OK.. let me set the scene..
It's the day before we leave for Romania, our last day of speakers and activities, and one of the last things the Adventures in Missions staff asks us to do is go out into Atlanta and share the Gospel. Uh.. let's just say that is not at all in my area of comfort or expertise.
As we sat in the room, waiting to hear from God, one of my teammates Emily saw a vision of an American flag. Funny side note – of all seven of us Emily seemed to be the most skeptical of God's healing power and His ability to heal through us. But.. when God calls you out, you go! And so we did! We set out into the streets of Atlanta.
We walked around, stopped to talk to a man, cleaned up garbage, did plenty of praying, but I still had a feeling of discouragement. Since we had arrived in Atlanta Wednesday night the city was busy and full of people, but now that we were going out to find people and share the Gospel we couldn't seem to find anyone. And so we walked..
As we made our way through a neighborhood we took a turn, and there it was.. a flag. An American flag on the porch of a house. As we sat there, debating what to do, we decided to pray for the Boys and Girls Club right across the street. As we did that Emily prayed her own prayer, asking God to guide her in whether or not go to the house. She asked that on this windy day, as she felt the wind pick up, that when she opened her eyes the flag on the house would be still.
The wind came, she opened her eyes, and there the flag stood perfectly still for a brief moment. That was it. God had assured her, as well as the rest of us, that someone in that house needed prayer. We decided not to bombard the house with all seven of us so Sarah and Susan went with Emily, as Shelby, Lacey, Kara, and myself stayed back and covered them in prayer.
As they walked up to the house they noticed there were no stairs to the house, but a ramp instead. On the door there was a sticker that said Oxygen in use. It was made even more obvious that we were meant to be at this house to bring healing through our great and mighty God.
As the girls rang the door, they prayed that God would work through them, and boy did He!!! A woman answered the door, pulling the screen down to talk to the girls. They explained why they were there, and asked if there were any specific prayer request they could pray for her. Without hesitation she said "YES!"
She began to tell them that she had quit work not to long ago to care for her sick sister. Her sister had not been well for some time, and just returned home after spending a month in the hospital. She went on the tell them that her sister, Lilly, had diabetes, some form of cancer, as well as other health issues. In fact, she even has an appointment this coming Monday to see whether or not she will need to continue radiation.
So amazed by God's guidance, Sarah asked if her sister was there, and if so if they could pray over her. Elizabeth, the caregiver, agreed and welcomed them in. Entering Lilly's room they saw her laying in a hospital bed. They explained to her that they were there to pray over her, and began to do so. Eyes began to fill with tears, and the Holy Spirit entered that room.
After praying they said their good-byes, asking if there was any way we could keep in contact. Elizabeth said no, but we were welcome back to their home anytime. They walked out, Elizabeth watching from the door, to share with us what had just happened. We were amazed!!! So excited!!!
As we walked around, debating what to do next, Emily decided she would like a picture of the home to remember this day. Sarah agreed a picture would be nice, but thought it best we ask for permission first. As the other girls needed to get back, I joined them so that I could get a picture of them all with the two sisters. As we knocked on the door again Elizabeth answered with a smile, saying "You again?!" We explained we were leaving the country for 11 months, and would love pictures to remember this day and to use as a reminder to pray for them.
Embarrassed that she was in her pajamas, you could see a torn look in her face. There was no way she wanted to be remembered in her bright pink pajamas, but you could see an unexplained excitement at the same time. She finally agreed, and walked us all back. As we entered Lilly's room we were shocked to see her sitting up. Before we could tell her how we'd like to get a picture with her, she told us that after the girls had left the first time she was able to sit up in bed and move her leg for the first time in a very long time. She had injured in a while ago, and movement was very limited, but now… SHE WAS HEALED!!!! GOD HEALED HER!!!!
Her knee was an issue, but not one she shared with us. But our God is so great He knew that need, and healed her of it!!! WHOA..
We again prayed over her for continued healing for her knee as well as her back. I share this story with you to encourage you! As much as Emily did not want to go to their house, she followed God's leading! And what a beautiful thing He turned it into! In addition to that, I just had to express how grateful I am to God, that He gave us the opportunity to see His healing power! We know that as we leave tomorrow for 11 months, we will not have the opportunity to go back to these places to see how God has worked, but we have peace knowing that He does great works!
And our team, Unfading Adornment, are blessed to have experienced God's greatness right here in our own loved country! And we cannot express how excited we are to continue to follow after God's heart, to answer the call He lays on our heart, and to be the hands and feet of Christ. And with that said, thank you to all our family, friends, churches, supporters who have helped make this possible for each of us. What we thought was the end of our launch.. is really just the beginning of The World Race and the rest of our lives!!!
