February 13th started off with what seemed to be a series of unfortunate events. Tired and groggy due to the lack of sleep caused by terrible nightmares the night before, I exited the bus at the top of the driveway at Gracie’s house, dreading the long day ahead of me. My world seemed clouded, and I operated in a daze. As the group of us stepped through the front door, we immediately sensed something was off. One of the girls at the house that has cerebral palsy was deathly ill.
While a plan of action was being made, my team and I were taken out of the house to a near-by village. This day, we were assigned with the task of going door to door, searching for anyone pregnant, any children under three years old, and/or children with a disability. (It’s part of a partnership that will provide food to hundreds of single moms with babies, as well as a personal project headed up by our host.) Carson, one of Gracie’s interns, accompanied us.
Meanwhile…
The truck that dropped us off in the village returned to the house, picked up a couple other racers, Gracie, and the sick girl and rushed them to the hospital.
Meanwhile…
In the village, we just finished praying over a family when the young mother looked at us and said that her sister in the village also needed prayer. With a sense of urgency, she took us several houses away to her where her little sister lived. Walking into the house, we saw a young girl, very pregnant, lying on a bed. Her name was Katherine. Worry covered her face. The baby had stopped moving.
Meanwhile…
The other group had arrived at the hospital. The little girl was getting the medical care she needed. After a terrifying couple of hours and hundreds of prayers later, her health was beginning to improve.
Meanwhile…
My team and I began to pray for Katherine and her baby. Our prayers were sincere, authoritative, genuine. Nothing existed outside the four walls of that small house in a small village in Honduras. We prayed for healing. We prayed for life. As I sat on a dirt floor, eyes filled with tears, I suddenly knew deep in my spirit. Everything was going to be okay.
Meanwhile…
Carson was outside on the phone with Gracie, who was still at the hospital. Updates given. Stories shared. Plans were once again in the making.
“Sorry to interrupt!”
I glanced up from my tiny patch of floor I had claimed during prayer.
“I just got off the phone with Gracie. We have called a taxi. It’s coming to pick up Katherine to take her to the hospital. They are going to do an ultrasound and check on her baby.”
Just like that, the playback button was hit. All at once, I heard the whole orchestra. My thoughts were suddenly overwhelmed with connecting the dots. Gracie was supposed to be at the hospital in this exact moment. We were supposed to be in the village in this exact moment. We were supposed to meet this family. Hundreds of other small details from throughout the whole morning flashed in my mind with a whole new meaning. Moments seemingly unimportant were now full of purpose. Every note had to be played at just the right time for the song to make sense.
And there, standing in the background of the song, orchestrating and conducting the entire thing, was My Music Teacher, smiling.
We found out more details later.
Katherine is only 17 years old. Her baby was due January 20th, more than 3 weeks ago. The baby’s father was murdered about a month ago. Around that same time, someone stated that the baby would also die. Katherine had gone into labor 3 days prior to our arrival. About 24 hours before we walked through her front door, her labor suddenly stopped. She hadn’t felt her baby move since. Full of fear, she thought that the curse put on her baby was true.
His song played out beautifully that day. Prayers were answered. Katherine arrived at the hospital. The baby, completely healthy. However, she did have to deliver ASAP. Her life and her baby’s life were in critical condition. Too much longer and one, or both, would have died. The hospital had to send her to the capital city (about an hour away) for an emergency c-section. Had Gracie not been there, they would have put her on public transportation. Thankfully, Gracie was there and was able to call an ambulance so Katherine could receive medical care the whole way. Every note was played out precisely as God intended.
