May 2010
Dearly Beloved of Our Lord:
Greetings in the mighty name of Jesus Christ who is the King of the Kingdom of God. Jesus taught us to pray to our Father for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on (“in” - KJV) earth as it is in Heaven. The Holy Spirit is leading us to pray this way more and more often as we encounter people in various situations and as we pray for our own families and their needs. We pray for you to experience His Kingdom and walk in the center of His will as we send you our prayer letter. Our desire is to live in His Kingdom and walk in His will at all times ~ 24/7!
~ Being Available ~ Ron’s Testimony
Here are a couple of testimonies. Karen and I like to go out walking as often as we can and one day we were walking near our home along Hawthorne Blvd at SE 35th. We noticed a young man standing on the curb waving the two-fingered “V” peace sign at the cars going by. He was dressed casually but was very intense and animated as he waved the peace sign. Then I noticed the military “dog tags” hanging from his hand as he waved. I heard the Holy Spirit impress me to stop and “pay attention” and to pray for him. We prayed for our Lord’s Kingdom to come into this man’s heart and life and for our Father’s will to be done in and through his life. Because he was young and holding military dog tags I sensed that he had just recently returned home and was dealing with his experiences of a recent deployment to war.
One day down at Pioneer Square a young man came up to Me and Stephen asking what kind of results we get from being available to passers-by on the street corner and giving out tracts. He said that he had recently come to believe in Jesus and was wondering who we were and what we were doing. During our short conversation I noticed that he was wearing a “Dignity Village” T-shirt and asked him about it. He told us that he used to live at Dignity Village, which is a homeless camp on city property in NE Portland. We encouraged him to try reaching out to people and asked the Lord to bring His Kingdom and His will into the young man’s life and actions. We talked about the importance and the joy of “being available” and “paying attention” to whoever the Holy Spirit brings to us.
The very next day Stephen, Karen, and I were able to experience what we had shared with the young man wearing the “Dignity Village” T-shirt. A man who is known downtown to be a heroin addict and low-level dealer came up to me and said that he needed to find some elders so he could get prayer for a respiratory illness he was suffering from. He had been reading the book of James and believed if he could find some elders who would anoint him with oil and pray for him he would be healed of the illness.
So, as he stood close to us coughing, I told him that we were older than he was and that would make us “elders” in that sense and asked if we could pray for him. He agreed and I went up to the backpack Karen carries and got some oil so that Stephen and I could anoint him with oil and pray for him which is what we did. The man stopped, closed his eyes, and became quiet as he received prayer for healing and for God’s Kingdom and His will to be evidenced in his life. After we prayed for him he admitted that he smoked and that his illness might be related to this habit. He said something about defiling his body and that he needed to quit smoking. But he did not ask to be healed or delivered from the heroin habit. Maybe next time.
~ Paying Attention ~
We try not to be in a hurry wherever we are. We like to go slowly and do our best to “pay attention” to each person who we interact with. The times of communication can be very short such as when a person walks by, looks our way, and then walks on. Others might pause as they walk by and look at what we are handing out and make a quick decision to accept or reject what we are offering in the way of literature. These brief interactions may give us an opportunity to speak a word to them which we hear in our hearts and which we believe is just for them. Some encounters are longer and the person may stop and ask a question or request prayer. No matter how long the interaction, or the sincerity in the communication, we try to “pay attention” to each person. After all, no matter how rushed someone may feel, we do not have to be rushed.
People passing by can say a lot without using words. Their body language, manner of dress, and facial expressions often communicate quite a bit. Not just to us but to all others in the living room, Pioneer Courthouse Square. Many young men walk by holding up their pants as they have been caught up in the “sagging” fashion trend. No wonder the schools have to have dress codes because some of these young men look absolutely hideous as well as uncomfortable. They may be trying to say many things but one message is that they are insecure. Most cannot tell us why they are dressing (or not dressing) that way. But we do get to talk with them about Jesus.
The same can be true for the girls. One warm Friday afternoon we noticed several high school aged girls passing by. Many of them were trying to expose them selves in various ways. One even took off her jacket and clothes and walked around wearing only her slip and some shoes. Her facial expression indicated that she was a bit high on something. She even yelled out at us that God made us all naked and that it is OK to be naked and went off dancing around the Square for all to see. At least she knew why we were there and that it had something to do with her knowing God. Perhaps next time she will come over to one of us and talk.
~ Thank You for Your Prayerful Support ~
We pray that these short testimonies are encouraging. We greatly enjoy the opportunity to “be available” and to “pay attention” to each one the Holy Spirit brings our way. May you also be blessed to live in His Will and experience His Kingdom throughout this springtime. Thank you for your prayers for us, your support, and encouragement. We greatly appreciate every note and every gift we receive. Please continue to pray for us to have good health and an abundance of strength for all that our Lord Jesus is giving us to do. Thank you!
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~Romans 15:13
~ Ron & Karen
E-mail: awakening1s@comcast.net
Home Page: awakening1s.net
church @ 24/7
Ron & Karen Rohman
PO Box 14292
PORTLAND OR 97293