's Sponsor

Lost & Found Documentary

We've signed on with Passion River Films as a distributor for "Lost & Found". The film is available on their website as well as amazon.com. Even if you own a copy, you can still help. Please review the documentary at: http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Sandy-Cummings/dp/B00CNIDGWQ/ref=sr_1_24?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1371864550&sr=1-24&keywords=lost+%26+found

Passion River will sell DVDs and digital downloads to individuals, educational institutions and libraries. They already have sold copies to 50 libraries and the official release isn't until July! We are so pleased to see this getting out in places where it can inspire people to help others.

June Prayer Requests

Knees for Uganda

Important Prayer Requests  (6/29)

Leadership Transition:  As you may know by now, we are in the midst of installing new directors in Uganda.  The process will be complete by the first of September. The highest priority of the founders and the organization is to pass on the legacy created by the Lord and Bob & Carol Higgins to Rory & Pam Frink.  Please pray for wisdom, grace and God’s timing.

  Concerned inmates:  We have established relationships with many inmates in Oregon.  Within that association we see trust in sharing their prayer requests. Most of those are associated with their family members on the outside.  So many times we hear of concerns for a wife without a husband or child without a dad.  Please consider how you might intercede for these.

 Kids Catching Up:  Challenging childhoods include missing grade levels in younger years.  In order to educate our Otino Waa kids correctly, some have to start in lower grade levels and work their way up to finally succeed at graduation.  It is not unusual to see a 12 or 15 year old in primary grades.  Can you picture those faces and the challenges? Please pray for patience, encouragement and successes.

 

A Letter to a Son or Daughter (or even an Otino Waa Kid)

A Letter to a son or daughter (or even an Otino Waa kid)
(Originally from John UpChurch, Senior Editor of BibleStudyTools.com)

Dear (fill in here),

Giving advice always seems such a dangerous task, balanced between two equally foreboding chasms:

Impersonal clichés that do little to instruct AND a fruitless attempt to reach into your future based upon my past.

After all, you already have the best book of instruction on all matters, a book you’ve already read countless times. How could I really add to scripture?

But since I’ve learned vicariously from stories other people have shared of their own mistakes, I hope I can do the same for you. In other words,

I hope that I messed up so you don’t have to.

As always, use prayer as you consider these thoughts. Seek God for true wisdom because He’s got the monopoly on that. I’m just trying to pick up the scraps.

First, beware of gradual loss of your joy and wonder. Attacks on our faith rarely come as a frontal assault—more often they grow like ivy, slowly covering our defenses and blocking out the light. Day by day, the joy you’ve known slips away, and bitterness fills the cracks. Make it a habit to praise God for something new each day. It’s much harder to lose your joy when you’re looking for reasons to be joyful.

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life”. Prov. 4:23

Second, lead by serving those who follow you. This became a cliché in the church because it’s true. We lead others best when we serve them and do the things no one else wants to do. Jesus came as a missionary to our world and served the sick, dying, and hungry. He cleaned nasty feet, touched lepers, and made mud pies to heal a blind man. He didn’t have to. He didn’t need to. He wanted to. Joyfully serve and show others what loving people with reckless abandon means. (Did you notice I put that joy thing in here again?)
"But the greatest among you shall be your servant”. Matthew 23:11 

Third, don’t be surprised by sin. Sin isn’t a popular term. It’s not politically correct, and many people prefer to act like sin is just a social concept. But sin will smack you in the face from time to time—both your own shameful failures and the failures of others. When that happens, you may be tempted to be discouraged. Don’t be. God knows our sinful nature and loves us until we’re clean. That’s what really matters.

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 

 Fourth, remember your calling no matter what happens. You may already know or suspect God’s call for you. Keep that calling in mind. After all, there’s a reason Paul had to remind Timothy of his calling—it’s easy to question when times are difficult. Go where God calls. Go scared if you have to (and you may), but go. 

Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand. Proverbs 19: 21

Fifth, God’s not finished with us yet. Sometimes news stories about war and death may make you think that God’s finished with humanity. Web articles may make you feel like you’re the only one left who hasn’t bowed to Baal. And TV shows and movies may make you wonder how things could get so bad. But God’s not finished with us. And He’s never surprised by anything. 

Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people). Ephesians 5:15

And, finally, love. Above all else—and this may sound elementary—love like you have no time left to love. Love by giving your life away. Love by pouring time and energy into others. Love by sharing what you have. Love by putting God first. 

My beloved friends let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. 1 John 4:7

Wherever God takes you, I know He will faithfully bless and provide for the dreams He’s given you (and will yet give). You’ve only just begun to see how hard and rewarding it is to take up your cross daily.

But—and this is something you must remember—it’s definitely worth it.

Jemma Atim

Jemma Atim was born on 1/2/1995. She speaks Luo and has three living siblings. Her mom had a total of twelve children. In 2001, both of Jemma’s parents died of HIV/AIDS. In 2002 the step mom also died of the same disease. All of the children were scattered to other family members and Jemma went to live with a grandparent. Life was a great challenge for the grand parent who had to support other children as well. Jemma spent many days searching for food in gardens or the outlying bush. 

In 2007 the grandparent made application for Jemma to be admitted to Otino Waa. Within a few weeks she was introduced there. She is thankful for her new home and family. 

Jemma is struggling in school but is determined to be a nurse someday. Science is her favorite class. She likes playing all sorts of games, especially netball, with the other children. Jemma likes going to church to learn lessons and pray.

Jemma would like to thank her sponsors for their support. She would love to hear from her sponsors and possibly meet them some day. They have given her hope for a better future.