Back in June, after training camp, I spoke at my home church (Church Project) in Houston about the World Race. The night before, I stayed up late talking to my parents about what I experienced during training camp. A pastor taught us how to provide healing and I told my parents I was still uneasy about it. How is it my place to heal someone? How do I have that kind of power? I thought maybe I’d just let my other teammates take that on when the time came. So the next day I spoke on stage at church about my upcoming mission trip. After the service, a young woman who looked like she had been crying approached me. She told me when I was on stage using my hands to talk that she saw them light up. She said that the Lord told her to come talk to me, to tell me that He wants me to use my hands this year to heal physically and emotionally. That I shouldn’t be scared because He is giving me the authority and permission to pray for healing over the people I encounter. Wait WHAT? I literally just stressed to my parents the night before how uncomfortable I am with that. I was so shocked, I could hardly respond. Even though the Bible says that we are all anointed with the power to heal and perform miracles, it’s hard to believe we actually have supernatural power.
Flash Forward to my first week in Malawi. First day of ministry and we were hitting the villages preaching Salvation— something I’ve never done before. It was definitely nerve wracking! After my teammate Megan preached, I prayed with everyone who wanted to give their lives to Christ. After that, we separated into groups to counsel the new believers. I was paired with three beautiful new sisters in Christ. I shared with them a bit of my testimony and went over how to live life like Christ. One woman named Glory pulled me to the side privately to pray with her. She told me she has HIV and wants prayer for healing. Immediately I began to pray for her, proclaiming healing over this virus and for her health in Jesus’ name. I could feel the Holy Spirit moving as we prayed together.
A few days later, we went to a Wednesday night church service that we each had to prepare a lesson to teach. This was not an ordinary church service. It was more like a Jesus pep rally. Seriously, at one point we literally spelled out Jesus name “Give me a J. J! Give me a E. E! Give me a S. S! Give me a U. U! Give me a S. S! What does that spell? JESUS!” The pastor ran up and down the aisle chanting. I’ve never felt so much joy in one room. We sang and danced all around the bamboo hut. After my teammate Kathryn gave the last teaching, my teammates and I individually prayed with everyone. The Holy Spirit filled the room. People were overwhelmed with His presence; they were dropping like flies. I’ve never experienced anything like it— the Spirit was so tangible there in that moment. And His presence is profound here in Africa. In the midst of the chaos, guess who happened to be at this church and found me? Glory! I looked at her and asked is there anything else I can pray for. She told me no because she was healed! WHAT?! I’m not sure if she went to a clinic and got checked or if she was claiming it over herself, but either way she was healed. I witnessed Jesus miraculously heal my beautiful sister. I think I’ve been blessed by it just as much as Glory has— what an honor to be used by the Lord to heal in Jesus’ name.
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” –1 Corinthians 12:7-11
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Marlo
