I called to you for help and you healed me.
Psalm 30:2
Before coming on the race…I read hundreds of blogs. I saw the Lord doing amazing things through these world racers and my heart was set on fire realizing this is where God wanted me for the next year of my life. I had this overwhelming joy knowing that this is what He had called me to all along…to abandon everything that was comfortable and go use the miraculous things He has done in my life to bring healing, hope, and joy to others.
The healing God has brought me in my own life is incredible. I am reminded daily of how he is fully capable to transform lives and perform miracles. I have seen it in my own life.
"He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you.
Go in peace and be freed from your suffering"
Mark 5:34
Recently the Lord has been revealing to me that I need to open my heart and my eyes to see Him work. To invest more and see where there is need and move when He says move.
This month we are living in the Mi Casa Kids Orphanage. I could not imagine being anywhere else right now. The kids welcomed us with open arms, calling us by name!!
My heart has been filled so much getting to know these kids…their stories…and just getting to love on them.
The language barrier has been tough for me…each day I wish more and more that I would have actually paid attention in Spanish class. It is so frustrating to want to talk to the kids, the staff, and the people here and be limited to simple phrases.
Sometimes I forget how BIG God is.
He is not limited by a language barrier.
I decided not to let this limit my time with the people here any more.
The other night something incredible happened.
We all piled into the van to go to the park.
I found myself having the most wonderful conversation with one of the house mom’s husbands.
His name is Manuel.
It was such a God moment because we could actually talk.
Yes, it took time and patience to carry on a conversation…but we were doing it!
We were communicating on a deep level with his broken English and my attempts at speaking whatever Spanish I knew.
He asked where my heart was and how my walk was with the Lord on the race. I explained to Him that I have never had such an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and that God was speaking to me more and more each day. I told him that I am finally spending time meditating on scripture and making my time with the Lord a priority in my life. He asked me what life was going to look like after the race. I explained to him that I was willing to go wherever God calls me and that He hasn't revealed that to me yet.
With tears in his eyes he said “that is so beautiful”.
He began to tell me there is something special about our team. Different from the other teams that have come (which he's been saying since the day we arrived). He said that we have this joy and that he can feel the presence of God and the Holy Spirit with us. It touched my heart to hear all the wonderful things he had to say.
He asked me if I petition in prayer for others.
I told him I did. (praying for others is something I have started to do more of very recently. I realized I do not spend near enough time in prayer for others and especially those I love)
He asked me if I would pray for His eyes. He began to explain to me that he is "sick in his eyes" and needs prayer because the very next day he has an appointment to find if he is going blind. He said that his eyes were very bad and getting worse. I could see the pain in his heart and the worry in his voice as he told me about his eyes. I asked him if our team could get together and pray over him tomorrow before his appointment. With tears in his eyes he said yes and looked down.
Words cannot express the beauty of this moment.
He was touched.
I was touched.
And I left the park that night with an excitement for our team!
The next morning we gathered around him and prayed healing and blessings over him.
"I, the Lord, have called you to do what is right.
I will take hold of your hand.
I will protect you.
I will appoint you as my promise to the people,
as my light to the nations.
You will give sight to the blind,
bring prisoners out of prisons,
and bring those who live in darkness
out of dungeons."
Isaiah 42:6-7
When we saw him the next day. He had this joyous smile on his face.
He started thank us for praying over him. He told us that when we prayed over him he felt this “buzzing” as we laid hands on him. Then he said that “everything is good!!" That he went to his appointment and they told him that his eyes were good!
His eyes were getting progressively worse before…and now HE CAN SEE and everything is GOOD!!
God used US to heal his eyes…to bring hope and joy to a man that pours so much into the lives of fifteen beautiful children that live in the orphanage.
This experience brought such hope to my heart and I started to realize that this is JUST THE BEGINNING.
For years I wondered through life seeking and searching for healing. I just wanted the pain to go away, to finally be past the hurt. I had no idea that all I had to do was give it to God…to fully let go and let HIM be my everything.
I am learning that LOVE brings healing.
That I am called to LOVE and allow Him to use me.
That He wants to bring healing and hope to others.
And that all I have to do is trust him and move when He says move…
"So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You
So I'll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all"
