Today at the gym was more hips. No woman at my gym is trying to have bigger hips apparently, because although it was only an eighth of the workout, it was the hardest part for me.
I was sitting on one of the machines today. (I call it the thigh killer because I don't know the correct name - it's where you sit in a chair with a bar across the fronts of your ankles/shins and lift the bar by straightening your legs. Man that thing is torture.) While I was on the thigh killer, my mind was kind of floating around, like it does in the middle of a workout when you are too tired to think about anything specific. I noticed sometimes my eyes even just daze out and I stare into space. When I reach that point I know I'm working hard.
So I am sitting on torture machine, dazed out, waiting to find the strength to do another repetition when something comes into my mind so clearly that it felt really out of place. God told me that I needed to pray. It was so clear. So I started to pray and ask God exactly what He wanted me to pray about. Right away the name Ruth (my pastor) came to me. I prayed about the things that I know she is facing right now. But God stopped me and told me to pray for her health. Suddenly I felt pressure in my chest and up into my throat. Yes, I know this is all very strange. You can think I am crazy. That's okay. But when God tells you to pray, I pray. So I prayed for Pastora Ruth and her health, specifically her heart and lungs, since that is where I was hurting.
A few months ago I was sitting in my bed when I saw a clear image of Isabela falling and hitting her head. The next day Isa fell out the doorway down to the ground below, which is about 5 feet. She hit her head. Ana found Isa with her eyes rolled back in her head and the breath knocked out of her. I called Ana right after it happened, as Isa was catching her breath, which is odd because I only call Ana every few weeks.
Later when I told the story to Ruth, she said I should always tell the person if God gives me a vision like that. I said, "But I didn't want Ana to be scared about Isa's head and I didn't know that something was really going to happen." Pastora Ruth said, "It is better for Ana to have that information." I agreed and made a promise to myself that from now on if anything like that ever happened, I would tell the person.
So today I told Pastora Ruth about God telling me clearly to pray for her. I also told her about the pressure I felt in my chest and my throat. I told her to please take baby aspirin if she feels that pressure, but she said she already does. So that is good. She asked me to continue to pray for her as God leads me, which of course I will. It was such a clear calling in a moment when nothing in my mind was clear, I have to believe it was God telling me something. As Pastora Ruth pointed out, our God is more powerful than the enemy, so by obedience and prayer we can cancel out something bad.
Pastora Ruth also told me that she really liked my words and the way I directed the service last week! That felt great! I believed it was really good. But as humans, it is always nice to be told when you do something well. She even pointed out specific things she really liked.
I am so blessed to be where I am right now. I never imagined myself directing a service - never mind doing it really well! I feel like I am finally walking in the power and authority that God blessed me with. I love that my pastor is encouraging my spiritual growth in so many ways. I love the classes, the kind words, and the challenges. It feels great to be supported and challenged at the same time. Isn't that how every healthy relationship should be?
Here is my last thought of the day: Today as I was on the treadmill, running off the baleadas I made for dinner last night, I looked across the street. Two men were digging through a dumpster. One man was collecting plastic bottles, the other appeared to be searching for food. It struck me. I am running on this treadmill, trying to burn off calories, and these men don't have enough to eat. The man who was collecting plastic had clothes that were practically rotting off.
I love Honduras. I love so many things about this place. I love my life here. But the poverty I see is so intense. I have more than enough to eat. I am trying to burn extra calories. Yet these men are inside of a nasty, stinky dumpster - a place where no human being should ever have to go - trying to find their next meal. Life should not be this way.
Praise God for all he provides for me through you, my supporters. Thank you for supporting me in prayer and financially. I have recently lost a few financial supporters due to their job situations. Praise God for allowing me to maintain peace in my heart and for reminding me always that I am here, in Honduras, with a purpose. I pray that I fulfill that purpose every day. Amen.
