The week prior to our departure to Australia my team
was in amazing spirits – we were emotionally, spiritually, and physically
powerful and ready for the next step of our journey. We felt prepared for anything – as if our prayers could move
mountains. We all got confirmation
that God was going to do something amazing in the coming weeks- as if He was going to unleash something really big that we had never
experienced before.
The next day after some of our deepest prayers, my teammate
Denise woke up with tremendous stomach pains that lasted throughout the
morning. By noon she was in the
hospital in pain that was unbearable. By the evening the doctors had confirmed
with x-rays that she had a kidney stone that was half way down the canal and
would need to pass through her in the coming days.
That night we gathered around her, and as the pain meds
flowed through her body we cried out for God to heal her. In faith we waited
expectantly and asked for Him to crush the stone and restore her body.
The next morning we left for the airport to Australia,
hoping that the pain meds would somehow get Denise through this long day of
travel. After a 3 hour bus ride we
arrived to the airport to find that Denise’s passport was lost. After an
extended period of frantic searching, the team submitted to the disappointing fact
that both Denise and her husband Scott would not be getting on the flight and
would have to stay back with another team until they got a new passport. For the next 5 days our team was
separated.
We were all excited to reunite with Scott and Denise at the
airport 5 days later to fly to the Northern Territory of Australia. Upon our arrival the first words I
heard was “Your flight has been canceled.” A moment of utter frustration and defeat came over us. It really felt as though something was
adamantly trying to keep us from getting to Darwin. Meanwhile I hear a local mention, “I
have never heard of a flight to Darwin being canceled in my lifetime! That
never happens.”
We re-routed through Sydney and up to Cairns. We found ourselves running through the
airport with 50 lb. packs & 15lb. carry-ons to barely make our connecting
flight. After we caught our breath at the gate I realized that Denise had made
the long haul of running with her pack and was still standing upright, in fact
she was still smiling. I thought to myself in amazement “The kidney stone must
have passed in the 5 days in which I didn’t see her!” Otherwise, I know she couldn’t have made it.
When asking Denise what had happened in the time we were
apart she replied, “I haven’t had a single pain since you guys prayed for
healing over me. I haven’t even used pain medicine.” Astonished I asked, “You passed the stone with no pain? Is
that possible?” And with a
calmness she answers, “No, I didn’t pass the stone…. I believe it is gone from
me.” As the shock of these words
sunk in, my brain started to collect facts on whether this could truly be possible
or not. Did she have an x-ray?
Yes. Did the doctor see the stone?
Yes. What is the average passing time of a kidney stone? 2-3 days. How long has
it been since she had the stone? 5 days.
I couldn’t believe what my mind, heart, and soul was
deducing… Could God have really healed Denise? Can prayer really be that
powerful? I have never been confronted with this type of experience before; I
didn’t know what to think. For a moment I felt like I must be going crazy.
It has now been
9 days and Denise hasn’t felt an ounce of pain since that night we cried out
for God to heal her. I don’t
believe that our team healed Denise, or that the doctors made a mistake when
looking at the x-rays- But I believe that it is by our FAITH in with Denise was
healed that night.
Then Jesus answered,
“Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was
healed from that very hour.
Matthew 15:28
