I mentioned in my previous blog about a man we prayed over after we played checkers with some locals on the street. I thought it was time to officially share the story of Isaac.
We stopped and played checkers with the guys but then kept walking. We walked up a hill and began to be followed by a crowd of children. We loved walking with the children, we also learned that if you walk they follow but if you turn toward them and run they run away.
When we reached Isaac’s house we learned what was really meant by, “he broke his leg in a car accident.” Isaac drove a large truck for his job and as he was driving on a road at the top of a cliff the truck began to fall. It was then that he jumped from the truck, that fell down the cliff, and in doing so broke his leg and his foot in at least five places. We aren’t sure if the break was from the jump or the landing or both, but either way it was a painful accident and a miracle in itself that he was still alive.
We met Isaac two weeks after his accident and he was unable to move without his crutches. Being such a gentleman he moved from his couches and chairs and sat on a stool so we could sit down. He could have been sitting on a comfy couch with his leg up but he moved for us. We felt so loved and shortly after learned why, he was our brother in Christ. He told us a little about his life and we asked him questions that lead us to learn that he had no family with him, he was unable to work during this time due to his leg and he was relying completely on God to provide for him. That was why he needed his leg to be better, and as soon as possible!
I realized a connection between his broken foot and Shelby’s and encouraged her to share her story of her foot healing quickly just a few weeks previously. She excitedly shared about her foot being broken only a few weeks prior and how God brought her through that healing and allowed her to bring the Gospel into the mountains of the Himalayas! Then she also shared about how God brought her healing through her car crash so many years ago and how she should have died and had to re-learn how to walk and how God sovereignly healed her and brought her into a deeper relationship with Him.
We had traveled there to pray so that’s when we got down to it. We all crowded around him at his feet and laid hands on him and prayed over his leg. Afterward we asked him if he felt any different. He simply wiggled his foot and said no, but maybe the pain was a little less but it still hurt very badly. That is when we began to learn more about the extent of his injury. We asked where the bones that were broken were in his foot and we expected one bone, but it was pretty much all of the bones in his foot, including his heal. Then he pointed to parts of his ankle and said both bones in the lower part of his leg were broken as well. We were shocked at how many parts of his leg and foot were broken. So we asked to pray again but asked where it hurt the most and he said the inside of his foot.
This time when we prayed we all stacked our hands over that part of his foot and prayed intentionally for that part. After he said the pain subsided a little but it was still there. We then covered his whole foot with our hands and prayed again. Honestly I began to lose track of how many times we prayed over him. Each time we prayed he said the pain was lessened. On the last time we prayed we almost did not, but then decided to pray one more time. At the end of the prayer he waved his hands in front of him, to part the seas of muzungus (white people), and then stood up on one foot. He slowly placed his foot onto the ground. You could see the faith in his eyes and he put his foot down and placed a little bit of pressure onto his foot. He grimaced in pain but then tried again. Then he told us, he would be healed. That the pain was reduced and he believed God would heal him quicker now.
We all felt so encouraged by his faith!
From there we walked home. Excited to hear back from Isaac who was going to the doctor the next day. We didn’t hear an exact response from him but one time the next week we saw the kids playing with some crutches and realized Isaac was over to visit. He showed up several other times and we always knew he was there based on his crutches being used as guns or poll vaulting polls. He was constantly telling us about how his foot was feeling better but he was still on the crutches.
On the evening before our last day I was outside late at night doing laundry by myself and a man walked up to me. He asked how I was, I said I was fine and then he told me he was fine. I felt like he seemed like he knew me but I did not recognize him. So I asked him his name and he said Isaac! I thought for a second and then it hit me, where were his crutches?!? I asked and he shook his head no and said he didn’t need them and then he wiggled his foot for me. I was so shocked! He said, “I am healed! God healed me!” I wish all of the other girls had been outside to hear the excitement in his voice!
He had to go but wanted me to tell all of the girls about how he could walk without his crutches. He wanted to make sure I told them all he said goodbye and that he was hoping to come by the next day to say goodbye one more time. He said God bless and then walked away.
I sat and processed for a second how quickly God had worked before running inside to tell the other girls about Isaac’s leg and foot! It had been two weeks!!! I ran in and told everyone and the excitement continued! Some jumped up off the couch and others just yelled in excitement but either way we all praised God for His divine power and might in healing our brother in Christ!
