One of our biggest ministries here is visiting neighboring homes, and praying for the sick and lame. Because we have a few spanish speakers on our team….our ministry contacts have made house visits an almost daily event. We walked around the village this morning praying for the sick and lame. White flags scatter the face of many houses here. They signify that someone living there has either lost a lim, is injured, or significantly ill. Its quite perfect for us because those are the people we want to pray over and encourage. We entered Marcos house the first time ….
Marco is bed ridden, he cannot walk and he cannot speak. Everyone speaks very highly of him and emphasizes what a Godly man he was…..and still is. As soon as you step foot in the house, you can smell the pungency of sores, urine, dust, and just a staleness. He lays on a rickety bed covered with a make shift mosquito net made of a sheet.
He stares at the ceiling, but occasionally turns his eyes our way.
Trails of gnats and ants make there way to a large open sore. As I stand there, my head is spinning at what I am witnessing.
His wife welcomed us into their house with a smile and a wave. When asked how SHE was doing, she simply replied….
I am good with Christ.
As I look into Marcos glazed over eyes I wonder what his life must have been like. Who he was as a young man,
what he loves, what his personality is like.
What his story is.
We pray healing over Him and call the presence of the Lord into that small place…….
Nothing happens.
Yet I know that even if nothing happened that we could SEE with our eyes,
God was still there. He was still present. Still moving.
He is still Marco’s……
Strong Tower
Healer
Provider
Abba
The one who bottles his tears
The one who counts his hairs
The one who loves Him enough to endure the cross for him.
He knows Marco the best.
As our team leaves his house we are quiet…..
Still attempting to wrap our heads around what we just experienced.
We know that we will be back soon.
Surely with guitar in hand…..
to meet Marco where he is at and bring joy and life into that damp room.
UPDATE
The rest of the month in El Reten we visited Marco many times. Each time we sung to him and prayed over Him. We prayed for the Spirit of the Living God to enter that room and He did. By the 3rd visit he was taping his hand to the beat and moving his tongue as if he was attempting to sing. Marco was not healed, he did not get up and walk,
but Gods hand is not ALWAYS seen in such ways.
God reigned down his joy and life through our songs and prayer,
and it was nothing short of miraculous.
That my friends is Marco’s story,
That my friends is the joy of the LORD.
