We, meaning Z-squad started to pray for each other at Month 8 Debrief. We were praying for several Z-squad members, for physical injuries and also spiritual strength. We were praying for each other one by one and finally it came to be my turn. As people were praying for my lung, I started to cry. This rarely ever happens, when people pray over my lung, because it became something mundane and “normal.” But as my squad was praying over me, I was feeling the Spirit ungulf my body. As I started to receive what the Spirit was doing, I started to receive this new source of peace. The Holy Spirit was HEALING MY BODY! I can’t even begin to explain what happened weeks ago, all I can do is attempt.
I grew up with a lung condition called Bronchietasis, which is chronic bronchitis. Yeah, not fun. When I was 3, I had an allergic reaction to Sulfa and was comatosed for 3 weeks with a 20% chance of survival. The first words I said when I woke up from my coma were “Mommy, Jesus Loves Me!” These words were 100% audible, which for a kid who has several speech delays is something from the Lord in itself. So growing up, I would never talk about my lung. I thought it made me look weak and when it came time to play soccer or swim, I could do it. I didn’t want to give myself an excuse, because I had a collapsed lung. Even into college, I would never talk about my lung and would never testify to what God did when I was 3 by saving my life. Occasionally, I would ask for prayer about it in college, but nothing seemed to happen.
Fast forward or back up, whichever one you want to call it. As I was preparing for The World Race, I heard God tell me that He was going to heal my lung. I thought I was crazy, because who in their right mind hears God say things like this, right? Well, He continued to speak this over me even while I was in the first few months of my Race. Things that God would say to me about my lung, I would associate with specific people. For example, I thought I was going to be healed immediately on the Race through my teammates on LOL. Wrong. Not that LOL didn’t have healing in their hands, but they weren’t the people to bring that specific thing to me. In Mozambique, Month 4 after I had been put on a new team, God once again spoke to me about this healing. RACHEL, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE I’M GOING TO DO IT THROUGH. It’s not ironic that our team name was “Ruach,” which meant breath, wind and Spirit. You can’t breathe without breath, you can’t move without wind and you can’t be healed without the Spirit. Once again, as a human, I was expecting God to move when I wanted him to. And since He didn’t, I forgot about the promises He told me about my lung leading up to that. Since Ruach didn’t happen the way I wanted it to, I thought I was just hearing my own heart with wanting to be healed, but it not being God’s plan.
May 4th, 2012 is a day that I will always remember. It was our last day at debrief and we were getting prepared for Guatemala and Central America. This is when we started to pray for change in our squad and when I asked for prayer, I was excited because I felt different. I felt like God was moving in a new way, a way that I hadn’t experienced yet. So, when my squad started to pray, I was brought to tears like I mentioned above, because something was happening inside my body. At first, it was just tears flowing from my eyes to my face to my shirt. I looked around and the girls next to me were Kat, Jamie, Bea and Marian. ALL THE GIRLS FROM RUACH! But then something happened that has only happened to me a few times before. I was moved to pray for those around me. As I was in the middle of 40 some people, I was moved to turn and pray for those who were praying for me. I started to declare healing and power over specific squadmates and I couldn’t help but cry, because I was so overwhelmed by the Spirit. And then this happened…something I would have never expected myself to do, even if I was “drunk” on the Spirit! I stood up on a chair (as I was shaking) and started to tell the squad what was happening inside my body. “Z-Squad, I have never felt this good before in my life and this is just the start of it. I believe that we are ‘catalysts’ of change and I’ve received that word for so many contacts, but it’s for us. So these next couple months are ours.” That’s really all I
remember, but I do know that I said more than that, but had to stop speaking because as I was sharing couldn’t stop shaking and laughing.
After I got off the chair, I was laying in His presence. I was soaking up HIs heat and letting it fill my lungs. The funny thing is I literally felt His heat flowing through my lungs and it was permeating throughout my body. The more and more I allowed Him to speak, the more heat I felt. The more I was speaking out what He was telling me, the more heat I was feeling, once again. This heat did not hurt at all. It was strange and at first, uncomfortable, but then as I grew used to it, it was making me laugh and with the fire in my belly and my chest, was able to speak forth His words.
We, Z-Squad are equipped to bring the healing that we have received throughout the Race, including debrief. There is no better time than now to pour out what you received and have been filled with. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see something immediately. Sometimes, things just take time! Healing is in our midst! I know that the guys have seen some things, but there is so much more for us in Central America! So, don’t give up and let tiredness and apathy get in the way. Don’t let the future take your mind 2 months down the road. Heck, don’t even think about Searchlight, because it’s not now and isn’t Central America. There’s more for you! I love you all and am excited to see you in Antigua, ladies and Honduras, guys!
