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One of our favorite stories from this past World Race training camp for the upcoming September 2012 I, J, K and L Squads comes from J Squadder Amanda Tuten. She tells about her experience witnessing God's miraculous healing of her squadmate Bekah Spurgeon's ankle.

Healing.

It's not something I've ever given a ton of thought to. Of course, when someone I care about is sick, I pray "God, please be with and heal them," but it's almost empty lip service because in my heart I rarely expect Him to actually do it. This week has pushed my complacent boundaries in that area. There were several healings during camp, but one was special to me.

When I first met Bekah, we were at the Atlanta airport meeting our squad for the first time. She rolled up behind me in a wheel chair pushed by her husband and fellow racer, Josh. After about a minute of talking to her, I found out that she was a professional dancer from L.A. who was injured while dancing just before training camp. She had broken her ankle and also torn two ligaments that weren't healing properly, so after camp she and her doctor were going to discuss surgical options to repair the damage. 

 
Even though she was in a considerable amount of pain, she decided to tough it out through camp. As the week began, she understandably couldn't fully participate in most of the activities and was confined to her crutches. 
 
Then, on the third night, our topic for the evening was healing. We talked about the Holy Spirit, learned about healing prayer, and then were asked to practice it. Now, you have to understand how new this was to me. I suspected this would be one of the issues addressed during the week, but I was very skeptical and was doing my best to have as open a heart as possible. After the lesson, the speaker asked if there was anyone who needed healing and would be brave enough to come to the front. Bekah's hand shot up. 
 
She hobbled up front and shared with all 300 of us what she had gone through. She said before camp even started she felt that she should ask for healing that week. So the speaker asked us, as one body, to join him in calling down healing power and requesting the Holy Spirit to do a work in Bekah's body.

What followed was one of the most intense experiences with the Holy Spirit that I have ever had. 
 
The Lord's presence was palpable in that room in a way that I have rarely witnessed. After about an hour of prayer and ministering to one another we finished for the evening.

The next day we asked Bekah, "How's your foot feeling?" She replied, "It really is feeling so much better! I have no pain, but I'm afraid to take the cast off just in case." 

 
Then the following night, a new speaker was with us who had just flown in from the mission field that evening. After apologizing for his jet lag, he immediately pointed to the aisle where Bekah was sitting and said, "As I walked down this aisle, I saw a chain tethered to someone's foot, and that chain is broken!" We all looked at Bekah, who was sitting there with two tennis shoes and no boot on.
 
As she rose, took her place on the stage, and danced her heart out to her Savior on as strong an ankle as I've ever seen, there wasn't a dry eye among our squad. We sang and cheered. 
 
We thanked God for confirming His power in all of our hearts and before our very eyes.

I do not believe that everyone receives healing upon request. Sometimes God uses hurt and sickness in our lives to bring about his will. But what I do believe is that divine healing happens more often than I ever knew or thought possible. We, as his children, have been given the power and authority to ask with expectancy for the Lord's healing. When we pray in the right spirit and for the right reasons, God can and does show his power and mercy.

I think Bekah said it best when she said, "After I was first injured I wondered why this had to happen right before camp. Dance is how I worship and praise God. But I realize now that it wasn't about me. It was never about me and my foot. It was about increasing your faith–the faith of everyone who experienced his healing presence that night."

God – the same yesterday, today and forever. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is my God too. And He is mighty.