I had never experienced such physical agony. It was unbearable. My body felt like it was burning from the inside out. I suffered excruciating pain in the center of my stomach leading towards my lower back.

It all began after a two-day revival in the town of Batan, Costa Rica where we came face to face with spiritual warfare. There was a breakthrough in the atmosphere the night of the 23^rd and we were getting ready to return to Tibas. Right before leaving, I was offered a meal from a lovely family. I ate a small portion and took the rest with me. As soon as I entered the vehicle, I started to feel a discomfort in my stomach that worsened with each passing hour.

Three and half hours later, we arrived at our temporary place of dwelling. I quickly went into the room as I knew something unusual was happening in my body. I laid down and I started to quiver. I went into a fetal position while I shaked uncontrollably. I had developed a high fever and cold sweats. My father touched my forehead and the sides of my cheeks and confirmed it. At the same token, I felt like I was in the north pole with the constant chills.

My father began covering me with blankets, but it was not enough. He grabbed a small portable heater he brought over ten years ago and placed it directly towards me. He then gave me the “Puerto Rican cure” Vicks VapoRub:)

“Father God, you brought my daughter to do your will, I ask you to heal her” he prayed.

The night was long. I attempted to fall asleep, but the pain would not subside. I turned side to side, laid on my stomach and back but there was no relief. It was 5 am when my father woke up and noticed that I was not well.

I saw a face of a worried father doing his best to stay strong for his daughter.

He spoke with the Pastors from Tibas and explained the situation. The Pastor informed him that it was surely a bacteria that had spread through a certain type of meat in the town of Batan. He told him he would consult with a physician. The physician prescribed a liquid that would kill the bacteria as well as antibiotics. The liquid was meant to work quickly, allowing my body to flush out the bacterial infection. I drank the liquid at around 9am. At about an hour or so, I was able to lay on my back without pain. Unfortunately, the slight comfort did not last, and absolutely nothing came out of my system.

Hours passed and the irritation and distress increased. I could overhear my father calling various pastors and brothers in Christ to lift a prayer on my behalf. Worry came from the voice of the local pastors even though they were declaring healing over my body.

Such is faith; confidence in what we hope for and assurance in things we do not see.

My faith was not faltering. My spirits were high, but the enemy does not sleep. He was going to take advantage of this moment. “Did God really send you”?  “Are you sure it was His voice you heard”? What if you don’t make it? A memory creeped up of a cousin of mine who passed away years ago from a bacterial infection.

I started dodging every attempt, rebuking and proclaiming the word of God, his promises and benevolence.

Through it all, I had not cried. At around 7pm, tears covered the sheets I was hurdled in. My soul was screaming for nothing else but prayer. At that time, my father was attending church through zoom, and I didn’t want to worry him even more.

I contacted a friend and asked him to pray for me. It was a powerful prayer that filled me with peace. He reminded me of the mission. He quoted the verse in Luke chapter 8 where Jesus tells the disciples to pass to the other side but what they did not know was that there was a storm scheduled to not only deter them from completing the mission but as a way of testing their faith. In verse 23 clearly says that a storm was “let loose”.

Minutes later, my father enters the room with his phone on speaker and I hear one of our Pastors from CT, crying out to heaven along with other church members. It brought me to that time when the church earnestly prayed for Peter (Acts 12). The bible says that suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to his rescue.

Seeing no improvement, my father informs me that he had no other choice but to take me to the hospital.

How did it get to this point? I cried out to the Lord in anguish “you’ve healed before, please do it again”. I proceeded to call another prayer warrior whom I later learned, had convened a prayer intercession group of young ladies. They invoked the name of the Lord and prayed as if their life depended on it.

Shortly after, my father comes in the room and says, “we are looking for a private doctor”. He touches my forehead and says, “you are still burning up”. He sits down in silence as he looks at the floor. I closed my eyes and prayed

“God, I don’t want any other doctor but you”.  

As soon as I said those words, the fever disappeared. I was in shock. I couldn’t make sense of what was happening. In a soft voice I stated “Dad, I no longer need a doctor”. As I’m speaking, my entire body is regulating. In seconds, I had absolutely no pain, no shivers and no debilitation. I sat up and my father screamed “what happened, are you ok”? I looked at him and said, “I think I just experienced a miracle”. I stood up and began walking as if nothing had ever happened.

Observe the following:

1. The sickness became worst when the medication was introduced.
2. The medication did not flush out the system; meaning the bacteria was still in its full effect.
3. Our faith was tested in a foreign country with no immediate resources to our disposal.
4. Every symptom immediately vanished when I was at my lowest.

I had never personally experienced Jehovah Rapha – The Lord who heals. It was my time to know him as a healer. As agonizing as it was, it was all worth it. He is a miracle worker and now I am a walking testimony of his power.

Nicaragua… here we come!

P.S. I might just become a vegetarian for the next three months:)

Doctors say that touch is one of the most important factors for the healthy development of a newborn baby. A study found that babies who lacked the touch of a relative, experienced delays in speech, physical development and agility. This study confirmed the importance of physical contact.

Today, we visited a 90-year-old woman who lives in Tibás, Costa Rica named sister Yolanda. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer. 

