This spring break, I had the incredible opportunity to go back to Mexico for the third time to serve with a church called Ranchos Dos Countries as they reach out to the communities of Zaragoza and Morelos. In the previous years, I have witnessed God use me and the other missionaries to do amazing things; through God’s power, we witnessed countless lives being changed and miracles happening right before our eyes. This year, I came on the mission trip expecting nothing less.
But its funny… more often than not, God does not meet our expectations in the way we might expect Him to. In fact, He doesn’t meet our expectations because He wants to EXCEED them.
And that‘s exactly what He did.
This trip was rather brief; accounting for the two days worth of traveling, we only had four remaining days to spend at the church doing mission work. Recognizing its brevity, I came prepared to soak up every moment and take advantage of every opportunity. Four days may be short, but I knew God could still do BIG things in that time!
The first two days were great. I saw many familiar, smiling faces of adorable children I met on my prior visits. I got to walk door to door passing out food and praying for people. And in the time not spent out in the city sharing the love of Christ with people, I got to spend some much-needed alone time with God, completely unplugged from technoloby, delving into the Bible and spending time in prayer. God refreshed me spiritually by speaking to me in these quiet moments and filling me with joy in the time I spent with the people.
Then came day 3….
What I didn’t expect going into this trip was finding myself on the side of some road in Mexico emptying my stomach of breakfast while everyone sat (disgusted, yet concerned) in the van waiting for me. I threw up 7 times over the course of a few hours, had a fever of over 103 degrees, and every part of my body ached. I had the FLU! BLEH!
When they got me back to where we were staying, I laid down and shut my eyes. Exhaustion and pain consumed my body as well as another univited guest: disappointment. I had been looking forward to this trip for so long! The last thing I wanted to do was spend the precious time I had in Mexico in bed with the flu! I did not understand how God could let this happen to me; I was there with a willing spirit and expectant heart, ready to serve His people, yet I physically was unable to do so. But it was in this moment that God did something in me that shook my expectations and expanded my faith in new ways.
The other missionaries began to rally around me in prayer. Some came and prayed with me one on one, others told me they were praying while at the church or on the vans. And apparently, sometime when I was fast asleep, all 50 missionaries walked around the bunkhouse I was sleeping in and laid hands on it, praying for healing and God’s presence to fill it! Their faith-filled prayers overwhelmed me and encouraged me!
God showed up and He did exactly what they prayed for. He healed me. No, I never got to say goodbye to all the children or even leave the bunkhouse at all on Day 4, but by the time everyone returned at night from the church, I was 100% healed!
I had all the symptoms of the flu except for one thing: the amount of time I had it for. While the one night I had it was one of the most uncomfortable and miserable nights of my life, a miracle was in the making! I was dancing and lifting my hands in worship within 24 hours! He sped up the healing process. I was back to good health—exceptional health!—just in time for our 9 hour van ride back to Texas!
Ultimately, God knows whats best for us. Sometimes that looks different than what we originally anticipated. Each time I have come down to Mexico in the past, God has used me and my fellow missionaries to bless others with miracles. But this time, God wanted to bless me with a miracle! I experienced the power of prayer first-hand within me.
God reversed this mission trip to where the missionary was on the receiving end of God’s miracles. Perhaps God did not meet my initial expectations for this week because He wanted to exceed them.
He is not just a healer, He is my Healer.
Has God ever altered your plans? Maybe you may not have chosen it yourself but in the end it all worked together for your good. I would love to hear about it! Comment your own experiences below!
Be encouraged in knowing that God has a greater plan behind everything. He sees you. He has not forgotten you. He will use anything and everything for good when we place our trust in Him.
