This month the enemy has been attacking my physical body. A whole lot.
It’s been a constant struggle to push through pain and cling to the Lord as my healer and source of strength and joy.
The first week of Thailand I had pretty horrible fatigue and nausea every time I woke up, ate, or drank.
The second week I started running each morning to challenge myself to live holistically (caring for my mind/body/soul). After 10 minutes of running, however, I got an unbearable side stitch.
My squad prayed for me, yet the stitch became worse and would flare up even when I walked the stairs…
The fourth day of running I tried breathing only through my nose with super deep breaths and I was able to press on in my run. Side note: this day I ran 3 miles which is a personal record!
After conquering the side stitch my knees started aching as I ran further. After the knee pain was prayed away, I began having shin splints. After the shin splints disappeared, I began to wake up for my run with extreme stomach pain.
It has become crystal clear that the enemy does not want me pursuing this goal of getting in shape and caring for my body well.
A couple days ago, my power bank took a nose dive from on top of my locker and crash landed on my toe joint.
I also fell in between some bunk beds and scraped up the back of my thigh.
While grabbing a seat on a couch, I smacked my head real good on the concrete wall behind it.
This month it has seemed like one pain after another.
It’s been tough, but the Lord has shown me how to press on and embrace hardship with the knowledge that I will grow in character as well as gain intimacy with Him.
For my birthday a group decided to go to the Grand Canyon waterpark for a day of jumping on inflatables, swimming, kayaking, zip lining, and wake boarding.
On the ride over I voiced that I had felt really attacked physically this month, so I prayed, “in Jesus’ name we will not get hurt today.” I knew I had a history of ending up in the ER on my birthday (broken wrist year 5/broken toes year 8) and didn’t want something like that to happen again.
After getting our tickets, lathering up with sunscreen, and grabbing life jackets, we set out for the inflatable obstacle course.
I scurried up the iceberg inflatable and tried to hop onto another one right next to it. I missed and slapped the water. Being determined, I climbed up again and had the perfect opportunity to jump 3 ft down and about 3 ft out to reach the see-saw float.
Landing in an “L” position seemed super safe, but the float was so firmly inflated that it felt like landing on the ground.
Immediately I knew something was really wrong by the way pain shot through my back. I rolled myself into the water and was taken out on a stretcher.
All my squad-mates rallied around to pray for me, and I was so thankful. Meanwhile, the enemy was whispering lies in my head, “what were you thinking?”, “this is going to ruin your last two months”, or “you are going to have to go home.”
I called out to God for help, peace, and healing. I knew He was with me and felt Him saying “be still and know.”
Thirty pain-filled minutes later, an ambulance (a hello kitty- themed van with the word ambulance on it) took me and a nurse on my team to the emergency room.
After some x-rays and a whole lot of waiting in a wet bathing suit, I got in to see the orthopedic specialist.
Looking at my x-rays, the doctor determined there were two compression fractures in my back. I was very happy to hear I wouldn’t need surgery, but was disheartened when he mentioned the need for complete bed rest. He said I’d need to wear a brace for up to 3 months and would definitely not be traveling to Malaysia with my squad on Wednesday. From what I gathered in that initial meeting, I would be horizontal for at least a month. Bummer.
My teammate and one of our squad leaders helped encourage me, and we laughed together in spite of the circumstances.
The doctor ordered a CT scan to get a more detailed picture, then I was finally off to my room. I was mentally prepared to be in a room with other people, yet ended up being rolled into a large VIP suite with a beautiful view, table, couch, and kitchen. Man the Lord knew exactly what would make me feel loved and cared for.
Later that night, half a dozen more squad mates came to visit with sweet treats, balloons, and a birthday cake in tow. We ordered a couple pizzas then set up a projector and laptop they brought to play “The Greatest Showman” on the ceiling above my bed. I felt so loved!!
When we got the CT results back confirming what the doctor had seen on the x-rays, I began to share with family and friends to ask for prayer. I quickly got a whole army of prayer warriors fighting and interceding for me.
I could literally feel the prayers working! My pain went from an 8 to a 6 to a 4 to a now 0. God has shown me how He loves to knit my heart to His through tough experiences that require faith and trust.
Today is my second day in the hospital. After a hard time with some morphine side effects, my doctor stopped by to see me. He showed me the CT scan and his demeanor was totally different from the previous day. He said that the compressions are very small and that I would be okay to travel by plane to Malaysia even as soon as Wednesday! Crazy. He stressed the importance of wearing my brace at all times for stabilization, and letting others carry my things while my back is healing on its own.
What originally looked like a month of bedrest in Thailand, now looks like getting to continue on as planned with my new team – plus a back brace and minus a backpack.
I will never forget the amount of support I have felt in the last 24 hours of being in this bed. I know days ahead m may be hard, but it’s incredible to know I have such a strong family of believers fighting for me in prayer.
Over and out,
Julia
