I grew up in a Pentecostal Holiness church.
By the time I finished middle school, I had been prophesied over, filled with the Holy Spirit, received my own prayer language, and experienced being “slain” in the Spirit (which simply means that I felt His presence so strongly that I couldn’t even stand up under it).
Because I came into contact with the supernatural workings of the Holy Spirit while I was still a child, it is very easy for me to have faith that He still works in believer’s lives in this extraordinary way. My mind doesn’t get in the way because I experienced Him first hand before I was old enough to recognize that His power can sometimes fly in the face of all “logic.”
I love when the Holy Spirit spreads like wildfire through a congregation, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than experiencing the manifest presence of God.
When I saw that Dr. Walborn was scheduled to preach on the role of the Holy Spirit during our third night of camp, I was pretty excited to see what experiences God had in store for me and the other racers!
During his message, Dr. Walborn presented a grounded, Bible-based message on the Holy Spirit and addressed many of the questions that surround experiencing this side of God. (Click here to hear it for yourself!) After his teaching, he had us spread out and seek God ourselves, asking the Holy Spirit to fill us– whatever that may look like.
As I took my place in the aisle and spread my arms wide, I sensed God begin speaking to my soul. I felt Him say that He wanted me not to look for my own big experience but to start walking in a new anointing for ministry– the anointing I had prayed and fasted for before arriving at camp.
I immediately knew that this night would not be a “spread face down on the floor overwhelmed by the power of God” type night for me, although it promised to be that way for many of those around me.
God was saying to me something along these lines: “Kaleigh, you have been touched by the Holy Spirit in a very powerful way several times throughout your life. You have been filled with His power. Each time before tonight, those experiences have been for the edification of your faith, and that has been good. That is what those times were intended for. But the time has come for you to start using the power of the Holy Spirit in you for not only the edification of your own faith, but for the edification of the church, of the community around you.”
I felt peace with the fact that I wouldn’t be having my own emotional encounter with God and excitement that God was answering my prayers by calling me to new levels of ministry.
As I began praying for my squad, God led me to pray specifically for one of my squad mates whom I’ll call Julie here.
I had talked to Julie earlier in the day and found out that she was a bit overwhelmed by all of the teachings on the power of the Holy Spirit, prayers for healing, and more. She had come from a background that was vehemently against teachings on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and, although she had an open mind and heart, it was shaking her a bit to come into contact with the very “brand” of Christianity she had been warned to stay away from.
As God placed her on my heart, I began to walk up behind her and put my hands on her shoulders to pray for her. As soon as I made contact, I felt her begin to cry. The Holy Spirit revealed to me that she was being attacked by fears that were not of her and were not of God. It was like God said, “Julie is my daughter and my Spirit dwells in her. It is impossible for the Spirit in her to be afraid of the Holy Spirit, for they are one and the same. The fears she is experiencing are attacks from the enemy.”
As I prayed against those fears, calling off all attacks from the enemy, I had a quick mental flash of the two of us praying off to the side of the room and immediately sensed that I needed to ask if she’d like to slip away and pray. When I asked, she nodded in agreement, and we walked to a private place in the corner. 
When we sat down, I continued to pray for peace and clarity, continuing to pray against the fears attacking her. Eventually, I felt compelled to ask if she wanted to be filled with the Holy Spirit. She said yes. I told her to open her hands like she was about to receive a gift, and I calmly prayed that the Holy Spirit would pour into her hands until it overflowed into the rest of her body and her heart.
I then sensed God telling me to move back and let Him do the work, so I told her I would be behind her, continuing to pray for her, and encouraged her to talk to or listen to God as she desired. By doing this, God was making it clear that even though He was anointing me for ministry, it is always HIM that does the work in people’s hearts and lives, never me. I’m just a vessel.
As I pulled back, I realized I was hoping for some strong and exciting physical manifestation of God’s presence. I repented of that attitude and asked God to do whatever work He wanted to do in whatever way He wanted to do it. He created Julie and knew what her heart needed.
As soon as I finished that prayer of confession, I noticed Julie’s hands began to tremble violently– the very hands I had asked the Holy Spirit to begin pouring into! She told me later that the sensation spread to her whole body until she couldn’t even feel my hand on her back, although she knew it was still there.
With the physical sensation came a flood of awe and joy and peace. Her face beamed as she told me that all her fears had been lifted and as she tried to explain what it is impossible to explain– a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit.
It wasn’t at all the night I had imagined for myself… it was so much more. God called me to a new place, a place where God works through me to encourage others and bring them closer to Him. I learned that God always does the work, but He invites me (and you!) along to be His hands and feet and voice in the process. What a jaw-dropping, life-changing, keeps-on-giving gift!
My heart is so content. I am humbled and honored and grateful that God would choose me, despite my recurring sins and lack of faith and selfish attitude, to bring His light and love to people in my community and all around the world.
To all of my supporters– thank you for enabling me to step into this new chapter of ministry. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me to do for Him and with Him in this next year! Thank you for making this adventure possible.
I am only $489 away from being fully funded!! If you can help me reach my goal of being fully funded by launch (in less than six weeks!), click "Support Me" on the left to make a tax-deductible donation online. Or, cut out the 3% online processing fee by writing a check to "Adventures in Missions" with "WARDKALEIGH" in the info line and mailing it to:
Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
