This week, I made a new friend. She has never seen me, we have never held a conversation, and I barely even know the color of her eyes, but she has a piece of my heart forever.
My team was going through a small Dominican village inviting people to the chu rch service we were having that night. At one house we were invited inside to pray for a little girl living there. Stephanie was about 10 years old and was hurting. A couple of years ago, her parents got a divorce. Shortly af
ter, she got sick. The way it was explained to us was that her heart was so broken that she didn’t even fight it. Now her feet and hands are twisted so she cannot use them, her eyes cannot open, her spine is curved, and she cannot speak. We surrounded her to pray for her, and my heart broke for this beautiful child. All seven team members and three or four members of the local church prayed for emotional and physical healing for this girl. We were so sure that after our prayer she would stand up and walk, but unfortunately that did not happen. But while we were praying, I saw her eyes open for an instant. They closed again immediately, but for an instant I glimpsed her beautiful, deep eyes, and I lost a piece of my heart forever.
ter, she got sick. The way it was explained to us was that her heart was so broken that she didn’t even fight it. Now her feet and hands are twisted so she cannot use them, her eyes cannot open, her spine is curved, and she cannot speak. We surrounded her to pray for her, and my heart broke for this beautiful child. All seven team members and three or four members of the local church prayed for emotional and physical healing for this girl. We were so sure that after our prayer she would stand up and walk, but unfortunately that did not happen. But while we were praying, I saw her eyes open for an instant. They closed again immediately, but for an instant I glimpsed her beautiful, deep eyes, and I lost a piece of my heart forever. She may not have immediately stood up and walked, but I definitely believe that the healing process has begun. If her sickness started because of a broken heart, then her heart needs to heal fi rst. And who in this world has had a broken heart healed in a day? For many of us that process takes time. Our prayers helped Stephanie, I know this deep down. As they were translated to her, she relaxed and smiled. But healing a heart takes time. We began the process, and the local church will be returning to visit, pray and love her. And I firmly believe that as her heart heals, so will her body, and it won’t be long until she is a happy, carefree girl running around with her friends.
Stephanie, you have stolen my heart, and I know that you will be in my thoughts and prayers for years to come.
I wrote this blog a couple of days ago, but couldn’t upload it until now because of internet availability. But now I can joyfully add a new conclusion to it. Since the day we visited Stephanie, some members of the local church that we knew have run into Stephanie’s mother. She has reported that in the last couple of days, Stephanie has stood on her own – twice!
