As most of you already know, I came down with malaria in Swaziland. And it was awful. But instead of writing about my terrible experience in the hospital, I decided to go a more positive route: testifying all the cool things the Lord did through it.
The night before I knew I had malaria I was reading in Job when God took away all of his possessions and gave him a terrible illness… even though Job was a super righteous man. Poor guy was very upset and didn’t understand why God would do this to him – he severely questioned God’s judgment. But then, after some time, Job realized the illness was given to him so he would draw closer to God, and develop a stronger reliance on Him. It was actually, a gift (in a strange, confusing way). After I read that, I thought how interesting to come across that verse when I too was under the weather and was wondering where God was…
Then we got to the hospital.
There, things took a turn for the worst. My teammate, Jenni (who also had malaria) had a terrible seizure and had to be moved to South Africa for proper medical attention. I had some weird spasms that started in my hand and then shot up my arm, neck, then into my face. (Super weird). By this point, I was DEFINITELY questioning where God was and why He would allow this to happen to me and, more importantly, to Jenni. But the next day I was listening to some worship music and it hit me. I started crying and I knew that God had never abandoned me. I knew that I had gone through this traumatic experience so that He could show off; so He could reveal to me the power of healing and the power of prayer. Let me explain…
I’ve always been skeptical about healing because I’ve never witnessed it – just heard about it. But after my revelation, I realized that God was currently, in the process of healing Jenni and I and we were going to be okay. He had us in the palm of His hand that whole time.
I also wonder at times how powerful my prayers actually are and if they’re even heard. During my time in the hospital, I’ve never had so many people praying for me in my life. I was overwhelmed. My teammate’s and squad mate’s Facebook posts seemed to have gone viral, and hundreds (I mean hundreds) of people were praying for Jenni and I. And I could feel it. People were fasting and organizing prayer vigils just for us. I was shocked, and have never felt more loved in my life. It is because of those prayers that Jenni and I are healed and able to stay on the race. (Thank you!!!!!)
God also used this opportunity to show me how much I need Him in my life, and how much I take my comfortable, healthy life for granted. After 10 months on the field, you start to get immuned to the sick; to the poor; to the homeless. So God said…. Nope, I’m going to put you in their shoes! By doing that, He helped me to understand His plan and (for the most part) His reasoning. I felt incredibly loved for being trusted with such a tough lesson because He knew I could handle it!
So all in all, it was a rough experience. But of course, the Lord works everything out for our good. Praise the Lord!
(Oh, shout out to my awesome teammates for taking care of me, along with L Squad leaders! Thank you for cleaning up my throw up, talking me through the dozens of IV needle attempts, and for helping me go to the bathroom. You rock. Ed and Erin, you are the greatest babysitters in the world. I love you both very much.)