When she asked if she knew me, I answered “Yes, you met me 20 years ago; I am the daughter of Pastor Mateo”. She then said “I didn’t recognize you with that thing on your face (the mask). She proceeded with, “Remember when we held services here every Saturday”? And with great joy I told her that I surely did.  It appeared as though she had remembered me but, moments later, she asked if she knew me again. 

Throughout our conversation of about an hour, Mrs. Yolanda repeated that question several more times and I would once again explain to her who I was. This however, did not make me sad. Do you know why? Because, though she did not remember me, she remembered the person that many, having all their senses intact, have forgotten. She remembered the one who gave her life. She remembered the one who has never left her. With tears in her eyes, she repeatedly told us that the most essential thing in life is being held by the hands of the Most High.

How do you forget that touch? Her memory possibly did not retain experiences lived with friends or even relatives, but she so clearly detailed moments lived in the presence of God. She became emotional when she stated that the members of the church no longer came over on Saturdays to worship God in her living room. She said, “Could it be that they don’t come because I can no longer serve them coffee and soda at the end of the service?” Not knowing that the priorities for many have changed and in-home church services are already scarce.

At that moment I thought of how great it would be to have a small worship session. I asked her what her favorite song was, and she instantly started singing.

The sound of her voice was one rarely heard. It was a sound that carried the marks of a heart linked to her beloved. It was a sound that in its timbre vibrated the melody of a soul connected to its creator. It was a sound of a life that bears in it, evidence of God’s touch. Without being able to avoid them, my tears ran down my cheek.

After worshiping God together, Sister Yolanda said, “how beautiful it is that we once again worshiped the Lord in my home; for that I know God brought you here”. She concluded by saying “Many are doing foolish things, but you decided to hold hands with the Most High and there is nothing better.”

I agree one hundred percent that there is nothing greater than feeling the touch of Jehovah and feeling his hand guiding us through the darkest moments of life. In Matthew 20:34 it says:

“then Jesus, moved with compassion, touched their eyes, and immediately they received their sight, and they followed him.

Last night I preached and expressed that the worst thing in life is having eyes without having vision. The touch of God opens your vision and allows you to live a long journey like that of our sister Yolanda, who, though her body and mind  weaken, her soul, on the other hand, is strengthened.

“You don’t have to do that” I insisted as she, an elderly woman from Costa Rica by the name of Lourdes, offered to wash and massage my swollen feet. The more I declined her offer, the faster she moved to grab a pot to heat up water, pour it in a bucket with herbs and salt and place my feet in it. 

My father and I met at the Orlando airport to take the same flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. Upon arrival, it is required that everyone pass through customs. To our surprise, the line was so long that we were close to the bathrooms located towards the exit side of the building. The airport staff informed us that there were several flights delayed and it appeared that they all arrived at the same hour. We were in that line for almost 3 hours and that is not to include the normal travel time when flying internationally. Due to this, our feet became extremely swollen. 

Lourdes noticed my feet and began asking me questions about the trip. I informed her of the details. She immediately, with no hesitation decided it was necessary that she took care of my swollen feet. 

The Apostol Paul speaking in Acts 20:35 said “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work, we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” 

Sometimes as missionaries, we are trained, prepared and ready to provide our resources, talents, gifts, love and anything else in our power to give but seldom are we ready to receive. I was humbled to see the act of this beautiful lady that selflessly and willingly attended to a need that to me seemed as part of a long travel day, but she saw it as an opportunity to serve. It was an opportunity for her to give of what little she had but knew was more than enough to supply a need. 

Do you want to know what was most impressive? The fact that it came natural to her. And I ask myself, is it more natural for most of us to give or is it more natural for us to receive? For most of us in America, we are used to simply opening the faucet and there being hot water readily available. We are used to shorter lines and when they are too long, finding a quicker alternative. We are used to instant gratification. For the most part, it does not come naturally to allow others to go ahead of us when it’s an inconvenience. It does not come naturally to provide a selfless act when it requires a personal sacrifice such as investing an extended period of time.

What is natural is the notion of receiving a return for our investment. The idea that we give to then receive. Many would call it the proper exchange of goods and services. Yes, this is the way the world functions and that is great, but we must never forget that there is a beauty that is only experienced when we give without expecting anything in return. There is a grace that follows the journey of those who seek to help the weak. In selfless giving, there is humility that is manifested to remind us that we are all the same regardless of our status, title and position in life.

Jesus, the son of God, in the book of John chapter 13, prepared a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet. Peter became upset and practically told him that it was beneath him to do such a thing. Jesus reprimanded him and said, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me”. It was Jesus’ ultimate display of His humility and servanthood. 

Through the words of Jesus, I understood that serving and giving of oneself is a way of sharing and partaking in the life of others. There is nothing more fulfilling than joining forces with others. There is nothing more uplifting than rising above a storm with someone holding our hand through it all. There is nothing more empowering than to lay our pride down for the sake of the greater good. 

Sister Lourdes might not understand the significance of her act,but her act of giving will transcend further than what she could ever imagine. We might not always witness the fruit of our giving, but rest assured that somewhere, someone’s life has been touched and transformed and hope in humanity is once again, reborn.