healed at a water park

It’s been so long! Too long, in fact. I’ve started and never finished about 7 blogs before this one. It’s so hard to put into words this life I get the honor and privilege to live. To even attempt to portray the invitation the Lord has invited me in seems outrageous. But my soul has stories to tell of the incredible works and wonders of my Jesus and it would be a disservice to Him to not share them. Luke 8:39 is the heartbeat of this blog, “tell how much God has done for you.” 

So here I am! Forcing myself to sit down and write a dang blog. Even if it kills me in the process. 

A brief logistical update: I’m living in Chiang Mai, Thailand and I’ve been here since January 4th. My team of 6 other girls have ministry at a domestic abuse rehabilitation center for women. It feels like we’ve stepped into an alternate universe when we’re there. The entire facility, which is around 2 acres, is completely women-led, sustainable (they eat the food they grow!!!!), and empowering. They provide housing for women who have been abused, in crisis situations, or single mothers while also offering classes that teach them skills and trade. Oh it’s so beautiful. There’s nothing quite like seeing women coming together to support and empower other women. 

I wish I could sit and talk for hours about all the holy moments I’ve been apart of, moments I swear Heaven came down to Earth and His glory was seen for miles. And while that’s nearly impossible, there are a couple of days and moments that stand out to me. 

Something the Lord has done abundantly on the field is physically healed- it’s happened to teammates, squad mates, at ministry, at church, on the side of the road, in grocery stores, at 3 am, etc. And the place I just so happened to be most recently to experience His healing powers was at a waterpark. Less than an hour after getting there, a couple of us noticed a girl around the same age as us laying down injured, in the middle of this huge waterpark, surrounded by lifeguards that spoke very little English. 

And honestly, I didn’t want to go over and check on her. Selfishly, I knew we only had a few hours there and I didn’t want to spend it working through a language barrier. And I hate to admit that. But it’s a vital piece to this story, every action and decision made that day was not my own. Completely the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit who convicted me to walk over to her and ask if she needed any help. It was the Holy Spirit who prompted me to call over my friend who’s a trained lifeguard. It was the Holy Spirit who invited her into asking if we could pray for healing over her. And it was the Holy Spirit who soften her heart to say yes, even though she didn’t know Jesus.

She laid on a backboard, not being able to move her neck or beck, as the two of us knelt beside her and prayed for healing. And she wasn’t healed instantly, but knowing she was being taken cared for and in the hands of the Father, we said goodbye to her and watched her leave for the hospital. 

But it wasn’t until after all of us were walking out of the park, at the end of the day, when we saw her!!! WALKING around!! Laughing, eating ice-cream!!! HEALED! She told us she felt completely fine and wasn’t going to go to the hospital anymore! Yes yes yes. Thank you Jesus!

It’s times when I experience the Lord’s glory in the most unexpected times and places that I thank Jesus for being interruptible. Some of His greatest works and miracles happened when His plans changed. He was simply traveling through a town when He spoke to the Samaritan woman that eventually led to the longest recorded one-on-one conversation with Him. It was when He was walking through a crowd when He healed the bleeding woman. And it was in the middle of a waterpark, when He slowed down my plans and performed a miracle. 

A couple of weeks ago, around Christmas time, my entire team got very very sick- the kind of sick that leaves you in bed for 9 days and running to the toilet. None of us could go to ministry, and on top of being homesick, it was just all around a hard season. Thankfully, the Lord provided an abundance of rest during that time and healed all of us in His perfect timing. Not long after we all recovered, our new ministry assignments for Thailand were given and for the past week, ministry at the rehabilitation center has looked like manual labor- shoveling dirt and working in a banana farm. It wasn’t our ideal ministry after just spending a 2 weeks in bed, let alone being out of breath after walking up stairs, but every day I am left awe-struck as I look around and see 12 Daughters running on the strength of the Lord, being completely sustained in Him. He constantly reminds me, through the sweat, that He is my Healer and Provider, providing even the smallest of things like energy throughout the day. 

The dirt that we shovel every morning and afternoon is being used to start another garden at the rehabilitation center. It will eventually be the foundation that nourishes plants that will be used for food for the mothers and children there. Jobs will be started because of it. Women will be empowered by it. And we get the honor of starting it. But the start of it is a just a huge pile of dirt. Huge. The first morning we got there, we prayed for a miracle. A miracle of supernatural energy. A miracle that would move this mountain. A miracle of momentum that wouldn’t be able to stop. And I wish, oh I wish, you could see the dirt being moved before our very own eyes. Not only did the Lord sustain us and help move the dirt, but we have moved a massive pile of dirt every single day. 

It’s a sight. Girls that just a couple of weeks ago, were laying in bed completely fatigued- now shoveling, covered in the dirt that their Savior moved. Sweaty and tired, yes, but I’d do it every day if it meant I could partner and be with Him. 

There’s so much more than these two stories. I’m living day after day of stories like these. I’m covered in His endless answered prayers and works and miracles and healing. It baffles me. It leaves me beyond myself. Sometimes I wake up and just weep thinking about how I get to love and be loved by the most beautiful and perfect Jesus. My heart breaks for His children that are not awake. That are blind to the Truth. But my goodness, every cell in my body wants to tell of His heart. And even if it takes a lot out of me and leaves me drained, I’ll write and write and tell how much God has done for me. Because He changes my life every day. Every day He invites me into living life hand-in-hand with Him. A life that’s richly saturated in His perfect ways and Holiness. A life of saturated celebration. 

Oh what a sight this life is. 

And I’m sorry. You deserve to be let in and become aware of what He is doing and has done. My deepest apologies for failing you. I hope you feel a little bit more connected and let it. I hope you feel encouraged. I pray you feel convicted. I pray you feel just how much He loves you and pursues you. You are loved by a Father that performs miracles and heals and answers prayers. Thank you all for loving me and supporting me throughout this crazy journey. I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

If you have any questions about any of this, please feel free to reach out. I’m here for you!! Or if you’re curious and just want to know more stories, please please ask. I got tons. 

-Lauren