Two weeks ago I traded mission fields.
After a hot, exhausting, blessed week of work we headed home from the small island nation of Dominica. Our group had a layover in San Juan, PR. That morning I requested prayers for my 9 month old baby and traveling companion because she was fevered.
While we were in the airport she had, what we later learned, was a complex febrile seizure. Her seizure lasted over 30 minutes leaving her on a ventilator in a pediatric intensive care unit.
I had no luggage. No clothing. No Spanish. No family. Nothing familiar. It was my mom and me and a very sick baby. We were utterly alone and desperate in a very foreign place.
Then…
God came.
While I was sitting in the emergency room a local preacher, who learned of our situation via social media, texted me. His wife was on her way. She arrived before we were even transferred out of the ER. She delivered necessities we didn’t even know we needed. She cried with us. She prayed with us. She translated for us.
That night I realized, in my despair, sometimes God shows himself through the powers of the universe but sometimes he shows up as a humble woman simply feeding his sheep.
“Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” John 21:17
God Provided
The next day we learned that our insurance would not cover a stay in Puerto Rico. I had only a few dollars left in my pocket.
The faithful church did what the body of Jesus is compelled to do. They provided for my mother and me. They met every need.
That night I realized that, in my thankfulness, that sometimes God displays his majesty in miraculous ways, but sometimes he puts on more extraordinary displays of love through the deeds of mere mortals living transformed lives.
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35
God Answered
As the EMT rushed us through the airport I held the oxygen mask to my baby’s face crying, “Jesus.” I whispered prayers in her ear as the ambulance sped to the hospital. As the team of doctors and nurses worked I staked a claim to his promise to hear my cries.
I am sure that thousands of prayers were uttered in the next week for my baby girl. Her name graced prayer chains across the world. The cry of earth to heaven was received and answered.
My baby is well.
Thank you to all who have donated to cover our medical expenses, who have prayed and assisted us in so many ways. You are all part of a testimony to the Great I AM!
