So, I am kind of hesitant to write about this because it makes me very vulnerable, but alter talking to my mom this morning and hearing her laugh hysterically, I feel that I have to share it, so here it goes:
It all started on Friday, when I asked my team to pray for my stomach as I was having some trouble releasing all that we have been eating. (lots and lots of tortillas, bread, and starches) We talked about the problem and many people offered suggestions of how to relieve myself. It was slightly awkward, but these people would get to know me well sooner or later, so why not? They prayed for me.
Later that night, after debriefing we prayed as a group. I was laying on my stomach on the floor, when Andrew decided that the team should pray over me for healing. The girls came and laid hands on my behind. Yes, they actually did this. I was laughing hysterically the whole time. So, I tried to use the bathroom, no success. I returned and Andrew wanted to pray again. So, I received some more advice from Spano and again they prayed, this time laying hands on my stomach. I tried, no success.
We decided that I should wake up in the middle of the night and try. My alarm went off at 1:30am so off to the bathroom I went. No success. I returned to bed. In the morning, I decided to pass on the heaping pile of eggs and tortillas and settle for some Double Fiber chocolate cookies. Yum, yum, yum, oh how I love chalky cookies. (there was some sarcasm there) Amanda translated to Abram that my stomach was upset and what the problem was. He smiled and explained it to the whole family, so now my team and my whole host family knew of the problem. Abram makes tea from a root to help him to not to shake so we were hopeful he would have a treatment for me. He did not know of anything.
We drove and hour and a half to a village and the man in charge of the church was an herbal doctor so Abram explained the situation to him and asked if he had anything that would help me. He said that he did and that he would make something for me. So, now my team, my host family, and this other family all know this problem. We proceeded to have the children´s service. During the service, after we tell the Bible story, the man comes in and says that it is ready. He gives me a pop bottle filled with a warm, yellow liquid. I was a little hesitant, but thought it couldn´t hurt to try. I was just praying that it wasn´t urine. So, I was going to drink it, but oh no, before I could drink it I had to go to the front of the church, where people prayed for me and for the drink. Again, I was laughing pretty hard.
So, now my team, my host family, this children of the village, and some of the adults know my problem. They instructed me to drink some every three hours. I drank the first part and it wasn´t urine. It was bitter tasting, but not too bad. Then we had a regular church service. By now, most people knew my problem. In the middle of church, I felt my stomach moving. I grabbed some toilet paper and walked out of the church. It was funny, because everyone knew where I was going. Of course, this is the first time that we haven´t actually had a real toilet so I squatted in the corn field and the medicine worked. Relief! I returned to the church with a big smile on my face.
Spano was preaching at this time and he said later he wanted to stop his sermon and asked how it went. I thought I was out of the clear and then at the end of the church service, Abram pointed me out to the whole church and explained my problem. So any walls that I had were broken down. Everyone knew, my whole team, my whole host family, all the children, and all the adults. They continued to ask me throughout that day and the next how it was going. To make it even better, I tried to go later that day, but couldn´t because there were a group of young boys watching and trying to shoot me with rocks from their slingshot.
I can´t really believe I just wrote all that and shared that with you, but I think it was too funny to pass up. It made for some very humorous conversations and days. I guess it helped because now that I could share that with my team, a whole village, and now all of you, I think I can share anything. I think it broke down any vulnerability walls that we had as a team. I guess I can thank God that He works in mysterious and humorous ways. I hope that you got a good smile and laugh out of this story!
