You ever heard how Jesus healed people’s bodies in Bible times? Like that story where an old woman touched Jesus’ robe and stopped bleeding? Or He made a blind man see?
Did you know Jesus STILL heals people?
?Really.
Ok, I was skeptical, too. At training camp and on World Race blogs, I heard stories of healing. I didn’t think I’d ever see something like that— a blind person who recovered sight or a person regain their ability to walk. Too weird.
But as my personal Race has gone on 5 months, my faith has increased exponentially.
We saw a man receive Christ in another language in Cambodia surrounded by evil spirits.
In Thailand, we saw God give grace to men who bought prostitutes for a night.
In Uganda, the Lord further opened my mind to the impossible, to the idea that physical healing was possible— maybe even raising the dead.
We had prayed to see healing, but we had always been somewhat disappointed.
“We want to see miracles, Jesus!” it felt like we were saying. “Why didn’t you heal any of the people we prayed for on the streets in Asia? Or heal any of those desperately poor needing provision in Uganda?”
But eventually, I came to get to a place of surrender.
I realized that I wanted to see healing for my own benefit, to prove something. But God is GOD. He doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone.
I had to trust in God’s plan for healing, not mine. Even if he didn’t heal that man’s leg in Cambodia or that woman’s painful life in Thailand, He still knows better than me.
After disappointments in praying for healing, would we still believe? Would we still ask? Would we TRUST that He knew best? And would we give Him the glory?
So, this one very average morning in Kabuga, Rwanda, our team went out for ministry. With our good friend and translator, Deo, we set off on the red dirt road to see what God had for us that day.
(Honestly, I was kind of tired and “meh” that morning. I wasn’t particularly excited or expecting anything special. But I had a great conversation with God that morning, just meditating on His goodness— so I was ready to join whatever He was doing in the world.)
At the first house, we prayed for two women with babies on their laps. We had met them before; they have trouble ever getting to the church because of the hard work of life (cooking, cleaning, washing,outside employment) that takes so much more time here in East Africa.
This day, when we asked if we could pray for the women, one woman said that she wanted to receive the Holy Spirit.
“Yes!” we thought. “We can do that for you!”
What a beautiful, simple request— and how blessed were we to give her this gift!
We laid hands on the woman, and as we prayed, we felt her energy becoming stronger and her voice louder. At one point, the Spirit came on her so strongly she shouted out and jumped off her seat! We were all startled at the moment but kept praying. She definitely received the Holy Spirit and thanked us for coming.
“What a cool morning!” I thought. I was pretty sure this would be the highlight of the day.
(Ooooh, girl. Just wait.)
Next, Deo stopped at a construction site where 5 men in work jumpsuits mixed and laid concrete for a house. They warmly invited us in and said they wanted to hear a word from God.
Acacia (who has tons of missions experience and is just an overall rockstar in evangelism) asked if they wanted healing for anything.
(Side note: There was one deaf man among the group, and I was hoping he would ask for healing. I wanted to see a deaf man receive hearing! But when he didn’t speak up, something in my spirit said, “No. Not this one. Not just yet.” I obeyed. It wasn’t about me.)
Then a different man spoke up. “I have so much pain in my heart,” he said. “I want healing in my heart. There are more problems and more pain than I can even explain. My heart hurts so much.”
All of a sudden, I felt like there was a gateway opened between God and me. Like this spiritual channel was opened up, and He was filling my mind and heart with words for this man.
I got choked up, but I wasn’t sad. I knew exactly what I was supposed to tell this hurting son of God, but I didn’t actually know the guy at all.
Almost crying, I told him, “God can heal your heart. I feel like God wants you to know how much He loves you, how He knows every hurt you’ve experienced and it hurts HIS heart, too! He loves you and He’s been chasing after you for a long time. He can come inside of you and His Spirit can heal you.”
I looked in his eyes. He was crying. As we prayed, something in the air shifted. I had never felt God speak so clearly through me for someone else like that.
Could God get any cooler this day?
?…yep.
We came upon a house that was a lot farther away than our normal route. We were invited in (very customary to receiving visitors here in East Africa), and we started chatting as chickens wandered in and out of the living room.
We met a 23-year-old man, Robert, his mother, and his aunt. Robert and his mom live most of the time in Uganda and spoke excellent English; they were just visiting for a week or so.
(We would soon find out exactly why they were there.)
They were believers. That rockstar of a woman Acacia asked, “Is there anything we can pray for you for? Do you need healing for anything?”
Robert told us how last year, he got surgery on discs in his back. How he continues to suffer with lots of pain from that surgery. Now he has ulcers in his stomach due to harsh back medicines. Standing or sitting for over 30 minutes is impossible. He was also suffering with serious sinus pressure.
