So this blog isn't about Romania.
I actually started writing this blog Month 1, back in Honduras, and never got around to wrappin it up and posting it. And I confess my procrastination was likely because this is a topic a lot of people –a lot of Christians– aren't comfortable talking about: The Holy Spirit.
Let me start by telling you I was raised 'in the church': I went to a Christian school, did Sunday school, said prayers before bed, grace before dinner, etc. And we talked about the Holy Spirit; we included him as a part of the trinity: the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit (you know the drill).
We talked about the Holy Spirit as our counselor, our guidance, perhaps our conscience, the voice in our heads –and all that was fine and dandy, but there was never a lot of talk about the 'presence of the Holy Spirit' or the 'gifts of the Holy Spirit'. Sure, we talked about the Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, & self control – but even those were talked about almost like 'sugar & spice and everything nice!' They were what good little Christians were made of! 🙂
But I knew my perspective was gonna change on this trip, ever since my World Race interview. My interviewer asked me 'What is your experience with 'the presence of the Holy Sprit'?' For lack of anything of substance to say, I responded "limited." When I asked her exactly what she meant, she asked if I had any experience with the 'gifts of the spirit'. For example: speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, casting out demos, etc. You know- that crazy other-worldly stuff that no well-intentioned, 'let's-not-offend anyone', non-denominational North American Christian would ever casually mention. Except maybe around their handful of crazy charismatic or pentecostal friends. It just seemed too weird.
But I knew that this stuff was real; I didn't doubt it. And that's exactly what I told my interviewer.
"It happened in the Bible and it still happens in some places, I'm sure."
It just didn't seem happen anywhere around me.
My interviewer told me that would probably change on the Race.
She asked me how I'd feel about that.
I told her the truth:
"Well, I'd probably be a little creeped out in the beginning. But I'm sure I'd get used to it."
And that's exactly what's happened.
First off, at Training Camp back in May:
- People were speaking in tongues during prayer or praise and worship
Laymen's terms: they were speaking in a 'heavenly language' that sounds like gibberish – and sounds different depending on who its coming out of- but it's a way of praising God in a way that only He understands –well, I guess sometimes other people are gifted with being able to interpret said tongue, but I've yet to see that.
- People were prophesying over each other — and me
Laymen's: they were sharing what they'd heard from the Lord about one another with one another. But not like a horoscope or a fortune cookie; it's like God using you to encourage someone– in a way specific to that person.
- People were praying for healing for one another
This one's pretty straight forward: asking God to heal a sickness or ailment –sometimes right then and there in the moment.
My squad-mate and buddy Jacob was actually a beneficiary of the miraculous healing that went on at Training Camp: he has had serious hearing loss since he was a kid (he wears hearing aids) and after we prayed for him, his hearing improved noticeably. Like, noticeably to the point where he could carry a conversation in a crowded room, without his hearing aids. We chatted during lunch in the cafeteria about it –I had to see for myself! (Jacob was just as surprised as I was! It was the first time people had ever prayed over him. To read Jacob's quick recap of how it went down, see:
http://jacobmclafferty.theworldrace.org/?filename=god-brings-a-powerful-punch
So my logical conclusion, after Training Camp, was 'its just a different lingo'
I thought it was basically, Christianeze jargon.
-We 'prophecy' in my Christian circles at home, we just call it 'encouragement'.
-We 'make declarations' over one another, we just don't call them that. Maybe we call them 'affirmations'.
-We pray for healing, we just don't always 'lay hands' on each other while we pray.
But a few months — no, a few weeks– into the Race, I realized:
This Holy Spirit stuff isn't just another language; it's another world.
And suddenly, I was in it. Living in it. Day to Day. THIS was my new normal.
And lemme tell ya- it's been anything but normal.
