If we are being honest Month 3 in Cambodia had to be my favorite month so far but what I didn’t realize was how run down and tired I was, 24 hour bus rides can surely get to you. I got to Awakening in Chiang Mai Thailand running low on energy and steam.
For those of you who don’t know what Awakening is, it is a weekend where several different WR squads that are out on the field have the awesome opportunity to get together and pour into one another. Other squads from different parts on their race, such as Month 9, 7 and 4 got to share their stories and testimonies about the cool things God has been doing through them and around them while being on the field. We also had different breakout sessions that you could be apart of. Every session was lead by a team of 4 World Racers from each squad. There was 5 breakout sessions that you could be apart of if you had a passion for one or if you felt like God wanted you to specifically grow in one area. The sessions were: worship, intercession, storytelling, evangelism and hospitality.
I personally felt like God wanted me to join the intercession group, so I did! When I joined the intercession group I learned that we had the opportunity to lead different breakout sessions on physical healing, intercession prayer, inner healing and how to grow closer to God through prayer. I immediately felt that Holy Spirit tug and knew God wanted me to be apart of that physical healing breakout. I also was reminded of the book of Bible verses my mom put together for us Gustafson girls when she was going through her own personal healing journey.
Through the past couple of months God has been showing me that He is equipping and calling me to step out of my comfort zone and pray for people for healing and deliverance. To exercise the authority I have in Christ as a daughter of the one true King. I have been challenged to grow in faith when praying for healing for people and going into Awakening I knew that that was one area God wanted me to grow in. He also has used amazing people on my squad to show me that He is not done with me yet. He has a plan and a purpose for my life and that He will heal and make me whole. (For many years I have been on my own personal health/healing journey as well.) I realized at the end of month 2 that I have been secretly harboring bitterness to God in that area of my life. After praying and not seeing results for many years, I gave up in my spirit.
But the Awakening awakened something in me. God put that new spark of child like faith in me and helped me see myself with new eyes! I was encouraged and empowered to share my story and my moms story of how God healed her. God also told me to share the pdf of all the scriptures my mom put together so many years ago on Healing, Identity, freedom of the mind, and protection confessions. At the end of each breakout I was able to freely share and airdrop the pdf of scriptures to many people from different squads, it was so cool! I was reminded of how truly special and powerful the body of Christ is when we come together to encourage and pray for one another!
I walked away feeling so spiritually rested and on fire! It was a crazy weekend of evangelizing, praying for one another and for the city of Chiang Mai, worshiping together and just having fun with other squads. I knew God had some crazy cool things in store for us for month 4, and boy has He sure delivered! But that’s for another blog 😉
I pray that this blog encourages someone and remember that if you are going through some physical or inner healing problems, run to God! He wants to hear from you and WILL heal you! He is a good good Father and desires to make us whole. Speak life and the scriptures over yourself daily because that is what He wants us to do. Meditate on His word day and night. Trust me it makes a difference! (If anyone wants the pdf of scriptures I can email it to you! Just send me your email address in the comments below!)
You are loved,
Hannah
