I went to visit the local hospital the other day as part of Mamma Rita’s weekly ministry schedule. Megan, Rachel, and I were joined by a few African friends including Peter our contact. We walked the 20ish minutes through village homes to another town where the hospital resides. The ill patients at this hospital were very willing to be prayed for – so one by one we visited their rooms and spoke life, encouragement, and hope to their families and them.
Jose had malaria.
Another man with pneumonia.
A woman suffering the early pains of a heart attack.
Baby Juan had a fever. He’s been sick for 6 months.
Newborns whom we got to name. (Elijah, Grace, Esther, Zachariah)
A woman in delivery…
and then there was Rosa.
No more than a few months old.
Her body was literally skeleton.
It appeared as though life had been sucked from her feeble little frame.
There was no muscle on her body – just bone and skin.
She looked like a 90 year old woman in an infant’s body.
Her breath smelled of rot and infection – it smelled like death.
Her frequent coughing sent her into convulsions without warning.
Her head looked disproportionately large compared to the rest of her body.
Ribs poking out of her tiny frame, my heart ached for this little one.
I asked to hold her and her mother agreed.
Then I started to pray – and sing a lullaby to Rosa.
She smiled at me.
Her eyes lit up. All I could think is, “This little one is a worshiper. She’s full of praise.”
As I began to speak this to Rosa she smiled even more.
My interaction with Rosa didn’t end today though…when we left the hospital I couldn’t get her off my mind. We’d spoke with our contact about local churches that make people pay for healing prayer and tie cloth or bracelets around their wrists. Everyone in these churches claims to be a prophet, and when they pray for you, you must pay them a penance of eggs, oil, candles, or something else they ask for. They then require you to wear some scrap of cloth or rope they bind to your wrist. This was a little disturbing – especially since Rosa had a strange bracelet on her wrist with what looked like a little skull shape or bone attached to it. We left the hospital not having removed it…but wondered if this was somehow connected to her constant sickness.
It’s important to mention at this point why our curiosity about Rosa’s bracelet was peeked at this point, because earlier in our hospital visit, we’d spent a long while praying over baby Juan. He’s been sick for 6 months and had a ridiculous fever when we arrived. Megan noticed a bracelet on his wrist and asked the mother what it was all about. I immediately wanted to vomit. “The prophets came and tied it on him. They said it would make him well. He is still very sick.”We asked to remove the bracelet and she agreed. I sang over baby Juan and he began to stir. Peter our contact began to pray fervently claiming the Lord’s love and deliverance over this sickness and oppression. Juan’s fever broke!
Megan and I felt an urgency to return to the hospital the next day. This time we brought scissors.
When we arrived Rosa’s mother was waiting there in the entryway holding her. She smiled, looking a little surprised that we’d returned. She agreed to let us pray for Rosa once again, and this time to cut off the bracelet “the Zion prophets” had tied to her. We asked the Lord to bless this family and the mother’s countenance completely changed. We asked the Lord for more of His love to fill her heart, and Rosa’s as He continued healing and strengthening this little girl.
As we left that day Rosa’s eyes looked even more full of life. Baby Juan was being discharged from the hospital, bright eyed and smiling. His mother was practically jumping up and down when she saw us. She asked me to snap a photo of him – completely overjoyed that he was healthy again. Many of the patients we’d prayed for, just one day before were excited to see us and share they were improving. Returning home, my team burned the bracelet – and the smell was horrific. It smelled just like Rosa’s breath. Throwing it down the squatty potty, we rejoiced that we serve a God who is greater than him who is in the world – the God who has overcome, who reigns victorious, who is our portion, our strength, our healer, and the very definition of LOVE. He is the breather of life, and we watched Him tangibly breathe life into that hospital, patient after patient.
