How do I describe one of the best days of my life on paper? Lord, work through my hands, write this so I can remember years from now Your day, that You blessed me with.
Sunday November 27th
It started as such a normal day in Honduras. It was Sunday morning and all the teams were going to different churches, Brandon’s and my team were going to a branch of Mi Vina for the first time. I had absolutely no clean clothes left and our contacts had all of our clothes washing them for us so I borrowed Katrina's Guatemalan wrap skirt and a white shirt. We all loaded up in the 15 passenger van and we were on our way. Ronnie, our driver, was so excited because we were going to his church on this weekend and would get to meet his wife and baby girl, Rebecca. As we arrived at the church the pastors were all waiting outside to meet us. They greeted us with kisses on the cheek and thanked us so much for being there. It blows my mind how much we are appreciated in Honduras. They believe that the Lord has sent us here to bless them and grow His Kingdom—it is easy to write those words but I can’t express the impact that they REALLY believe this. They want to bless us because they see us as a gift from God and we are quite literally treated as royalty. It is so humbling in that they have so little and they give so much.
We walked into this big warehouse-like building and they escorted us to the second row, which our two teams completely filled. The room was so full of joy, but I could feel myself treating it like a routine day, not truly taking it in. I was getting ready to journal and take notes, when the Pastor announced that he was going to do the sermon in both English and Spanish for us! I immediately felt excited and the congregation clapped as he introduced us and invited one of my teammates, Brandon, up to the front to give his testimony. I have heard his testimony many times as they often ask us to give it, but this time he was giving something different. He didn't tell them what I had heard him speak of before, that he had been a blackout alcoholic, and that he heard the Lord call out to him when he had wrecked a car into a median when he was drunk. This time he spoke of his thankfulness for Honduras. He said how much this month had tied his heart to this beautiful country and how he had met some of the strongest women he had ever encountered here in Honduras and told of their incredible strength of character. I watched the light of Christ show in Brandon up on that stage more than I had ever seen before and I knew the Holy Spirit was speaking through him. He brought so much joy into that church — I could see the excitement and the astonishment on the pastor’s face. The regular pastor at this church is a woman and her fiancé, who was leading the service and giving the message, is actually the visiting pastor from Mexico. He started out talking about his life, telling that his wife had passed away in 2007. He brought his son up and said that he believed he would never marry again but he felt that the Lord had given him a dream of Honduras 30 years ago. He went on to explain that when he met his now fiancé, the Lord told him that they would work together to grow His church in Honduras and that they would help the people and bring families back together. They are getting married on December 17th and I truly believe they will do these things. You can see the love and the appreciation they have for one another and for the relationship they each have with the Lord.
The pastor announced that he had words for a few of the missionaries and asked us to come to the front. At this point I have to pause and tell you that I felt a sense of desperation earlier on this Sunday morning. I have personally seen miracles in Honduras, witnessed healing, and have honestly felt the Lord breaking my heart for this country but on this morning I was desperate just to feel the Holy Spirit — to feel the Lord, to really hear Him. He has been quiet this month, and that has been hard for me. I wrote in my journal Sunday morning asking the Lord for guidance and to "Use me Lord". As I stood at the front of this large warehouse I closed my eyes and lifted my hands… I surrendered, gave it all up to Him, and beseechingly asked Him to speak to me. The band was playing beautiful Hillsong music in Spanish and I felt the pastor gently lay her hands on my chest and back. I listened as she flew through words in Spanish in one ear and Vivian, our translator, gave me words I understood in the other ear. Every word brought more tears and I cannot tell you everything that was said because the Lord was speaking too and I couldn't keep up with all three! But time moved in slow motion when she said, "I feel the fire in your belly, the Lord is saying that you know this fire is for healing, that you have not been confident in this, you have not been using the gift He has given you." My whole body heated up. She blew on me and said He wants you to know He is fanning the flames and He wants that heat to grow. She went on to tell me, “You have had it since you were in your mother’s womb. And you have known this." Instantly I remembered back to when I was 7 years old and my mom would have me lay hands and pray over her head or back when they were hurting, she told me I had hands of healing. Then, I reflected on training camp and the miracles that happened there. The Lord was showing me proof of what she was saying. He was building His case in my mind and the tears would not stop running down my face. I have never been slain in the Spirit or even understood it, but when the pastor was holding me saying, "Come Holy Spirit come!”. My body literally jolted back two steps. She pulled me forward and said it again, and again my whole body was overwhelmed with the Holy Spirit. I literally had goose bumps everywhere. God was just blowing my mind.
