Our Story, Part Thirty-Six (Misunderstood)

"For God has not given us the spirit of fear; 
but of power, and of love, 
and of a sound mind"

(II Timothy 1:7)

In the weeks following Kaylee's healing, it was as though a fire had been lit inside of me.  I wanted to tell everyone what God had done for us! I wanted people to know the amazing love we had experienced on my birthday, and more than anything else, I wanted to offer hope to the sick and oppressed.

I kept thinking back to how I had felt in the beginning, following Kaylee's initial diagnosis. There had been such a flood of emotions in that hospital room, along with that lingering question as to whether I should pray for her healing or accept this disease as part of God's plan (something He would use for good). I am so grateful today that God led me to make the right decision to fight for Kaylee's health.     

Yet somehow, although we had won this battle, I knew this wasn't the end of the story. God had given me too much information to keep it all to myself.  I couldn't stop thinking about all the mothers out there who were receiving the same devastating news for their children that I had once received for Kaylee. There were still so many whose lives were being shut down, just as Kaylee's had been, because of chronic, debilitating disease.  

After my 9-year struggle over Kaylee's life, I fully understood the enemy's tactic against the sick.  If he can convince us to accept disease as God's plan for our lives, we will not fight it effectively through prayer.  Every emotion I had experienced in that 9 -year period was still so vivid and real to me, and I truly felt a calling on my life to share our testimony and to encourage people to fight for their health and the health of their children.  

There are far too many people allowing disease to shut them down when Jesus paid an enormous price to set them free. Although I do not understand why we have to fight so hard, and although I certainly do not have all the answers, my message is that we have to fight til the very end and stop believing the lies of the enemy!  Disease is NOT God's perfect will and plan for our lives. Disease is darkness. 

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of the darkness and into his wonderful light." (I Peter 2:9)  

God had sent so many people to that hospital room, and raised up so many people to pray for Kaylee throughout the years, beginning with the precious man who had anointed and prayed for her healing (long before I believed for it).  I knew that each and every prayer God had sent our way had played a part in bringing about her healing. The gratitude that I had toward God left me with a burning desire to help point others to the truth. 

Yet it wasn't long after our healing that I began to feel the resistance the pastor had warned us about. Although I wasn't yet aware of the secret talk against me that had begun in the church, I remember waking up around 3 am or so one morning in what felt like "a cloud of condemnation." It felt as if I had committed some terrible, unforgivable sin, and was overridden with guilt.  Very similar to the attack that had come against me the night before God had given me our sermon on healing, every weakness, imperfection, shortcoming and sin of my past was being brought to my mind.

Along with the condemnation came the fear: an overwhelming, all-consuming fear of life. Although God was continuing to miraculously provide for my family, everything from day to day was still uncertain and unstable. I had no credit or savings of any kind.  There was nothing to fall back on in an emergency.  I had been driving the same van for more than 10 years, and I had no idea what I would do if it were to stop running. The truth was, the reality of my future appeared bleak. I was basically alone raising six children, and although my husband was being faithful to send money, there was no assurance that this would continue.  All of these things would come to my mind as well, along with the familiar, fearful emotions I had experienced through each one of our job losses. I tried to fight off these feelings with prayer, but nothing seemed to work.  By morning, as the sun would come up, I was able to think more clearly. Yet as this continued to come on me, night after night, it began to takes its toll on me physically. 

Not only that, my children began to struggle as well.  Strange things were happening in the night with them, such as horrifying nightmares. Kaylee
also began to struggle with bouts of intense physical pain that would come on her suddenly in the night.  

One night she came to tell me that there was a sharp pain shooting through one of her arms.  I went and got in the bed with her and began to pray aloud.  I began to bind the enemy and remind him that he had no rights to her body any longer. As I prayed, the pain began to ease and eventually went away altogether.  Even so, this would mean another night without sleep for me.

I began to dread the night.  I tried staying up as late as I could, hoping that this would enable me to sleep straight through the night until daylight. But nothing I tried was working.  Inevitably, I would awake to the darkness and that dreaded, all-consuming condemnation and fear.  Hour after hour, I would lie there, trying desperately to fight these feelings and to get back to sleep.  I knew that if I didn't get my sleep, I would not be able to function the next day; so along with the condemnation and fear came intense anxiety over not being able to sleep. It was a terrible combination of emotions, and before long, I couldn't fall asleep at all.  I felt anxious from the moment I laid down to try and sleep. I found myself, for the first time in my life, with a full blown case of insomnia.   


