Well everyone, in 2 days it will have been a year since I
got my sprouts! In case you don’t know the whole story, this time last year I
was in Jamaica on my mission trip and had the craziest experience… I got to
spend 2 exciting nights in a Jamaican hospital. Long story short, we were
having church outside in like a tent and one of the light poles fell right on
top of my skull. So a couple skull fractures, 5 stitches, and 2 nights later, I
got to leave the hospital with a neck brace and a little bald spot where my
sprouts are now growing. (If you want the full story, you can check out my blog
from when it all happened called “Struck down but not destroyed” or ask me
about it! It’s kind of a fun story to tell.)
Looking back now, I would definitely define that as the
catalyst for where I am today in my walk with God. It started really the first
night when Amy and Tiff (love my girls!) had to leave me in the hospital. Never
before in my life had I been so alone. Not just I felt alone and like no one
would understand. But physically by myself in this giant hospital with all of
these gross sick people coughing up stuff everywhere. I was terrified! I just
laid there and prayed. I prayed for strength, understanding, peace, and
healing. I didn’t really know what the healing process would look like. I didn’t
know what the next day was going to look like. I didn’t even know who to ask
for help if I needed to go to the bathroom. God was the only person I knew that
could hear me in that bed. I just remember praying and thinking “God, my mom
doesn’t even know that I am here”. And then I heard super audibly, “Yes she
does.” If you haven’t heard the voice of God that must sound completely crazy
but I did that night. And you know the craziest part? When I did call my mom
the next day, she told me she had had this super strong feeling to pray for me
that day even though she didn’t really know why. She did know I needed her
prayer!
I also got to see God at work in my interactions with the
hospital staff while I was there. I had lots of doctors and nurses stop to ask
me why I was there. Partly because of the giant plastic collar I had on my neck
and partly because it was usual to see an American in the ward like I was. Over
and over again, I got to tell people, “I was at church and this pole fell on my
head but God saved my life!” And I could say it with a smile on my face!
Because it wasn’t just one of those things I was saying because I was supposed
to. I really believed it!
It might be confusing to you that I can still praise God
even though I could blame Him for what happened. But first, God is not the
source of pain and suffering. God allows it but He does not cause it. And He
does not give us anything we can’t handle. God knew I trusted Him enough to get
me through that whole experience. He gave me teammates that prayed for me and
took care of me. (Special shout out to Tiffany for being my nurse while I was
healing!) They made sure I didn’t push myself too hard and that I had all of
the love I needed while I got better. He gave me amazing friends at home who I
know prayed for my quick recovery and who sent me love and support over Facebook.
He gave me parents and family who were obviously concerned for my health and
safety but who didn’t completely lose it! Even when I decided to stay! There
are definitely parents who would have demanded I be on the next plane home but
mine didn’t. They also trusted God enough to let Him take care of me. And He
did! And the remainder of my trip was so wonderful! So yes, it is one of my
favorite stories because it is definitely something about me that makes me unique.
But also because that whole experience brought me closer to God than I ever had
been!
And remember: God loves you. I love you. Go live a life without fear :)
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