Meet Angelica. She is a beautiful 24 year old woman
who is wheelchair bound. She has a 3-month-old daughter who is absolutely
precious. My team first met her several nights ago when she came to
“fellowship” (that is what they call church here). She came to ask my team to
pray for healing in her body. She had Lupus before her daughter was born, but
has worsened and become disabled since giving birth. Doctors aren’t sure what
is wrong with her. We had a Lady’s Night for the women in the community on
Monday night. We washed their feet, did their hair, and painted their nails. I
had the privilege of washing Angelica’s feet and painting her toenails.
Michelle, Charlotte, Liz, and I went to visit her
yesterday. She asked us to pray for her hands because she is losing even more
mobility in her thumbs. So, we sat with her on the porch and prayed for her
hands. She then asked us to sing to her, so we did (as best we could! ha).
While we were singing, I looked down and saw her foot tapping away! She then
asked if we could get her a Bible so that she could read and pray everyday. She
also asked us to come visit her each that we are here so that we could read the
Bible with her and pray. We went with her to visit her daughter. Her eyes lit
up the second she saw her precious baby girl. We placed her daughter in her
arms. It is very hard for her to hold anything, so this moment was so amazing.
We could see the sparkle in her eyes and she carried the most beautiful smile
on her face as she gazed down at the baby in her arms.
Even
if we were to accomplish nothing else here in this community, I will know in my
heart that we were here specifically for Angelica. For a woman who lost her
mother at 17 or 18. For a woman who lost her brother in a car accident. And for
a woman who has lost a sister to cancer. For a woman who is basically my age
and has already had to experience the loss of at least 3 family members. A
woman who has been vulnerable with a group of girls that she barely knows. A
woman who told us today that she was not fearful of being sick because she knew
God was there.
don’t know Angelica’s whole story, or everything she has been through in her
short time here on this earth. What I do know is that her smile will light up a
room, that her friendship is irreplaceable, and that her new found desire to
know God, her Creator, is amazing. I know that she was made in the image of
Christ, our Savior, and that makes her absolutely radiant.
