So yes, I’ve slacked on blog writing for a couple months…you’ll just have to corner me when I get home in less than 26 DAYS and snag the stories from those months.
But here is a story I must share… I hoped and prayed to see a healing while on the race, a blatant healing, and a healing that no doctors could do but only God Almighty.
Ironically, it happened to me. Jehovah Rapha healed ME!
All I can say is, Hallelujah!
After 1 negative malaria test, I was tested again and it was positive. I’ve never felt so miserable in my life. Micah and I (both malaria victims) ended up going to a hospital in Manzini, Swaziland. We were dehydrated and couldn’t keep our medicine down. Our amazing teammates wheeled us around the hospital in our delirium.
While being admitted, Micah and I were too miserable to sit up that we ended up sharing a twin stretcher in the middle of the hallway so we could lie down and get IV’s.
Praise God we can laugh about it now, not then.
To get a full recap of my time in the Swaziland hospital check out my teammates awesome blogs: Abby O'Reilly and Brittany Cantrell
I barely remember anything from the 3 nights I spent in the Swazi hospital. Brittany recapped the hospital experience for me because I didn’t know most of it happened. Therefore most of the information in this blog didn’t come from me.
During those 3 nights, many sweet friends came to visit and take care of me. My amazing nurse/teammate Abby bathed me. I could hardly hear anything as a side effect from the medicine. I threw up many times for the first time in about 15 years and my friends cleaned it up. I got jaundice, had fever tremors in my body throughout the night, and the climax of events was a seizure.
My faithful friends had to witness me have a seizure and experience the aftermath. Some of them were about to leave when it happened and they sprang into action to save my life. Abby and Travy held my body and jaw so I wouldn't hurt myself, then they waited and prayed for hours for me to respond to them.
I was told that I was mute for about 30 minutes after it happened. A teammate said I acted like a mentally handicapped child and when I looked at my friends they said it was like I looked through them. I didn’t remember them or myself. I quickly sat up and down many times for no reason.
The first thing I remember was seeing people gathered around my bed. I remember asking Travis, “Why’s everyone freaking out??”
Then they told me what happened. I couldn’t comprehend it. I had a seizure?? How and why? Why was my memory foggy?
Then I heard my parents were coming to South Africa because I was being medically evacuated to a hospital there…WHAT is going on?! Shocking news. I vaguely remember talking to my parents on the phone and telling them NOT to come. I kept saying, “Why’s every freaking out. I’m not that bad off!”
I couldn’t understand how serious it was and I still don’t fully understand, God continues to protect my mind from the severity of it.
A woman came in asking me questions and I couldn’t formulate the answers in my head. I had forgotten many details and everything felt foggy. It’s a scary and humbling feeling to not be able to generate simple questions.
BUT the beautiful thing is I was responding because I was already healed. A little while after my seizure, my squad leader Tess went to grab an American missionary she had seen praying for patients.
He came in and according to my friends filled the room with the presence of God. He took my hands in his, while I unknowingly protested, and prayed for me and declared that God healed me! After that I began responding, although in strange ways, to my friends.
The doctors and nurses did nothing for me, especially after the seizure. My friends had to constantly ask them to refill our IV's, take our temperatures, and other basic things. Medicine didn’t heal me. My beloved healed me.
I believe the prayers of my friends, friends at home, and this American missionary healed me. Whether the seizure was the beginning of cerebral malaria or something else…we don’t know but either way God healed me in a mighty way.
The story continues with my medical evacuation to South Africa and the AMAZING divine moments God had waiting for me there….
To be continued!
Thank you to all you amazing people who immediately responded to my situation by praying for me with such love and sending me beautiful messages. I've never felt so loved in my life.
