Story time 🙂
A couple of days ago I woke up feeling a bit under the weather. I had a headache and a sore throat, throughout the day it got worse so I stayed home from ministry to rest. During that time I caught a fever and started to have some stomach pain. That night my fever broke and my headache left but I was still having some stomach pain throughout the night. Sunday morning I stayed home from church and continued to feel bad. I was throwing up and having some other issues ( prolly not the best place to share allll details) haha so i’ll keep it short, basically I would have gone to the doctor on Monday because we have to go 48 hours after being sick so I just decided to go ahead and go. When I got to the doctor they told me that my intestines where inflamed most likely because I ate something that upset my stomach. They decide to give me an iv of fluids for hydration since I had been throwing up and you know what constantly. I was placed in a hospital room with four ladies.
While I was laying in the bed still feeling a lot of pain I had a wave of frustration come over me. I started praying that I would stop focusing on my own pain and that I would just be present. So Ana my ministry host who came with me to be our translator and my squad leader olivia starts giving the ladies a massage. These women of God are constantly teaching me knew things on the daily.
When they finished there massages Ana asked me to share my testimony with them. I have never shared my testimony in front of a group of people so it was really special. Olivia shared the gospel with them and they asked questions and shared what their religion was.
They shared a lot about one tradition they have and that is after funerals if the one who passed away did not die with a candle light in there hand than they would not have light in there eternity. The family of the loved one would then have to give money, clothes, food, etc. For 7 years in the name of the dead because they did not place a candle in the person’s hand before they died. So for 7 years they are bound to the dead having to do all of these good works in the name of the dead, meanwhile they have to pay the priest who conducted the funeral 50 or more dollars a month for 7 years. They said that is why priests here drive really nice cars and live in fancy houses.
Now I don’t know about you but that life sounds tiring, a life spent carrying the weight of the dead with you. Having the thought that you are the reason your loved one is living an eternity in the dark. Isnt it so amazing that we get to share who Jesus is. He is loving and He loves us even if we give nothing in His name. We don’t have to do a whole bunch of works for 7 years to be set free. And isn’t it also amazing that we get to share that with people Who have been bound to the dead all their lives.
I believe that I did not get sick by coicendence, and that I wasn’t placed in a random room. The Lord had a plan, He always does, there was reason for Ana, Olivia, and I to be there that day. After we talked for a while the Lord spoke to olivia and told her to pray over someone who has a headache. She asked who had a headache and it was a young women the same age as me. Olivia placed her hands on her head and prayed for healing. Jesus healed her of her headache she was giggling and she was thankful for olivia but she said that too many things in her life have happened so she does not believe.
That’sokay though, olivia planted a seed, we may not have seen the fruit of it but God is always faithful.
