So the other day our team, along with Madison and TT, got to do house visits. (Well, more like house visit because we spent so much time at our first house that we didn’t get to visit anymore.) We went to a house not too far from the HOPEthiopia base. It was a sponsored family of HOPE, and HOPE supports them by helping to pay school fees, medical bills and such. We walked up to the house and were greeted by a young boy. He was about 10 years old and had scabs all over his body. Our translator said they wanted to have the nurse from the base come and look at them, but TT was a nurse, and instantly knew it was scabies. She explained what it was, that is was very contagious, and that in order for the family to completely remove them, they would need to wash everything in the house made of fabric.
We then walked in and sat down in the house. There were 8 of us, the mother, the boy, and the daughter, and there was not a lot of room for all of us. However, they still welcomed us in and were happy to have us visit. As soon as we walked in the door, my mouth began to feel hot, which was odd because it was pretty cold outside, and not much warmer inside the house. TT shared a little bit of her story, and while she was sharing I was praying about why my mouth was hot, and what God was trying to tell me. At first, I noticed a tattoo she had on her chin. She just had a few vertical lines tattooed from right beneath her lip down to the bottom of her chin. I thought that that tattoo may have meant something spiritual, and I asked her what her tattoo was, and she said it was just for looks, but my mouth still felt hot, and I knew there was something I needed to do. Then the Lord told me to anoint her with the boldness to speak.
Now, I know what anointing is in theory, but I’ve never been anointed with oil, nor have I ever seen it. I don’t really know what it’s supposed to do, and I felt really nervous that the Lord put this on my heart. Madison was sitting next to me and I asked her about it while TT was talking to the mother. I asked what anointing was, and Madison said its just praying something very specific over someone, like you can be anointed in the Holy Spirit to do certain things, and you can anoint any part of the body. Typically it’s done on the forehead, but sometimes people anoint feet, hands, and other places depending on what they are praying for. I was secretly hoping that as I was talking to Madison she would take the burden off of me and anoint her instead because I was so scared I was going to do something wrong and look silly. I asked if praying for boldness to speak and anointing someone’s mouth was a thing I could do, and she said absolutely and encouraged me to do it, which terrified me.
If there’s anything I’ve learned this year, it’s that obedience pays off, and even if it seems silly or if doesn’t look like there is any immediate fruit, the most important thing is that you obeyed the voice of the Lord, and that’s really all that matters and He’ll do the rest. So, I asked TT if she had any oil and what I wanted to do, and she said she didn’t have any, but we could ask the family if they had any oil. The daughter went and got some cooking oil and that’s what we had to work with, and now I couldn’t back out.
I asked her if I could pray over her, and she agreed. I wanted to anoint her chin and break any bondage that may have been keeping her from using her voice, but when she bowed her head to pray, she covered most of her face out of modesty, and I asked the Lord if I should ask to anoint her chin specifically, but God wanted me to give her boldness and courage in her voice, but also in general, so I decided to anoint her forehead the traditional way and I knew God would be faithful to my prayer no matter what. So I prayed over her, and that any lies she had been told about her voice or her confidence would be broken off, and she could walk in full boldness and courage in the Holy Spirit, and not be afraid to speak the truth of God and live out His love for the rest of her life. After praying for her, she thanked me, and I told her that she was a beautiful daughter of God, and that He sees her and knows her, and He is walking with her always.
I had never done anything like that before, and I think I was scared the whole time for no good reason. My only fear was that I would be judged for doing something wrong, but looking back on that, I am so glad I acted in obedience and didn’t let the fear of man overtake me and keep me from giving her that blessing. Satan has a way of making the smallest things seem so big and scary, but we have to remember that our God is far bigger than the worries of the world. So what if I used the wrong kind of oil to anoint her? Who cares if I didn’t say the exact right words? The Holy Spirit guided that prayer, and God heard it and was faithful, and that’s the only thing that matters, and if anyone in that room was going to judge me for doing something wrong, I wasn’t doing for them anyway, I wasn’t even doing it for myself. I was doing it for her and for the glory of God.
During that house visit, we also got to talk to her son with scabies, her daughter, and her sister who lived next door. We got to teach the young boy that he can hear the voice of the Lord, and even though he didn’t hear God’s voice specifically in that moment, he said for the next few nights, God spoke to him in dreams saying “Jesus is Lord”. We got to encourage the daughter when Tyler asked if she was a singer and she shared that she was a part of the worship choir and church. We told her that there is power in our worship, and whenever she feels scared, alone, or oppressed in anyway, to sing out the praises of God and the powers of darkness must bow down. We got to share with her sister who was Ethiopian Orthodox that the word of God is written on her heart, and doesn’t just speak to us in church, but he speaks to us always.
Some members of our team went back to visit that house a few times to help them treat the scabies and fellowship with them, and they said that the mother I had prayed for spoke with a lot more boldness when they came by later. When we first met her, she was very shy and did not say much while we were there, but as they continued to go back in visit, she opened up a little bit more, and I have faith the God is going to continue to grow her boldness, and she will not be ashamed of what she has to say for any reason.
It would have been amazing to see her speak in tongues as soon as I finished praying for her, or see her run out of the house and immediately start preaching the gospel on a street corner, but God doesn’t always work that way, and we’re not always ready to receive Him in those grand moves of the Spirit. God is a good father, and He meets us where we are. I have faith that God is working in her heart and chains fell off of her that day, and she just had to grow in her own confidence to walk in that freedom. I know my Father, and I know He cares about His children, so I know He’s working, even if I can’t see it. Her son was healed from scabies and her daughter is gifted in worshiping the Lord, and she is seeing God move in her own family, and even if I don’t get to see it, I know she will share her testimony of God’s goodness with those around her, and she will continue to grow in that boldness, because God started a work in her, and His work does not go unfinished.
Sometimes, obedience is nothing more than a test of our faith. Sometimes God asks us to be faithful in little things to help grow our own faith so that when He asks us to do big things, we’re ready. This year, I’ve felt the Lord ask me to do lots of things, some small things and some big things (or at least they seemed big to me), but I know it’s all in preparation for even greater faith and dependency on Him, so I want to be sure I’m faithful in everything He asks me to do so I can continue in the plans He has for me. However, it’s also important to remember that even if we chose to be disobedient when He asks us to do something specific, there is grace, and He won’t disqualify us for what He wants to do because we mess us. He will still use us wherever we are, and He will walk with us every step of the way no matter what, but because I know that, I know His steps are good, and even though I know I have grace, I want to chose obedience every time because I know only good will come from it, no matter what it is.
