angelica's healing

from the early morning hours yesterday, as we gathered to go to mexico for a one day medical mission trip, it was clear that God had great things planned. we just didn't know what that would look like. while we were a small team of 13, it was evident that He was in control from the beginning.

this is one of a hundred stories that could be told about the day.

angelica is a 44 year old woman who had waited a long time to be seen. she gave a brief introduction of her story to the intake team and got her vitals checked. her blood pressure was high. but there was more she wanted to talk about.

she was ready and waiting for me for the doctor part of the visit. i sat down and asked her how i could help. she told me about her leg and body cramps that had begun several weeks ago. her eyes were sensitive, painful, and red. her blood pressure was high. she was tired all the time. she had no energy. she was emotional. she has 3 kids, and she was stressed. she wasn't sure if it was all related to menopause 4 years ago. but her husband had cheated on her back then too, so maybe she was depressed because of that. but it was lasting too long. she started tearing up. she said she had no desires. she did not feel worthy or that her life was worthwhile. she sometimes wondered whether she should just die.

i listened...really listened. but the other part of my brain was thinking, what in the world can i do for her? medically i can give her calcium supplements and allergy medicine for her cramps and eyes, but there's a little more going on than a typical pediatric cardiologist knows about. like a band-aid on a compound fracture. depression came to mind. but we can't "treat" that. HELP!

i listened longer, put my hands on her arm as she talked, and empathized, knowing only a little about what suffering she must be experiencing. it was my turn to respond, and i had no idea what to say. i told her that there were a couple of things i could think of that may help some of her physical ailments, but the rest of it...well, God came to mind.

so we talked about God. and she seemed to have real faith. she talked about how He is the only reason she can get up in the morning and take every breath. it was refreshing to hear, but the burden she carried was still obvious.

so i asked her if i could pray with her, and she said yes. i don't know the exact words i said. or even if my praying in spanish was understandable. i prayed of God's promises to love her, to walk with her. that her dependence on Him would give her strength. and also that somehow her suffering would bring her closer to Him. i prayed the devil away. i prayed that God would take at least one of her "pains" away. it was a conviction i had never felt so sure of before. and at the end of it, both of us with crying eyes, i heard the deepest part of her heart as she thanked me. but i knew that the words were from Him, focused on the promises He gives us in the bible. the presence of the Spirit was so real.

but God wasn't done yet.

i took her to the pharmacy, and we filled her prescriptions. i introduced her to Dave, one of the leaders of the rockharbor mexico team that was building homes nearby. it "just so happened" that they were staying the weekend. he took her information and planned to stop by and check in with her over the next few days.

it also "just so happened" that she had to wait for a friend outside. so i told christi (our medical team leader) a brief synopsis of what angelica was going through (angelica had said before it was ok to tell anyone else that could help her about it). i hugged angelica and went off to see the next patient.

after that next patient, i went by the pharmacy again. i noticed christi and angelica sitting on the steps, laughing and crying like two sisters or best friends. my heart was overwhelmed. and one more patient later, as i walked to the pharmacy again, angelica was leaving. she had a huge smile on her face. she looked as if an enormous weight had just been lifted. i'm not sure which pain was now gone, but i know at least one was lifted.

it was just a beautiful beautiful experience. God orchestrated this day not just for angelica, but for me too. and christi. and each of us that had the privilege to go. i know that out of 14 of us that were there to serve "medically", what people saw were the various parts of the body of Christ. and the only name they need to have seen or remember is Jesus.

our next trip is march 28th. i'll let you know how angelica is doing.

blessings,

j-c