Standing in the Gap for Oregon

The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose.  Isaiah 35:1   We have covered ten of the thirty-six Oregon counties in our blog so far. This week we are looking at the county just to the west of Wallowa and Union Counties in the northeastern section of the state.     Umatilla County was established in 1862 out of part of Wasco County. Its northern border is the Columbia River. Like many places in Oregon, it was gold that first drew pioneers to the area who then realized the country was a good place to raise cattle. By 1868 the town of Pendleton had become the county seat and remains so. In 1881 the arrival of the railroad made dryland wheat farming practical. Other types of agriculture were limited, however, in an area that grew sagebrush best until the Umatilla Irrigation Project was established early in the 20 th  century. Then "the desert bloomed" and the economy began to grow, especially in the western section ...

Image by  congerdesign  from  Pixabay   Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.  I Timothy 2: 1-3   This post is a bit of "housekeeping" before we really get into the nitty-gritty. A friend once told me she divided her prayer list up into the days of the week: one day for family, one for the nation, one for missionaries, etc. I was shocked as I had assumed you had to pray for everything on your list  every day . Not so. Rule number one of prayer and prayer lists – there are no rules. We won’t insist on keeping a journal, or praying an hour a day, or getting up at the crack of dawn, although those things work for some. But – on the...