Team L’Chaim was having feedback in the reception center of the camping complex, which is a loud and busy hub of racers and a horrible idea when you have easily distractible people in attendance, but it was warm. So I, being highly distractible, was watching people pass in and out of the center and having a hard time focusing on feedback, then a boy walked in wearing a bright red jacket and using crutches. I stared at him with conflicted attention until he noticed and asked something I didn’t hear, embarrassed “are you on the world race” is all I could think to ask, and he said yes.
Feed back ended a short time later and so I was free to ask him how he was able to continue on the race with an injury requiring crutches, but just as I spotted him he disappeared into the bathroom. I guess there was a party in there because I waited for like 15 minutes before he reemerged. He told the story of how he had torn his ligaments jumping off of a truck in Thailand. After that I said hi every time I saw him, and pinched his cheek once but he’s not on my squad so I didn’t see him much.
Yesterday we were worshipping all crazy like we do, dancing and jumping and yelling and sweating and smelling up the room and then I see the boy in the bright red jacket, some of his team mates were bringing him to the front, as they passed I joined them and in the front center of the crowed we laid hands on him and prayed for his healing, we prayed and worshipped and then he limped to the edge of the crowed, when the music died I asked “do you still need your crutches” he said yes and went slowly to get them.
There was some kinda poetry slam art thing after worship but I wasn’t feeling it so I walked back with the first racer I could find going my way. In the reception center the L squad boy I met in Bucharest was sitting alone and so I talked his ear off about the wonderful amazingness of Northern Irish hamburgers (and ministry too), and then the boy in the bright red jacket walked in. He didn’t hobble or wobble or limp and he didn’t have crutches. I asked him how it felt, he said “no pain in my foot and my leg feels like it hasn’t been used in awhile”, all I could do is stare at him like I had the first day, mouth wide open, and all I could say over and over was “Are you SERIOUS!?!!?” Today he danced in the dance off and walked to the hotel and he is totally healed. SERIOUS!!