I didn't know where to turn for help because I didn't think that many people would understand.  I couldn't fully understand it myself. I did not want to appear to anyone to be unstable or unable to control my own emotions. I truly believed that I was dealing with something spiritual, but I figured that most people would think that I needed to be on medication.  Also, I was embarrassed and ashamed that I couldn't overcome it on my own.  I felt weak. For this reason, I told very few people about what I was experiencing. 


This went on for several months and began to consume my life.  It wasn't until my mother drug me into her pastor's office (much to my dismay) that I was finally "cured." Thankfully, this kind Baptist minister (Tom Grantham) took my situation seriously.  After my mother explained to him what I was going through in the night, he looked at me with great compassion and deep concern and said, "You have nothing to be afraid of."  In that moment, I honestly felt like arguing with him and saying: You don't understand! But even as this thought crossed my mind, I realized that something was very wrong. I knew that what I was thinking was not the truth. Why was I suddenly believing the lies of the enemy?  

This pastor anointed me with oil and prayed that the fear would leave me.  He prayed that peace and comfort would come over me and my family that day. From that point on, the all-consuming fear left me, and eventually, the insomnia.  I have never struggled with this again in the night. I am truly thankful for this humble pastor that God sent to my rescue (and for my mother's boldness that day).  

Looking back to this time, I think one of the mistakes I made was to stop fasting once Kaylee had received her healing. I don't think that I fully understood the spiritual strength I was gaining through my fasting.  Because I had never dealt with the many emotions and fear associated with the numerous job losses and things that had occurred in my marriage, I had been left with a vulnerable area for the enemy to target. Although I still struggle at times with completely trusting God in the area of provision, He has been faithful to continue to bring healing to me.  

Before this kind pastor came to my rescue, I had attempted to receive help from the church where Kaylee's healing had taken place.  Because the main pastor had warned me (through the sermon following Kaylee's healing) that Satan was going to bring up the issues of my past (my rear-view mirror) and that "every demon in hell" was about to rise up, it seemed to make sense that this church would be able to help me.  

Although the local pastor (whom I will refer to from this point forward as Pastor Stan) and I had spoken briefly and things seemed better between us, we had not spoken about Kayee's healing specifically since that day. Because of this, I didn't feel comfortable talking to him about what I was now going through.  I believed that what I was experiencing was a direct result (backlash) due to the miracle we had just received for Kaylee. Naturally, I did not feel that I could convey any of this to Pastor Stan.      

Because the main pastor was impossible to reach, I felt that I might be able to benefit from a confidential, counseling session with someone connected to the church. I knew that I would be sharing deep wounds and personal struggles of my past, so I was hoping I could be referred to someone experienced in this area.  

I decided to call the church office in Birmingham to see if there was someone I could talk with. As I was explaining a little about my situation to the church secretary, it came up that I lived in Auburn.   Because of this, the secretary immediately referred me back to Pastor Stan. Naturally, I did not want to discuss my personal feelings toward him or what specifically had gone on between us with this secretary, so I had to quickly come up with a reason as to why I hadn't gone to him first. I said the first thing that came to my mind:

"He is just so busy with the college students and all the things going on at the church right now," I said. "I just didn't want to take his time with something like this. I was hoping that there might be someone there who handled more of the counseling."  

I was actually quite pleased with my answer, and felt I had handled it in the most discrete way possible.  The secretary seemed satisfied and told me that she would try to find someone who could help me. Within a few minutes of us hanging up the phone, however, I received a phone call from Pastor Stan. 

"I hear that you have some things you're needing to talk with someone about," he said.  

Needless to say, I was a little taken aback to hear his voice. But what really caught me off guard was what came next:  "I just hate that you told the secretary that I did not have time for you."  

"No, that's not what I said," I tried to explain. "I just know that you have a lot going on at the church, and I didn't want to bother you with all of this if I didn't have to." 

