The King is Enthralled by Your Beauty

“The King is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.”  Psalm 45:11

 

These past two weeks have been full of events, and I couldn’t pick just one thing to talk about so I am going to touch on a few things that have impacted me most.  The craziest thing to me is that our last day of ministry is on Tuesday, April 15^th.  Our time here has been amazing and I have learned a lot from the Swazis.  They don’t need more Americans coming here to give them the “answers”, they need Christ followers to live among them and serve alongside them.  We don’t have the answer; we are the answer.  If we are believers, we are God’s chosen people, created in HIS image!  We don’t have to search for God’s will for our lives; we are God’s will.  I have learned what it means to truly follow God, live in Kingdom perspective, love God’s people, and serve them, laying all selfishness aside.  This is something that is stirring in my heart and I can’t wait to share more when I get back home.

 

In the previous weeks I have written about a patient named Elvina who was recently sent home from the hospital because she was healed.  On Tuesday, Elvina’s granddaughter was there visiting another one of my patients named Beauty.  I asked her how she knew Beauty and she said she met her there at the hospital.  She couldn’t get them out of her mind so she had to come visit.  That really blessed me to hear that!  She said Elvina is doing great and recovering well!  Praise the Lord!

 

On Tuesday Thandi, (Beauty’s daughter) told me her mother is getting worse every day.  She said her meningitis is better, but now her heart is swelling.  They wanted to transfer her to the Mbabane hospital to do a cat-scan, but they are full and will not take any more patients.  They only do cat-scans in the Mbabane hospital.  She hasn’t been eating for about a week so they finally hooked her up to an IV.  All she does is lay there and she also refuses to take any of her medication.  I’m afraid she’s giving up and Thandi is very discouraged.  Please pray for this family and healing for Beauty!

 

 As some of you already know my 18-year-old friend, Precious, passed away on April 3^rd.  I walked in the women’s ward on April 1^st to find her mother (Lydia) crying in the breezeway.  Allie and I gathered around her to pray over her but we had no idea what had happened at that point.  After we prayed and she gained composure, she told us that Precious was still alive but suffering really badly.  Lydia needed to go outside for some fresh air, so we (Allie, Tricia, Cynthia, and I) went to Precious’ bed.  The curtains were all around her bed because the nurses were cleaning up her bedsores.  She had huge sores all over her body because the nurses never changed her linens, and the sores had never been bandaged.  It was awful to see but even worse to hear.  She was screaming at the top of her lungs the entire time they were touching her because she was in so much pain.  While this was taking place we were standing on the other side of the curtain, praying continuously.  Once the nurses finished I talked to one of them.  She told me most people with meningitis don’t ever heal from it but there is a small chance she will get better.  I also found out that she has syphilis, which are signs of the 3^rd and 4^th stages of HIV.  The conversation with the nurse was not helpful at all, and it made me understand the frustration that families go through because of the nurses’ lack of information and care. 

 

When we came back on Thursday, April 3^rd, Allie and I were walking from the market outside in to the lobby in the front of the hospital.  We had bought fruit to give to Precious and Lydia, and also some other women in the ward.  As soon as we walked in we saw Lydia and her sister about to walk out.  As soon as she saw me she started crying so I just held her in my arms and tried to comfort her.  I was told that Precious passed away on Tuesday evening, not long after we had been there.  It broke my heart but I had an unexplainable strength that was only from the Lord.  The other girls were all crying with her and I was able to stay strong for Lydia.  I just held her in my arms and prayed over her.  I tried to encourage her but also grieve with her at the same time.  She needed money for the kombi ride home so we paid for that and gave her the fruit we bought at the market for her.  We told her to contact us if she needed anything because we wanted to help in any way we could.  She was so grateful and thanked us for praying for her and her family.  She’s one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. 

 

As soon as she left the hospital I lost it.  It was my turn to hurt for her.  I really felt the spirit of the Lord in that lobby.  His presence was running through my body and he allowed me to rest in Him.  I knew other women were expecting me to visit them so I surrendered this to the Lord and he gave me the strength to press on.  On my way to the women’s ward I ran in to another patient that I visit named Lorraine.  She was about to pack up her things and go home!  She had been discharged, paid her bill, and was about to pack and had the biggest smile on her face.  She’s an amazing woman of faith and gave all the credit to the Lord.  It was so encouraging to see.  I helped her fold her blankets and clothes, packed her bags, and prayed over her one last time.  She helped me move past the death of Precious.  I know God is working in the lives of these women!  They bless my life so much.  

 

Lydia ended up contacting us to let us know that the funeral will be this Sunday, April 13^th.  She cannot afford the funeral and asked if there was any way we could help her out.  Her husband is unable to work because he is sick, she has 8 other children at home, and now Lydia has tonsillitis.  Allie, Tricia, and I have been praying about helping her financially and the Lord has provided!  Allie and I called our families on Monday to ask them to pray about contributing to this situation as well.  Our families are also taking part and contributing to this incredible family.  Between all of us we are able to pay for the funeral, and give a little extra to help her provide for her family.  Today Lydia is going to meet us at the hospital so we can give her this gift.  The three of us will be attending the funeral on Sunday at 5am.  Be praying for this family and that the Lord will comfort them.  I’m praying that we can be an encouragement for them in this difficult time.

 

Thanks for reading this long blog.  God is moving so mightily I could go on another 5 pages but I wont.  Thanks for all your prayers.  Here is how you can be praying specifically for us:

 

·        Praise the Lord!  God provided money to cover Precious’ funeral expenses.

·        Pray for comfort for Lydia and her family.  Pray that they will seek the Lord in this time and grow closer to him.

·        Pray for spiritual and physical healing for Beauty and that she wont give up on life.

·        Pray for the beautiful, little girls at the slums.  We talked to them this week about purity and not prostituting anymore.  Pray for our last 2 times at the slums to be fruitful and that God will speak through us to reach at least one child.

·        Pray for my friends Dena and Lorraine.  They were both healed and sent home from the hospital, but now need jobs.

·        Pray that God will continue to blow me away with His mighty work our last week here, and that He will continue showing me more of HHis character.

 

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thess. 5:16-18

 

“The King is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.”  Psalm 45:11