Life in Ethiopia is beautiful and wild but it’s also hard and painful. Now let me tell you why…
SATAN – “he prowls around life like a roaring lion” yep he’s not a lion, just like a roaring lion. This is what Satan has been like in my life. He has come into my life like a roaring lion in the dark trying to pounce on all my weak areas. The area he is attacking right now is my health. He has come trying to tear apart my physical body in hopes to get to my emotional, mental, and spiritual being!
SOARS – over the last 3 weeks I have been struggling with lots of infections all over my legs. What happens is I get lots and lots of spider bits and then they get supper super infected and it creates intense throbbing and stinging at all times. It has caused me not to be able to walk as much because of the pain and not wear pants which means when I walk outside hundreds of flies no exaggeration cover my soars. Then there was another problem I had all sorts of welts all over my stomach and back which itched like crazy. So when that started leadership decided it would be best to go to the local clinic. I went being in a lot of pain after realizing the essential oils and hot compresses weren’t working . Then the doctor said that the welts on my stomach looked a lot like allergic reactions and the soars on my legs were infections so all he could do was give me a box of antibiotic which I had to take 4 times a day at 6, 12, a.m. and 6, 12 p.m. it was terrible I would wake up in the middle of the night to take a pill I didn’t even know would help and 10 days later we found out the answer. My legs were drying up, they were getting better. Praise God! Then I finished the antibiotic and my soars came back within the next couple days. They were new ones and they were much worse. Wow Satan was really attacking me. I just didn’t know why and the depths…
MY SPIRIT-so the first week of being in pain from all these infections I couldn’t help but think why? Why was this happening? It turned emotional and spiritual very fast. And this was why…
About 2 years ago I struggled with very bad skin problems. They were boils all over my legs which caused constant pain. I come from a very homeopathic home so going to the doctor wasn’t what we did. I struggled with it for a long time putting essential oils on taking Epson salt baths 3 times a day and fasting. Finally after days of crying in the bathroom stalls at school because wearing pants was to painful, and after swim practice my legs would be inflamed from the chlorine. I told my parents I couldn’t take it anymore. So the next day they found a natural doctor to take me too. Then the healing process started. It wasn’t immediate and I didn’t see progress for about a month but I was finally better. Years later and I find myself in Ethiopia struggling with skin issues again. Why god? Why me? Why now? All my life I had believed the lie that skin issues and a weak immune system was something that was apart of me and I always will have to deal with it. The truth is it’s not. It’s not at all. And what I realized was this isn’t from the father it’s apart of the brokenness in our world. But what the father does is he uses circumstances. He takes the bad and makes good he uses us as his vessels to grow his kingdom. Truth that the father has replaced that lie with is that my skin is not where worth is found. It’s not where beauty is found. And it’s not something to be ashamed about. There are uncomfortable circumstances in our life but it just pushes us closer to him!
Through this time I have been fasting a whole lot and asking the father to speak more truth. One of the biggest clearest words he has spoken over me is PATIENCE. He has told me none will go to waist I need to trust, have faith and believe in his healing hand.
This process has shown me how to trust in the process. And even though Satan will attack our physical bodies all day long he can never touch our joy that only comes from the Lord. It has been the greatest example of how we need to praise him in the storm.
There’s a song it’s called seasons by Hillsong worship. It is one of my most favorite songs ever, but in this season of my life its anthem that has taken on a whole new meaning. In the song it says “your the god of seasons, I’m just in the winter” it’s a song all in trust and hope that when the winter is over the spring will come. God doesn’t leave us even in the winter. He is the “warm winter sun” this song has been a testament to my Father and how he is preparing my heart he is using my emotions for his will. And he has crazy beautiful things planned for me.
I’m still not better and I am struggling in the physical but the Lord is revealing so much of his heart to me. This circumstance is causing me to dig. Dig really deep into past wounds and present. I’m so thankful for a Father that is so good even in the winter.
Lots of love kat!