And while I wanted to stand up and heal him at that moment, Acacia said,
“Can I tell you a story?”?
“OK.” said Robert.
(And in my head, I was like, “What? I don’t know what you’re doing but you go, girl.”)
“When I was in Morocco, a woman who did not believe in Jesus had a back problem for 5 years. I asked if I could pray for her, even though she didn’t believe in Jesus. She said, ‘OK.’ After I prayed, I asked her to try to stretch out her back. She said she was scared. But even in her fear and lack of faith, Jesus healed her. She was fully healed and could touch her toes for the first time in 5 years. So I believe that God can heal you.”?
(Wow. Acacia is a rock star, you see??)
We got up and Robert kneeled before us. We all prayed for his healing in the name of Jesus. For his back. His ulcers. His sinuses. That the Holy Spirit would heal him fully. It was an amazing sense of God’s presence there and His great love for Robert.
And then Robert stood up.
(Now, like I said, I started to believe that supernatural healing was possible, but it was still new to me. But we had prayed for healing for people before, without any evidence of healing. I knew God was faithful if he had healed Robert and if he didn’t. He is, was, and will be a good God.)
We asked Robert to touch his toes.
He leaned down to his knees, where he normally stopped due to pain.
But then he leaned down further.
And touched his toes.
A sense of wonder filled the room and Robert’s face. He moved around. He stretched..
“How do you feel? Do you feel any pain?” we asked.
“No…” he said in wonder.
“I feel better. I feel completely better! I could never do that before!!”
Even his sinuses were healed in Jesus’ name!
His mom and aunt got tears in their eyes as they knelt down before us.
“We want healing, too,” these lovely women said.
One had a heart problem and the other had diabetes. Again, we prayed. Again, we felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. I believe these 2 women were healed, too.
After his healing, Robert walked with us all the way home.
“I’ve never felt anything like this before,” he said.
“I always believed in God, but I didn’t know he could heal me like this. I have to tell to everyone. God has done a miracle for me. I’ve never felt like this before.”
Welcome to the Holy Spirit, Robert.
I used to feel just like you.
But you see, God is bigger than diabetes, than back pain, than my lack of faith. The Holy Spirit is the literal power of God among us. And as Christians, we have this power and authority to ask for good things from God.
Miracles are not just cool stories that happened in Jesus’ era. Last week, God brought a 23-year-old man literally to his knees in pain, and then fully restored him to health and vitality. God is bigger.
I believe that God waited to show us a physical healing until we were ready to give HIM the glory, until we had surrendered to Him, until we had given ourselves over to the Holy Spirit.
And I want to encourage you all that Robert’s healing isn’t singular.
God heals an entire family’s physical illnesses, and He can heal a construction worker’s deeply wounded heart.
He fills a woman with so much love and spirit she shouts out in wonder.
He repairs families and work miracles in the lives of addicts, the sick, the poor, and the everyday person.
He mends your broken heart and brings you joy in disappointments, peace in times of fear.
Man, guys. I just really love Jesus.
Discovering the power of His love and His Holy Spirit is pretty earth-shattering.
Can’t wait to share what He will do next!
(Not next month, or next week, or next Sunday, but today! Maybe in an hour! He is always here.)
Logistical update: We fly from here in Kigali, Rwanda, to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Friday at midnight local time. We will have a two-day debrief with our who squad on Wednesday and Thursday. Thank you for your prayers of safety and provision during travel! Will let you know more soon!
_____________
Another side note…
GUYS! ?The World Race has blown my mind in so many ways!!
One way is in support raising… I got accepted to the Race in late May (many months later than most participants), yet I have beaten EVERY fundraising goal given to me by Adventures in Missions. WHOA!
THANK YOU to each of you who have made this miracle possible!!!
?I am so close to beating this final fundraising goal. In order to stay on the field, I need to raise $2,000 more. He has provided so much support from you all already!
You, my team, can be praying for further provision to keep me on the field.
(My prayer team is BOSS and has covered me in prayer since I left. I have so far been physically healthy, have had nothing stolen or ever been in physical danger, have had smooth travel, and have grown exponentially in the Lord. This is in great part due to my incredible prayer team!)
You can join them by praying for me over the next 6 months and receiving updates (e-mail: [email protected])
To help me stay on the field, click on “Support Me!” at the top of the page for different giving options.
If you’d like to donate by check, make out a check to Adventures in Missions:
In the memo line, write “Appealed by Katherine (Kathy) Woods”
and mail it to:
Adventures in Missions
PO box 74250
Atlanta, GA 30374-2570
