Prayer

Prayer is one of the most powerful and humbling ways for me to start and end and spend each day. I get to tell God how much I love Him, and He reminds me of who I am- precious; His beloved child; filled with His Holy Spirit. I am reminded of how much Jesus cares for everyone around me- enough to come and live here and die for us all, and am reminded that today I get to help paint the world with the colors of hope, joy, peace, and love (from a Richard Dahlstrom quote). I am able to bring my thanksgivings and struggles and weaknesses and heartaches and failures to the feet of the One who loves me the most, crying out, “Help me Father! Thank you that I am never alone, for You are always with me.” I am able to bring the needs of those in my life to God in trust- such as physical and spiritual protection for this day: “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us; and lead us not into temptation.” These words have new meaning to me after being here for only a few weeks. Today the country of Uganda and the town of Jinja are heavy on my heart, and I ask you to join me in prayer.

Prayer Requests:

1. Pray for the street children in Uganda (and around the world). They are treated as the lowest of the low, and to many are worth less than prostitutes. Yesterday I saw two boys in town sitting in the dumpster, looking for food and scrap metal to make a few cents for the day. These children are in danger of brutality by the police and men in the community; they are beaten, hit with wires, raped, and easy targets for child labor, child sacrifice, thievery, malnutrition, gambling, drugs, and poor health (jiggers, worms, malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB, and other conditions).

The work that I am doing here in Jinja is with the Street Child Project. I am living in a home with 10 former street boys, and helping with their rehabilitation and spiritual growth.

2. Pray against poverty and the problems with teeth that arise from poverty: corruption, thievery (like the unsuccessful thief that followed Rachel and I yesterday afternoon), and family issues (domestic violence, abandonment and orphaned children, absent parents, child labor, abuse against children). There is also a high incidence here of health conditions: HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, etc.

3. Pray against stigmas and for education and an end to rumors which lead to people being mistreated and ostracized. What I have especially noticed are stigmas against HIV/AIDS, healthy consumption of alcohol (even one drink is thought to lead to alcoholism here), and the environment (it is common knowledge that burning trash creates clouds). One of our boys with HIV is mistreated by his teacher due to his condition, and hates to be taken from school for appointments because of how it is handled by his school.

4.  Pray for an end to child sacrifice and witchcraft. There are many misconceptions around child sacrifice here- some believe that it will improve their life to kill a child, and street kids are easy targets since no one is upset when they go missing.

5.  Pray against animosity between Ugandans and Indians- Indians are looked down upon here since they have had success in local businesses. We see this in tensions between people in town. Pray against animosity between different tribes in Uganda, and especially the Karimojong tribe, who are known for their violence and aggression against Mzungus and other tribes. Many street children in our area are from this tribe, possibly due to their being displaced from another part of Uganda and attempting to resettle in Jinja and other areas.

6. Healing for our boys, for the many orphans and street children, and for this country after the LRA violence up north. Pray for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.

7. For this tourist town of Jinja- many Mzungus come here to vacation and party, and we pray that they would see God working in mighty ways in this town and come to know Him. We have the chance to interact with many different people, and pray that they would grow closer to Jesus when they meet our boys and see what God is doing here. Pray for the many organizations and volunteers who come to serve in Jinja- for their rest and encouragement and protection from the enemy.

8. Polygamy and Polyandry-these are common practices in Uganda, and contribute to the number of street children because they lead to more children and families to care for by one husband or one wife. 

Rachel, the woman that I work with, used to be discouraged about how many Mzungus we see here in Jinja. But God recently taught her that He is sending people from all over the world to come here because He is powerfully at work, and deeply cares for the people in this town and country and continent. I share these observations with you not to bring discouragement, but because I know how mighty God is and how He delights to bring love from hatred, peace from despair, and light from darkness. 

May the peace of Christ be with you all. ( :