A Morning Stroll thru a Cambodian Village

It was our last day in a tiny Cambodian village.  We had spent the week sleeping on cement floors under mosquito nets, using squatty potties with the token tarantula, showering with rain water, eating (amazing!) village food, and teaching classes like "leadership", "women's study", "leading worship", and other things we felt highly unqualified to teach.  Our translator and several new friends from our church insisted on taking us on a stroll thru the village to pray for a few people and to meet their relatives. 



I had thoroughly enjoyed our time in the village, but this morning I just wasn't feeling it.  Even though I had loved my time there, I found myself even more eager than expected to hop on that van to the city.  One last walk and ministry time.  Ok...fine.

The 2nd house we visited was a friend's grandmother.  She showed us her loom and how she weaves fabric.  As we were about to leave, we asked to pray for her.  She told us she has a hard time walking and getting around her house.  We prayed for her, then she walked us back to the main road.  Our friends from the village were dumbstruck.  They hadn't seen her walk (at least more than a few steps) in a long time, and were just in awe.  Amazing.  Once again, the lame walked!

At the next house, another miracle occured.  We prayed for one man's grandfather, who had a lot of years under his belt and who's health was slowly declining.  We prayed for his health, and he totally felt the presence of God.  He had been resisting God for about 10 years since his grandson had become a Christian.  Once he felt the presence of God he was adament about becoming a Christian and knowing Jesus.  We couldn't believe it!  10 years of resistance and we show up on the scene for 5 minutes and God blesses us w/ the opportunity to lead him to knowing Jesus.  Miracle #2.

Our pizza and mall date that night felt like a miracle too, but it wasn't anything close to feeling God's miracle-working presence like we did earlier that morning.  It's all about his presence, his love, and bringing him glory.  So much changes when we lift our eyes from surviving this life and living under rules of the Christian life to just knowing him and wanting others to know the glorious Jesus we know.

I want people to know these miracles.  I want people to know the power of the presence of God, because I believe it will change the way we relate to God, the way we view our daily lives, the way we interpret the Bible and it's meaning for us, the way we rely on God to meet our needs, etc, etc.

Elvis - The Day the Lame Walked

Miracles fascinate me.  Signs and wonders blow my mind.  Daily.  Yup, I said it.  Daily.

I think part of the reason so many of us don't believe in miracles is because we hear a voice saying, "Well I've never seen one.  No one talks about them.  All the magical miracle powder must have gotten lost and fizzled sometime around ohhh 217 AD."  Here's what I tell that sneaky little voice...SHOVE IT! 

I'm about to change that stale, boring mindset of yours.  In fact I hope I ruffle some neatly laid feathers.  That's what someone did for me.  They took my stuffy theological arguments and practices and smashed them. 

Meet Elvis.  He's about 35 and Nicaraguan. 

I met Elvis on the street corner by the ATM machine.  He was propped up against the bank and his crutches.  A large black medical boot covered one of his legs.  Fortunately, Celeste insisted on stopping and asked for my translation services.  He readily agreed to some prayer on his leg.  He also asked us to pray for his family and that he could go back to work soon to take care of them.  Then Celeste asked him to walk without crutches.  He wasn't very eager to agree.  But he did.  (Celeste can be very convincing.)  He took about 2 steps and was shocked he could do even that. Cool!  Neat!  We thought, and then we went on our way.

2 Days later Elvis walks into our hotel, with his crutches, of course.  He's asking to see us in a manner full of commotion.  I'm slightly nervous, to be honest.  He tells us that after we prayed for him, 2 other girls we knew passed him a prayed for him.  Each time he felt better and better.  He wanted us to pray one more time.  He was convinced he'd be healed.  So we prayed.  The next thing I know, he's walking out of the hotel.  No crutches.  Really.  No crutches.  I think I really was speechless.  Like literally. 

We never did see him again.  That means he wasn't begging by the bank.  It means he was able to go back to work to support his family.  It means he was completely and miraculously HEALED.