Earlier that morning, Danae told me during breakfast that the Lord took her through a time where she couldn't hear Him or feel Him. She always knew He was there but she was desperately searching to hear His voice. The Lord led her to Job who had fasted in the desert for 40 days and night before he started his ministry. She explained that the Lord took her through quietness so that she would seek Him more — that she would rid herself of other distractions so when she did hear His voice it would be impactful, every time. So she would listen and want to be bold enough to follow. (It's not a coincidence that she and I had that talk on this very morning!)
I stood at the front of the church just thanking God. As thoughts ran through my mind I felt the Lord quietly say, "Have confidence" and the words from Acts 28:27 became so clear,
"For the people's hearts have grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, I would heal them."
God is good!!
As soon as the sermon ended Ronald, our driver, brought over his whole family for us to meet. His sister was talking to Katrina and I and she explained to Katrina that she designed jewelry. Katrina told her that her earrings were beautiful and without hesitation took them off and handed them to Katrina saying they were a gift! Katrina did not know what to do. As Americans we’re not used to someone just taking their earrings off and gifting them to someone else so selflessly. I was shocked when she started looking over herself to find something else. She took off a beautiful pearl bracelet with a cross that she wore on her wrist, handed it to me and said it was for me, on this day. She lavished us with gratitude, thanking us for being there. This bracelet means more than I can describe but that day means even more.
The church had prepared lunch for us, and we all sat around a long table, the 15 of us all together. We held hands, prayed over our meal, and when Brandon let go of my hand he looked at me and said, "Something was ignited in you today that I can feel!" I smiled and told him what I felt surpassed mere words. He told me he could feel the heat and stated, "That heat is what the Lord blessed me with." I immediately knew what he meant. I felt tears run down my face as I described what happened during the pastor’s prayers. I could tell he had an equally incredible morning being prayed over. Mi Vina has an anointing that overwhelmed so many of us!
I'm need to take you back a few days earlier to explain what Brandon meant about the Lord blessing me with a gift. The team was evangelizing in some of the poorest parts of Tegucigalpa, going door to door praying with people, inviting them to church, telling them about Christ's love for them. At one of the homes Brandon felt a harsh pain run through his head and eye. He asked if anyone in the home was suffering from severe migraines and they immediately all looked at each other and then the wife ran up stairs to get the nanny. She had been suffering with terrible migraines that had affected her eyes for 12 YEARS! Brandon explained to her that the Lord allows him to feel things that He wants to heal. He told her that God loves her so much and wants her to see that love. They prayed over her and soon she was laughing in amazement as the pain was gone — completely gone! This happened 8 times that day! 8 people received healing! One woman that has been a believer for years had pain all down the side of her body that she had been struggling with. The team prayed over it and Mike immediately felt that the Lord needed her to forgive someone. Kelly interpreted in Spanish asking if there was someone that she needed to forgive. The women started crying hysterically, telling us that her 20 year old son had been murdered last year. Mike told her the Lord needed her to forgive his killer. They prayed and asked for her to have the strength to forgive him and stop carrying around all this hate. She gave it all over to the Lord, and she ultimately forgave him. She was instantly healed of her pain!
Part of my journal entry on that Sunday included these words — “This is real, it’s not someone else's story that you're hearing, it’s your own. You felt it! You're living it!"
to be continued…
