Last night, we went into our last day of ministry thinking we were going to go into the hospital to pray for newborn premature babies. For the past month in Honduras, we have been teaching in the rural mountains at the Loyalty School, so we were excited to serve the people in the city of Tegucigalpa. We went in knowing we were going to pass out cookies and coffee, but the Lord knew we were going to be doing something more.
We took some booklets about Jesus and passed them around to the families who were waiting outside.
There are no waiting rooms.
The families have to wait outside in the cold for days, even weeks. Pregnant women sitting on the cold concrete, people holding their sick children wrapped in blankets, men surrounded by bags of clothes because their wives and newborn children are being taken care of inside… these were some of the sights we saw.
Roger, our ministry host in Honduras, asked us to give the booklets to the people and tell them we would provide coffee for them in 15 minutes.
With my broken Spanish, I went around passing around booklets with a smile telling people “coffee in 15 minutes” hoping they would understand what I meant.
After we made our rounds, we waited outside the hospital for our friends to fill the coffeemaker with water so they could start brewing the coffee. During that time, we found out that the hospital changed their policy on letting people in. They told us only 2 of us would be allowed in.
Roger (our ministry host) and Jenny went inside to gather the nervous mothers and tell them we would pray for them outside.
When they came back, Jenny told us how she walked in to find tons of really sick kids. They were hooked up to all sorts of monitors, and there was a spirit of sadness upon the people she saw.
Then, Roger greeted us again to tell us the change of what the rest of the evening would look like.
“Change of plans. Each of you are going to preach for 5 minutes“
My teammate, Anna Beth, looked at me and said, “Wait, he’s kidding right?“
He wasn’t kidding.
This is why I signed up for the race. Unexpected moments like this. Moments I knew I couldn’t depend on myself and had to depend on the Lord to give me the words to say.
Another surprise– we were going to preach right after he told us!
We gathered the masses, and my 5 teammates and I lined up.
Sarah offered to go first, and she preached on reconciliation.
I offered to go second. The Lord gave me the word “fear.” It was clear these people were scared and fearful. Their faces were filled with hopelessness, and you could tell they were carrying heavy burdens. They were exhausted. So without any sort of preparation, the Lord gave me words to say to the people.
(Picture by Sarah: Me preaching to the huge group of people outside the hospital)
I asked them if any of them had ever felt scared or anxious. I told them about my testimony, and how I lived in fear for a really long time before I knew Jesus. I told them a small part of my story, and how I found out about an all-loving Father who wanted to be a safe refuge for us. I told them that Jesus died not only to take on our sin and shame so we could walk in freedom, but that He wants to take on our fear and anxiety so that we could live in peace.
“Cast all of your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” -1 Peter 5:7
I told them how having a relationship with the Father is like having a relationship with a friend. You tell your friend about good times and bad times and you care for them– you are with and for them, and you stay by their side. It’s a conversation. I told them God wants to be in conversation with them. He wants them to depend on Him. He wants them to know His heart in deeper ways. He wants to be a safe refuge for them.
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” -Jeremiah 29:12
He wants them to know that when they seek Him they will find Him when they seek Him with their whole heart.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” -Jeremiah 29:13
I told them that He will listen to them, and how He yearns to hear from them. I told them that the Lord wants to fight for them, they need only to be still.
“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” -Exodus 14:14
The Lord perfectly orchestrated my unprepared words, and His Spirit reminded me of all of this truth. It wasn’t planned.
After we had all preached about Jesus’ love for them, Roger told them we would pray for them all individually.
So we lined up. Jenny, my teammate, and I partnered up. We laid hands on individuals– ranging from new dads, to old grandmothers, to brothers, to sisters, to pregnant moms, to sick children. The Lord gave me so many words for each of the people– unique words to each person and what God wanted to tell them. The key to listening prayer is to not knowing what you’re going to say next because it’s about listening to the Father. He has SO many words for His children. We just have to listen and have a posture of expectancy and trust.
As I prayed over individuals, I looked up to find wet eyes and tears streaming down their faces. The Lord’s words were resonating with them. They felt the Lord’s presence. They felt hope.
One woman in the crowd decided to give her life to Jesus!! PRAISES!
Then we met Carlos. He ran up to us and asked us to pray for his sister because she was sick. Her name was Alexa.
(picture: Me, Carlos, Anna Beth, and Jenny)
Carlos brought us over to Alexa. Alexa was cradled in a woman’s arms. Alexa had a high fever. The fever was going down, but the doctor’s were worried about her appendix. I had my appendix removed in 2014, and the thought of a child– who possibly had appendicitis and was waiting outside on the cold concrete–made me furious. What a privilege it is to have a waiting room, chairs to sit in, and doctors that will talk to you. Everyone deserves that kind of care.
I prayed over Alexa, and Jenny translated. I prayed bold prayers for healing, and God gave me the words to say. God specifically told me to tell her that He would be her daddy and care for her, so I prayed out loud telling Alexa God would show up as her daddy and that she could depend on Him. We found out that when Alexa was 32 weeks old, her father left her. God knew that– I didn’t. He allowed me to say it and let this family know that He knows them deeply. That He sees them.
We found out the grandmother that was holding Alexa was a believer. She told us that the Lord healed her from AIDS!! She had 6 years of treatment and gave up. Then she was healed by the Lord! PRAISES!
It was a night I wasn’t expecting, but it was my favorite day of ministry yet.
It’s amazing that my favorite moments on the World Race so far have been surrounded by coffee, cookies, and people that are hopeless. The Lord is doing something with that, and I can’t wait to share more soon. He keeps confirming things right and left, and this is another way He is leading me in a certain direction. I’m excited to see all He has planned for the future!
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I’d love to hear your thoughts or opinions in the comments below! 🙂
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I have $2,941 left to fundraise!!! Please consider partnering with me to donate $25 (or whatever amount you feel led to donate) today.
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Be Blessed, friends!
Peace + Grace,
Kels
