While I was out in the middle of nowhere raising roofs (literally), installing bamboo floors, and teaching English with my teammates, God was involving some of my squad mates (like Kristen, my fraternal last name twin) with the miraculous – like, raising the dead miraculous.
realizing that one main reason God brought me here is to redefine my
“normal”. There is much about the World Race that resonates with the
“normal” that I knew in Dayton, Ohio. For instance, on my days off from
ministry I like to go to coffee shops, post blogs, send emails and
check facebook while sipping an iced non-fat, sugar-free hazelnut latte
(well, that is my “normal” cup o joe). Some days I like to take a day
of rest from ethnic food and give my belly a little normalcy, like
Chili’s chips and salsa. In reality, the awe-inspiring, supernatural,
“God moments” that you read on my blog are only about 10-20% of my
“normal” world race life. There is freedom on the race to just live
life in community in the midst of a different culture, so what is it
about my life on the race that is different than the way I was living
in Dayton, Ohio?
Insert the manifestations of the Holy Spirit here.
The difference is that as I am living out my “normal” life on the
World Race, my ears and the eyes of my heart are becoming more finely
tuned to the voice and promptings of the Holy Spirit. It is becoming
normal to feel the Holy Spirit prompt me to pray over that person
passing by; to prophesy over the people I meet; to lay hands on that
dying child and pray the spirit of peace and comfort over her father
who is holding her; to pray in tongues; to dance upon injustice during
worship times; to lay healing hands on people and see them healed; or
as in the case today, to raise a woman from the dead in the middle of
the coffee shop. You know, just normal Christian living. Wherever Jesus
went, healing, life and freedom broke out. He said we would do even
greater things than these . . . why do we not take him seriously? . . .
yes, I did say that I was present and a part of raising a lady from the
dead in the middle of a coffee shop. Why are you so surprised?!
I met Liney last night after an international church service. She
and three other powerful and amazing women of God, Derozette, Carrye,
and Michele are in Siem Reap because God called them here, and I am
becoming more and more convinced that if for no other reason it was to
meet team Fullness of One. Last night Pastor Derozette said she wanted
to pray for us, so we all filed into the lobby and took our seats, not
prepared or expecting what happened next. With sincerity and
intentionality Pastor Derozette began listening to the voice of the
Holy Spirit and as she did, she began to prophesy over each one of us,
cutting to the core of our deepest struggles, regrets, desires and
things from our past. There was so much truth and freedom that was
spoken last night. It was incredible.
So fast forward . . . today, I am sitting in the coffee shop, the
Blue Pumpkin, minding my own business, trying to write a blog when I
look over and see Michele at the counter. A quick scan of the Blue
Pumpkin and I see Liney, Carrye and Pastor D also. Immediately, I jump
up and start waving to catch their attention. After a quick round of
hugs Liney asks if there is air conditioning anywhere in the coffee
shop. I can tell she isn’t feeling well and so I quickly usher her
upstairs and put a fan on her. Knowing I am a nurse, she begins asking
me about her ailments. She is not sitting for more than a couple
minutes when she asks for the bathroom. Carrye, not wanting her to be
alone, walks her downstairs. Before my eyes she looks as though she is
becoming weaker. Carrye puts a hand under her elbow as they walk
downstairs. Liney never makes it to the bathroom but stops at the “wash
station” (the sink outside the bathroom) and begins throwing up. Carrye
starts calling for Pastor D to come down. Pastor D then looks at me and
says, “you need to come down as well.” I quickly grab my bag, ditch my
computer and say a quick prayer that no one steals it as I run to the
top of the steps. By the time I reach the stairs I see Liney on the
ground. The thought, CRAP, she is gray! runs through my mind.
She is ashen gray. Michele hears her gurgling and is afraid she is
choking on whatever it was that made her sick and tries to raise her
limp body to a sitting position. I run down the stairs and feel her
wrist. Nothing. “We need to lay her down.” I say. I check her neck.
Nothing. I look at her eyes; constricted pupils rolling in the back of
her head. I call to her loudly. Nothing. I check to see if she is
breathing. Nothing! Start CPR you fool! Just as I begin to
move over her to start CPR Carrye says, “This is spiritual!” So we
began to pray. Instinctively, (which was never instinctively before, it
was always weird or forced or awkward) I begin to pray in tongues. I
lay my hands on her head and her shoulder. We all lay hands on her and
begin praying. Within minutes of us starting to pray for her, her eyes
roll forward. She inhales a deep relieving breath. We allow her to lay
there a few more minutes before sitting her up. She is still very pale,
she can not feel or move her right arm. Literally, Liney takes her left
hand and picks up her limp right arm and places it on her knee. Carrye
grabs my hand, puts in on top of Liney’s right hand. With Carrye’s
hands covering mine she looks at me and says, “Start praying for her,
from your heart, whatever comes, however you feel led. You have the
anointing of healing on your life.” I begin to pray again in the
Spirit. Her pulses return, faint and slow at first, but after a few
minutes of sitting they normalize into a rate of 70 beats per minute.
She begins to move her right hand. Looking from her hand to all of us
surrounding her, I can tell she is still discombobulated, she asks
Carrye, “Did I die?”
As soon as Liney can stand we move her into a Tuk Tuk to take her
back to their hotel. I run upstairs to get Keet who had been in the
third floor lounge unable to hear the commotion. “Keet, can you finish
uploading your video at the hotel?” Keet looks at me confused. I am
talking fast, “I am pretty sure we just raised Liney from the dead and
now we are taking her back to the hotel! C’mon!” “WHAT?! Wait, WHO?!
HUH?!” I quickly explain what happened promising that more details
will come and we hop on our bikes and ride to the hotel.
When we arrive Liney is resting in bed and as we sit down she begins
to tell us her side of the story. . . . She couldn’t remember what she
saw exactly, but it was bright. It was beautiful and peaceful. She said
that she felt well and happy. She said that she then heard us calling
her and thought, why are they bothering me, I am happy here. She
said she was confused and frustrated because she heard our calls to
her, but did not want to leave where she was, it took her a while to
reconcile the two and then she opened her eyes.
