From last Friday to Monday, I had a really awful pain in my stomach. The pain woke me up very early each morning and wouldn’t go away until long after breakfast. It was a pain that caused me to curl up in my bed (and on the floor at times). It was a pain that eventually led to not-so-fun diarrhea. It was a pain that kept me in bed for the majority of four days. It was a pain that kept me from ministry on Friday, serving our ministry host on Saturday, church on Sunday morning, and worship with my squad on Monday night.
As I laid in my bed, I was kind of confused. Why was I sick? Why was I being so useless as I stayed at home while the rest of my squad goes out and serves? I felt more like a bump on a log than a missionary.
Even though I was complaining and questioning, and didn’t deserve an explanation, God was gracious by showing me some things. The biggest thing that He revealed to me was just how loved I am by my team and by my squad. People were constantly checking up on me and taking care of me. My friends brought me tea, made me toast, sat with me and read the Bible to me until I fell asleep, prayed for me, made me laugh, rubbed my back as I cried, stayed back with me for a while so I wouldn’t be alone, told me it was time to go to the clinic – the list goes on. It was amazing to see how much my squad genuinely cares. They don’t hesitate to step in when a sister is struggling. They are kind, generous, and selfless. And most importantly, they have a love in their hearts that they can’t help but share because it comes from the One that shared it with them first.
I’m not gonna lie – being sick sucked. It was not a fun time. But seeing how God heals and how He loves so well, and being able to see His qualities in the people that I live with, are some things that make me thankful for being sick. There are so many blessings (big and small) that the Lord has reminded me of and revealed to me over the past week. Blessings in the States. Blessings in Swazi. Blessings in Nsoko. Blessings in our care points. Blessings in the room that I share with 14 other girls. Blessings in SaveMor, our favorite grocery store. So many blessings, friends. So many. The Lord is so good and He gives so openly and with such abundance – and that’s pretty dang cool.
