So the Rains Came…

Last week one of my teammates, Justin, had come down with a flu bug maybe from food we ate at a beach, but we aren’t sure. He wasn’t feeling too great when we were headed to ministry so he stayed behind for the day. We prayed over him before we left and allowed him to sleep for the day. When we came back he still felt a little under the weather.  That night it started to rain, like it has every night. It isn’t just a light rain that falls in the late afternoons here in the DR- it is a downpour. Our squad leader, who had been here with us for the last week, grabbed Justin and went out to our driveway. He declared, “THIS IS HEALING RAIN!” and grabbed Justin to run through the rain. They ran up and down the street. They ran in freedom to be healed by the Great Physician.
 
Side note: None of my team was there to watch-this was a recount that Justin told us. The reason why this story was retold to us was because healing happened. Justin felt better. The pain he had that made him bend over to the ground was removed. The energy that was stripped of him had returned. The gargle in his stomach that took away his joy had disappeared. Justin proclaimed healing in the name of Jesus through the rain.
 
So, as I said, it rains here almost every afternoon. Now we don’t go running into the rain every afternoon declaring healing rain or declaring anything in that case. We normally run through the house screaming, “Rain is coming, all hands on deck!” We scramble between all the rooms to close the windows and run through the yard grabbing all the clothes off the lines. After all of the hoopla settles, we sit in the kitchen and start to sweat. We realize that the electricity has managed to shut off in the mix of everything, which means our fans have turned off along with all the windows being shut. Honestly, these moments I soak up. I enjoy the adventure and the laughter that I receive from the moments of surprise that come from cultural differences and not being in America.
 
Anyways, this would have been the procedure a few days ago, but something else happened. For me personally, I was exhausted. I had tried to nap a couple times, but could never drift off from my thoughts long enough to catch a couple minutes of rest. I had worked at the farm earlier that morning so my body ached in places I didn’t even know existed. We not only worked the farm, but walked to and from with all our equipment as well so my legs were weak-weaker than I had felt maybe ever before. As I tried to gain an ounce of energy, I would always lean back on reading and reading and reading my Bible trying to find rest in God’s words. I felt tired and weak, but I felt alone like I couldn’t tell anyone that I was being drained. I sucked it up as best as I could to get ready for our ministry that afternoon.
 
The clouds became dark…fast. The rains came…fast. And as a result, we found out our ministry had been canceled for the day. In my heart, I was praising the Lord. I was happy to know that I wasn’t alone-God knew my thoughts, my needs and my aches. 

Hannah, Jaclyn, and I knew that two of our teammates had been sick that day too, so we grabbed them so they could…well…dance in healing rain. Seemed like the legit thing to do. Our teammate, Alyssa, who has been battling through Mono hopped up and was ready to go for it. All the girls ran into the rain-which was more than a downpour, it was more like a torrential hurricane rain. We ran up and down the street. We jumped in pooling puddles along the driveways. We kicked up water meandering through the gutters. We played, danced, and laughed in the rain together as the women of Ahava (My team name which means Love). And that is when it happened.

 
God truly did know my thoughts, my needs and my aches. This wasn’t just healing rain for sickness that had taken ahold of Alyssa’s body; this was a healing rain for the women of my team who needed healing for relationships. This rain was healing us from our fears of friendships from our pasts, which trickled into our relationships with each other. This was a rain that healed us of our fear of rejection, fear of being unlovable, fear of being unworthy to have friends, fear of being alone. This was a rain that healed us to bond us together now and forever. This rain was God’s way of showing me that I wasn’t alone. God knew my aches of wanting to be loved for who I am. God knew my needs for friends to “dance in the rain”.  God knew my thoughts for acceptance amongst the women of Ahava and God also knew the desires of the other women for a freedom in vulnerability to be ourselves.

 
So the rains came…but this time, we saw rain in a new way. The rains were not just a daily drenching of the lands, but it was a cleansing of our souls. We had received healing, but from God’s hands as he directed the waters to wash away our filth, our pain and our weaknesses. When we decided to allow God to work, it wasn’t our agenda that was working but it was the Lord working in us. We found joy in those moments; we found those moments together!