Portland, Oregon

Portland, and the surrounding area, will the the first area that I pray for on this prayer journey. As I wrote in the post listing where I wanted to pray for, I saw a special once on MSNBC about the homeless youth of Portland, and the gangs, or "families" they are in so that they feel a sense of belonging, of importance. It was heart breaking to see stories with people who were my age (or even younger) who have spent the better part of their teenage lives on the streets. They make a living stealing, and dealing (I just made that term up, but I like it), and they have little to no hope of ever making something of themselves. The thing is, they are still young. That is not all they are capable of doing with their lives. Some of them still have families to go to home to, even, but its just pride, or fear, that keeps the from going back to them.

This month I want to get in touch with at least one church who is doing work in the city, showing love and acceptance to these teens, and to find out what they are doing, and how God is moving in the city. I also hope to find out for what, other than this homeless issue, the churches in the city need prayer for.