Today, the 15 of us girls
traveled to a village about an hour away from where we are staying. We
divided into groups and went house to house visiting people. We arrived
at the first house and an older woman was sitting outside. We gathered
around her and asked if we could pray for her. She was blind and asked
us to pray for healing. As we prayed, I knelt down beside her and
looked into her eyes.
In that moment, she looked directly into my eyes, and I knew
that God was going to heal her. I began to weep because I knew that He
was about to show up in a big, overwhelming way.
After our group
prayer for Noi, it was time for us to finish visiting the village.
However, four of us knew that the Lord had different plans for us. We
just kept sitting. I knew God was telling me to continue to pray. And I
was not alone. So Jesse, Emily, Amanda, and I asked Boon Rong [an
elder at the church] to stay with us. When we were about to start
praying, Amanda spoke up about something the Lord taught her in
Cambodia. He requires faith.
It is not healing then belief. Its belief then
healing. Our new friend, Noi, was not a Christian. She did not know
her creator… just yet.
But
as our translator shared the gospel and his own story, she came to know
Jesus. She was ready for inward
healing. We sat and listened as she prayed to her Father for the first
time in her life. Listening to the reverence in her voice was such a
beautiful thing. Once we were all 6 in agreement that God was fully
capable of healing her eyes, we began to pray.
We began to plead
with the Lord. His presence was so overwhelming… Emily, Amanda,
Jesse and I began laughing hysterically. I could not hold it in. The
spirit was blowing me away. It was undeniable. As Noi was praying, she began
to laugh with us.
I began to explain to her what was happening,
why we were laughing, why we were so excited … and that the Lord
wanted her to ask Him to heal her eyes. He wanted to hear from his
daughter. Just as I got those words out of my mouth, she began to speak
to me, as if she heard every word that I spoke. Boon told me that she
was saying my tongue was beautiful, that she could not understand what I
was saying, but she knew it was beautiful, because she could feel it. That is
the kingdom. Right
there. I explained that yes, she could feel the weight of my words
because now, she had the same Spirit that lives in me, living in her.
What an absurd thing to attempt to grasp …
God redeemed Noi today. She is now part
of His Kingdom.
About an hour went by of us praying, reading
scripture, laughing, praying, believing, praising the Lord, praying,
trusting Him, and praying some more. In that hour, I experienced God in
new ways. I felt his presence in a powerful way. My faith increased ten-fold. He has not healed Noi yet. But, the 4 of us have faith.
More faith than ever. God will heal Noi. I do not doubt that … I
just hope I am there to witness it.
[We plan on
re-visiting Noi sometime during our stay in Thailand. Please pray for
redemption of her eyesight. Stay tuned for part two … whenever it may
come.]
