On July 11, 2011 I should have been busy packing and saying 11 months
worth of goodbyes. I should have been
making last minute Target runs and eating as much Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food as
humanly possible. I should have… I would
have…
Instead on July 11 it felt like the floor fell out from under me.
That morning I found myself sitting in a stark doctors office learning
an answer to a mystery that was months in the making and an odyssey that only
stretched a few days. Hyperthyroidism.
It was why my feet had been swelling up.
Why I couldn’t concentrate. Why
my heart beat so fast. Why I couldn’t
breath. Why I was shaking. Why I had trouble climbing a simple flight of
stairs. It explained so much. But in tears I thought why? Why now?
Why today of all days? And why is she telling me it will take two months
to get the medication figured out if I have complete certainty that I’m
supposed to leave on the World Race tomorrow?
I left the doctors office in a deep prayer. I prayed that God would reveal his will. I prayed that he would give me a certainty
about the World Race, and whether I should stay or not. It was a desperate prayer, and when I
finished I still felt like I needed to go.
When I arrived home I gushed everything to my Mom, finishing with a
tearful “what should I do?”
Then she gave me the most surprising answer of all, “I think you
should go.” It was the last thing I
expected her to say. Hmmm…. God are you
working here? Because I don’t think this
is chance.
Within two hours the specialist, who wasn’t supposed to be able to see
me until that Thursday called to make an appointment that afternoon. Wait…. God are you working here? Because I don’t think this is chance.
That afternoon at the specialists office I sat staring at a huge cartoon
map of the diabetic journey plastered on
the wall as I waited in anticipation with a huge knot in my stomach. What would he say?
When he came in I was comforted by his warm demeanor. He reaffirmed everything my family doctor had
said earlier and then said “So I was told your leaving on a trip
tomorrow! Where are you
going?” I told him about the World
Race, how it was an 11 month mission trip and we were starting in South
America. We then got into a discussion
about missions and church, and I learned he was a Christian too. Wow… God are you working here? Because I don’t think this is chance.
He told me that obviously her preferred that I stayed in America to get
treated BUT “I think you should go.”
What? WHAT? Really? Seriously?
I can go? I CAN GO!
At that very moment I was floored. I thought God when I pray you answer,
and when you call me to something and the way gets blurred you make a path.
This time I left the doctors office with a command to find a doctor in
two weeks and a grin to rival the Cheshire Cats. I was really going. And even more I was allowed to go.
When I finally arrived at launch in Quito. My team prayed over me. They prayed that I would be healed, and then
the whole squad prayed. By Saturday,
only 5 days after I found out I had the disease, my muscle weakness in my legs
was completely gone, and I celebrated.
Fast forward to now. Heeding my
doctors instructions I found a doctor to visit here in Quito. Three days last week I bussed into the city
to visit the Endocrinologist. The test
results reaffirmed that I’m not healed yet, and for now I continue on with my
medication. But I am so looking forward
to the day when I visit the doctor and he doesn’t know how to explain it but
there nothing wrong with me. It’s going
to happen. When? I have no idea, that’s all on God’s
timing. But for now I will continue on
the World Race, sharing my testimony and Gods great overwhelming love.
Kim snuck this photo during the appt. here in Ecuador