Now, where were we. Oh Yeah! I was stricken with an unfortunate battle against the forces of malaria.
Once my initial groggy frustration had passed, I was ready to get some pills popped and illness gone. The plan of the Lord, however, was looking a little different than suiting my own personal preferences. The Doctor informed me that my specific type of malaria was one of the bad ones and he set me up with a 4 part, 8 hours a piece drip set. My illness prevented me from really feeling anything other than exhaustion, so I stuck out my arm and waited to be stuck with a needle.
The good part, however, was realizing that as soon as I was hooked up to the I.V. and filled with all kinds of drugs, I was going to be living in a hospital room with nothing to do for 4 days. Not only that, but World Race policy requires me to be accompanied by another person at all times. So, I was not allowed to do any ministry, I had to sleep in a hospital for 3 nights and I had to have a babysitter. Looking at with a slightly delusional sense of reality, I could not see how that situation could have been any more unpleasant.
I lied there, ill and unhappy, waiting for the medicine to bring me out of my mosquito based funk. I began to let my mind run free, thinking about how I wished I was in my bed, at home, cuddling with my dog, watching a movie, having a readily accessible restroom, air conditioning and regularly consistent electricity. I thought about how much easier it would be to just give up and go home, simply because I felt so awful. I continued allowing the thoughts of self-pity to overwhelm me, until Jesus took the wheel out of my hands.
He made me recognize just how blessed I was to be in the situation I was in and how fortunate I was to be listening to lies and temptations from the forces of evil. I was reminded that I was being blessed by being chosen to suffer for the Kingdom of the Lord. Instead of moping, pouting and letting the devil get the best of my mind, I started to rejoice. I couldn’t believe how much time I had been wasting by getting upset, so I just broke down and worshiped my God.
Once the praises started flowing, my illness started to disappear. My heart was renewed and I was happier than I was when I was well. I made a full recovery, sending me back into the world of the serving and moving with God. As good as it was to get better, a week and half later, I got malaria again! Stay tuned for part 3!
