For the past few years, I have had worsening health issues. It all started about five years ago while I was working in Syrian refugee camps and frequently traveling around East Africa (particularly South Sudan). At first, I thought it was just a common parasite, but the problem got worse over time. I was showing signs of liver malfunction, with bad skin spots appearing on my body, which was badly affecting my sleep and immune system. The year before we moved to another country, I had shingles twice because of all of these compounded issues. Travel was becoming especially difficult for me. It seemed like the mix of time zones and dietary changes was a near-lethal combination. If I took a five-day trip, I would need another two or three weeks to recover from the weakness that my body would come down with. I visited countless doctors around the world, but no one seemed to know exactly what would help me recover. In 2018, my wife and I really tried to prioritize my getting better but kept running into roadblocks. We could not afford the medical tests needed here in our current country, so we looked into obtaining insurance. We did all the paperwork for the insurance companies only to find out that we did not qualify for the regular packages and would instead need to pay multiple thousands of dollars in premiums. After needing to cancel scheduled ministry trips simply because my body could not take them and finding little hope in medicine, I was very discouraged. All the while, I remembered the words of Hosea 6:1-3 "Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." I knew I had become sick while serving God, and I knew that He would't forget about me. Then, this past February, my wife and I traveled to Orlando, Florida, to be a part of The Send event in Camping World Stadium. Towards the end of the daylong event, we were standing on the side of the stage watching as different ministers began to pray for healing. At one point, Bill Johnson from Bethel Church in California said, "There is a missionary here that has been sick for five years. It is most likely parasites. The Lord will heal you."
I looked at my wife and said, "I think he is talking about me." Excited, we found Bill once he came back stage and told him that I was a missionary and had been sick for the past five years, most likely from parasites. Bill quickly put his hands on my stomach and began to pray. All of a sudden, my insides began to churn inside out and I thought I might become sick. This feeling started to subside and we said amen to what God was doing. The next few days it felt as though I was on a detox. Something was happening in my body, but I didn't know what. We returned to our country, and I noticed that my skin spots were beginning to clear up. I didn't want to get too excited, as this sickness had been so oppressive for so long. Then I went to the doctor for some testing. I was shocked when my test results came back and the doctor said that there are no signs of abnormalities. It is now ten weeks later, and I have not a single one of the many symptoms that plagued me for the past five years. My stomach is functioning normally, I have slept well each night for the first time in years, I have no skin spots, and I feel fantastic. Even as I write this update now I have tears in my eyes. For five years I was sick, but I knew that God was faithful and would surely come for me like the rain. And sure enough, he did come. Not just with a sprinkle, but with a deluge of His power and His love.