Have you ever been in a situation where you felt that God had definitely placed you there either to make intercession or just to be a presence in a place that needed light? Or that He placed you where it is extremely hard to be that light but wanted you to learn something new? Well, on Tuesday of this week I definitely had that take place for me over here. I planned to venture the city alone while my husband had another meeting of his own with a new brother for discipleship. I first went before the Lord and asked to be used for His Glory and took time to worship and meditate on Him. Then I left for the afternoon to hunt for a place where I could share about my Savior to ears that have never heard. I rode my bike (yup..haven’t named my bike yet..but thanks for all the ideas..promise to do that soon) and found a restaurant near a local hospital and had lunch. As I passed by the hospital on the way to the restaurant I felt a desire to go and visit the hospital, but did not know how to walk in alone. I sat down in the restaurant and had a bowl of lamb noodles and a bottle of Pepsi (sad but true, they did not have Coco Cola and my father in-law would be proud! Ha ha!). I stayed throughout the lunch hour and after finishing my noodles I pulled out my books and began to study the language. My intent of course was not to be fully wrapped in studying, but to make myself available for friends to be made. It worked well and after all but one or two customers had left their finished meals, I had several young waitresses at my table curious with what I was reading and with who I was. Being a foreigner in a country where you are not the normal view does have its’ advantages in spreading the Gospel. They want to learn about me and I desire to share my identity with them as well, my identity in Christ. I had the wonderful opportunity to share my testimony in their heart language, a feat that has taken great energy and time to learn, and made friendships that afternoon. Unfortunately, a young lady that was sitting right behind me began to choke on a small bone that she had accidently swallowed, not seeing it in her food. She was able to breathe and speak, but felt that the bone was stuck in her throat. I won’t go into much detail on this part of the story, however I will share about the urgency from the Holy Spirit pressing in. A waitress and older friend of the waitress walked the pained lady to the nearby hospital and I sat there watching and praying for her safety. I watched all three of them walk out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk and out of view. I continued to pray for the lady and asked God what I should do. I felt the Spirit leading me to go and pray over the lady that was hurting. I remembered how earlier that day I had told the Lord to use me for His Glory, so I quickly, but with fear, obeyed. I gathered up my belongings and started for the door of the restaurant. The other waitresses asked me why I was leaving and I simply told them that I wanted to go and pray for the hurt lady. They exclaimed that I did not even know her and I said that it did not matter and that I needed to go and pray for her still. I continued on my way, not knowing if I would find the lady again once I reached the hospital. It took me only five minutes to make my way there and after asking a nurse with my poor language skills and hand motions where the lady with the throat problem had gone to, she recognized my attempt at the word throat and told me to go to the third floor. I can’t tell you what a miracle it was that I found the lady along with the waitress and older woman that had escorted her to the hospital. As I went up the stairs and made it to the third floor I ran right into them..and they were surprised, so was I. I asked them if I could help them and they agreed. I followed them around this hospital, and apparently it was some type of emergency outpatient hospital, and soon was seated beside the lady with the swallowed bone. I asked if I could pray for her and she said yes and then I obediently prayed over her with my hand on her shoulder. I prayed in English, a prayer of comfort and quick healing and really felt the power of the Spirit flowing through me. After I finished praying over her, she thanked me in English and said a few sentences as well. I was surprised that she knew English, I just prayed over her and thought she was not able to understand me, but she did! The x-rays came back and the bone was gone, it had passed onto her stomach. I asked about her again on Thursday returning to the same restaurant and the waitresses said she was doing well. It is hard to describe the power of the leading of the Spirit, He leads us, if we are willing, into situations that require courage and stubbornness, stubbornness of course on the part of being obedient to Him no matter the difficult or rather upsetting circumstances. I confidently feel that God knew what He was doing that day in leading me on my way. I had no idea of course what was going to happen, I was just going for some lunch and seeking to be used. It bothered me to see the lady in so much pain, and to see so many in an emergency hospital in pain as well. I remember standing there in the hospital, while we were waiting to hear from the doctor for the results of the x-ray, and looked around at all the people that were obviously in pain as well, I remember asking Father if this was supposed to feel uncomfortable, to be standing in a hospital not knowing much of the language, not able to help anyone but pray. I asked Him is this where you want me and am I strong enough to handle such deeply upsetting scenes. He responds so gently to us, and He told me that He was strong enough to die for them all and He will continue to be strong for them through me. I never felt so small like I did that day, yet I felt the Holy Spirit so powerfully. The smallness came from the reality of seeing people deeply suffering and to do so without the True God in their hearts. Sometimes the world seems so big in situations like that, where you are so small and at a loss for how to help. Prior to this entire ordeal, I had wondered earlier of how I could enter that hospital, well God gave me a door in. So, you can guess where I will be visiting again in the near future, to get a chance to pray for someone else and give them hope for a Savior that can be with them through their pain, heal them, and eternally save them. If indeed we allow are ourselves to be small, He will be allowed to become Greater.
