I would call the past two weeks a taste test of what is about to come in September. Doing mission work in Africa for this short period of time I could not help but think in the back of my mind of what is to come with the World Race. I came to Kenya expecting to go and run with the kids, sing some songs, do some outreach, meet new friends, then come home and continue my prepping for The World Race.
Through this trip I have learned several lessons and have been exposed to things that I believe God has been waiting to show me for such as time as this. Growing up in missions I am used to seeing poverty and used to the last day of the good byes. But there was something much different about this trip. God had something in store for me that I was definitely not expecting.
The first day we were there we had an orientation where the directors warned us about a child that has been very sick and was in a coma and sent home to die. She has HIV/AIDS and a bad heart problem. The doctors predicted she would only live for a few more days. When they told us this, I thought to myself quietly that we as a team would all go and pray for this child then move on and go and play with the other healthy kids.
Boy oh boy was I in for a shock. When we met Grace, she was sitting in a chair in the kitchen in a dead stare. No movement, no expression at all. She was sitting in the kitchen so that the house moms could keep a close eye on her. Slowly the team came into the kitchen to meet this little child. I knelt in front of her and not knowing what to do, I held her hand. Immediately when I grabbed her hand I felt like God was telling me not to let go. So I didn’t. The team went to play with the kids outside and there I was, with a child that hadn’t really walked, basically stopped talking, and had no reaction. If you know me you know that I am the type of person who wanted to go and run and be in the middle of all the craziness. But God told me to stay. So I did.
Grace took my hand about 15min after sitting with her and stood up and walked me to her room, then I sat on the couch with her and began to read. This was the beginning of God doing something BEAUTIFUL. Slowly Grace started showing signs of God healing her. She was walking around and the doctor on the compound was so amazed that he had to come and look at the miracle. This girl was predicted to die, and she is WALKING?!? Better yet, she went to the bathroom with me and she hadn’t been in DAYS! This was truly a miracle.
Grace progressed every time I saw her. This little miracle went to church! When our team went to go help the orphanage kids get ready for church, Grace was waiting for me all ready to go. She had the strength to walk to church, dance, and then fell asleep in my arms during the service. God has a HUGE calling on this little girl’s life. The day we left she was speaking to me, smiling, hugging me, and saying full sentences. When she went for the doctor check up while we were there, the doctor said that she was now a believer because of this miracle.
God has taught me a lot through this little girl. I have learned that it isn’t a matter of trying to play with all the kids and have fun with all of them, but it is a matter of stopping for the one and showing His love. For the first couple of days Grace really didn’t show emotion, she didn’t talk, and all I could do was love her and hold on to her praying that God would touch her and keep her safe. I am not one to open up my heart immediately, but the minute I held little Grace’s hand I was so undone. Leaving her every time I prayed to God to hold her in His arms, and trust that no matter what happened, that He is still God. That to me is something easier said than done. God had a different lesson for me on this trip. It was trust. It was stopping for the one and watching God do a miracle by me being his hands and feet. I now have left Africa with someone VERY special in my heart. Not only did I get to love on her and watch God begin to heal her, but also she showed me so much. She is a fighter, and I will continue to fight and pray for her.
