Lord hear our prayer

I have never been one much of organized structured religion.  Funny to hear that from a person like me, but I guess that is why James 1:27 has always given me something to look to.  VISIT the WIDOWS and ORPHANS  IN THEIR TIME OF NEED....

I can remember as a kid attending a church that was very ceremonial .. I can clearly remember a part in the service where there was a prayer book , and as the Minister would read the prayers, the congration would reply , LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER ,.. then the next line and the next line, all responding with LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER...    Lately I have been having flash backs to those days ...  Almost every time we stop for the ones in front of us they tell us " The Lord has heard our prayer and that's why you helped me "  I heard this on my first trip here in 2005 with Ed Dickson and I here it today .

We have been in situations and witness to situations when we are seeing those prayers lived out , and the response  "LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER" is being cried, and whispered, and gowned by the weakest of society...  

  I shared about the situation Emma diverted a few days ago.. This morning we had another situation come to a head,.  One of the girls we have been in contact with dropped off the radar .. we have had this in the past and things turned out to be OK . today they did not.  The young girl in question was found.. she has been bride napped.. she was in her third day of abuse and torture.

Everything was done right, and the system pulled together to save her .. the police, social services and orphanage directors all came through to assist our friends to save this poor girl. .. It was clear that the Lord had heard her prayers, and that is what lead us to her ...

So why are we not happy.. our home is a very somber one tonight , our girls are shaken and afraid.. we are all fighting back the tears... some not as well as others .    How can we rejoice for the one that was found when the scars will run deep and effect her for the rest of her life.  As a father , I see my girls being forced to face the realities of a cruel world ,  the type of thing that I should be protecting them from yet they are leading the charge..and not just Emma and Bekah.. our house is full tonight with young girls whos lives are at risk , and they know it.. yet they some how have the ability to  go on .. .

We knew that this young girl was out there .. we had just not gotten to her yet.. but its not just her, there are many more like her that are out there calling out for help .. LORD HEAR MY PRAYER.   I seem like I am beating the same drum a lot lately, but    We did not sign up for this..we came to love the kids, and let them know they are loved... what I was not banking on was the pain that sometimes comes from loving ... . the urgency of the needs is overwhelming  We need the resources to continue to train and assist government social workers in child protection  .. we need resources to provide training and education for at risk kids to teach them to be safe and give them a hope for a future  and we need the resources to get into a car and spend the day scouring the little mountain villages looking for the one...  

 Because of the urgency and sensitivity, we don't always have the option to let the needs be known and wait for designated funds to come in... Fortunately for our young friend ,  we did have the resources today .. but I have no idea what tomorrow may bring.  " LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER"