Today I want to paint a picture for all of you. I find that as I get discouraged by things that are going on, it is important to feed on the miracles of yesterday. This is one of those miracles, something I witnessed with my own eyes as God took the box that my world was nicely organized in and blew it up. Forgive the length of this post, but Today I want to tell you a story. Ready?
It had been 4 days since we landed in Honduras. 4 days, and dozens hours on the bus later, and now I was standing in a church/school turned medical clinic. As I looked around the church, one of the biggest in the area, I felt completely and utterly spoiled. Back home at Milestone we had the luxury of nice cushioned seats, ice cold A/C and all kinds of electronic wonders. Yet here, at one of the largest churches in Choluteca, There was none of that. No A/C. No fancy equipment and simple metal folding chairs by the hundreds.Yet people still flocked here to worship our Creator. Amazingly humbling.
An impromptu pharmacy had been erected out of 4 black countertops where locals could come and receive meds after their free visit with the physicians. A crude but effective barrier of metal folding chairs had been set up around it to keep the workers from getting flooded with patients. The pharmacists and nurses worked constantly, counting medications and filling prescriptions over and over. All day. It was tedious work, but they knew that it was necessary and in this way, they were showing so much Love to these people. On one side of the room people were receiving their medications, and on the other side people were patiently waiting in a group of chairs for their names to be called. They had no idea what was in store for them as they waited in those chairs.
I was part of an evangelism team that consisted of about 6 American missionaries and 4 local Honduran Translators. Our mission for the day was to let the Lord lead us as the locals waited at the pharmacy and then pray for people to be healed. This wasn't some flippant act, this was war. There were forces at work in theses people lives that I had rarely felt or experienced before. But the Holy Spirit was strong in each and every one of us that day and He emboldened us and empowered us. He had been working in these peoples lives long before we showed up, our faith was simply the catalyst, the avenue if you will, in which He chose to distribute His healing power this day. These people had no idea what was in store for them.
Miraculous things happened that day, but one young boy in particular rocked my safe little world.
I distinctly remember that it was oppressively hot.
It was so hot in the church. So hot that it was hard not to think about my shirt clinging to my body for dear life. Around the time that the heat was getting really harsh, a little boy walked in. I say walked but he actually dragged his crippled legs in with a walker. We had been praying for people all day, and I had seen some really miraculous healings: people cured of pain, headaches, pain that limited their movement, all kinds of things, but as soon as this little boy walked in, the first thing I thought was, "Boy I don't want to pray for him, what if he isn't healed?" I am ashamed to say that I avoided him. I meandered over to the pharmacy because I noticed some of them were drinking some type of local blended iced coffee. And it was hot. An iced beverage sounded great.
As I sat there enjoying my iced beverage and silently praying that tap water had not been used in the making of the ice that was in the drink, one of my teammates starts yelling at me from across the room to come help her pray for someone. When I get to her, who else is she praying for but the little cripple boy? Crap. Why couldn't God use HER to heal the boy? If she prayed for him and he wasn't healed, how would me praying make a difference??
So much doubt flew through my mind in that second, but right after that I remembered two scriptures I had been resting on for a while. Mark 9;23 " Anything is possible for him who believes" and John 14:12" Whoever believes in me will do the same works I am doing, and they will do even greater things than these…." Ok Jesus. I know you don't lie, you CANT lie, so if your telling me anything is possible if I believe, and that you have given me the power to do the same, and even better miracles than you did, I believe you. ( I often times have lengthy conversations in my head that last mere seconds to everyone else )
So I believed. I took a step of faith as we laid our hands on the boy and prayed a simple prayer for him to be healed.The entire left side of his body had been paralyzed since birth, so we asked for life in the left side of his body. Nothing fancy, just a sincere prayer from Gods children, out of love, for another of His children. Then I told him it was time to stand up. And he did, ever so slowly and on wobbly legs he stood. Then I told him Jesus had healed his legs and it was time for him to walk, and the Lord as my witness, he walked. He was so excited that he would take two or three steps and then one huge step, or try and run, and fall over because his legs didn't know how to walk. They were able to walk, they simply didn't know how. I looked over at his mom and she stood there, in open mouthed shock, unable to speak. Her child had never stood on his own in 9 years, much less walked .
The funny thing to me is this: the boys mom didn't even bring him to the clinic for his legs, he was there for a tooth extraction!! Funny how God works isn't it? Go in for a tooth extracted, get supernaturally healed. Go on a mission trip to tell school kids about Jesus, literally see the lame walk. For the rest of my life when I think about Honduras, I will never forget that boys face. His giant lopsided smile, due to the anesthesia used for the tooth extraction, as he took his first steps. The smile of one of Gods children, with a little drool running down the side.
My faith was greatly increased that day. Not only did the Lord heal that little boy, but He showed me that if I but believe, anything is possible. Theres no going back now. I haven't even left for my race yet, and God has shown me such amazing things. I am in dire need of partners to stand next to me and send me as I take the light of the gospel to the world in 2014. Lives will be changed, people will be healed. I will not come home the same.
If your reading this, I want to challenge you to step out in faith like I did. Click on the link at the top and Sponsor me, partner with me at any level you can. I have a long way to go financially, and I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Lord is going to provide, but maybe, just maybe, He wants to use you as His catalyst for that providence. You will be surprised how God can change you, just like He changed me, when you take a step of faith.