He continued on talking as if it hadn't been brought up at all, so I tried to not to worry about it any further. Although I had definitely sensed his frustration with me in the beginning of the conversation, I felt better about things by the time we hung up the phone. He seemed genuinely concerned for us and agreed to call another pastor who could better help counsel me.  

A couple of days later, I was able to speak with a pastor.  From the very beginning of this phone conversation, I sensed that something wasn't right. As I began talking, there was very little response on the other end of the line which begin to make me uncomfortable.  What little response I was getting was not warm or welcoming. I wish I had just stopped at that point and gone with what I was feeling, but I was so desperate for help. 

In order to help this pastor understand why I felt this spiritual attack had come on me, I had to first mention the miracle we had just received and the spiritual battle we had fought (through our fasting and prayers). I also mentioned the prayer service for Kaylee that had taken place at the church. Yet, as I began to talk about these things, there was almost complete silence on the other end. I began to get even more nervous and uncomfortable. I could feel my voice starting to tremble, as that familiar feeling of inferiority and unworthiness began to come over me.  Because I knew that he had already spoken with Pastor Stan prior to talking to me, not knowing what else to do, I finally addressed the obvious:

"I am not sure how Pastor Stan felt about the prayer service we had for my daughter." 

With this, Pastor Mike (name changed) quickly cut me off. "Laura," he said sternly, almost as though this was what he had been waiting for all along, "We have a policy at this church that if you have a problem with one of the pastors, you need to take it to that pastor." 

"Oh no, that's not why I called!" I tried to explain. "I just felt that I needed to address it... in case... I mean, I didn't know if something had already been said..." I tried to continue.  "I wasn't sure how he felt about it.  I was afraid he might still be upset with me... and I..."

"Laura ....Laura .... Laura," he continued to speak over me as I tried to explain further, "Do not say another word about this to me!" 

I felt like a child being scolded.  It didn't matter what I tried to say in my defense, he wasn't hearing or believing a word I said.  It seemed that the motive for my phone call had already been predetermined by these pastors. Before we hung up the phone, the pastor offered to say a prayer for me.  ...I didn't hear a word of that prayer.  

I was completely devastated after we hung up the phone.  Not only was I going to have to face another night without sleep, I could see clearly the deception that Satan was creating. My attempt to cover up my problems with Pastor Stan was now being perceived as me trying to stir up trouble behind his back.  If my motive had been to make him look bad, I would have just come out and told them what he had said to me the day of Kaylee's healing.  I would have told them that he had completely contradicted what the main pastor had preached the day before. Surely the pastors were suppose to be "on the same page" concerning the message being preached. But the truth was, that had not been the reason for my phone call at all. All of this had put me in a very awkward position. Yet even so, I had been trusting God to take care of it. Things were being completely misconstrued.  

At this point, I realized there was nothing left to do but to confront Pastor Stan directly.  After all, I had not been completely honest with him either about why I didn't want to talk with him. It seemed that the only way to clear up the confusion and deception, being created by the enemy, was to confront it with the complete truth about how I felt. 

I did two things after I got off the phone that day. The first thing I did (with Erica's help) was write down the details of our testimony to send to the pastors of the church. The main pastor of this church had been used in such an incredible way in our lives, and I still desperately wanted him to know how God had used him and this church to bring about our healing. We sat down and wrote out a timeline of everything that had occurred (I made no mention of my problems with Pastor Stan). 

The second thing I did was send Pastor Stan an email requesting a meeting so that we could resolve the situation once and for all.  If Satan was fighting so hard against me, which clearly appeared to be the case, I decided that he must have something great to fear concerning this healing. The main pastor had told us: Do not let it distract you...

Our Story, Part Thirty-Five (Backfire)

"There are things that you will only be able to learn from the weakest among us, and when you snuff them out, you are the one that loses.  You are the one who will suffer forever."

Gianna Jessen

(abortion survivor)

As I continue to share our story, I realize that it may be obvious to some of you what church I am referring to in my blogs.  Because everything is about to take a turn, I want to make it clear that I am not sharing our story to point out any specific church or person involved, but rather to bring awareness to the devastating consequences of the "auto-immune" condition (disease) within the "Body of Christ."  We are called to build up, love and support each and every member within the Body.  We are told to give honor and respect, even to the very least among us. In fact, God tells us: "And the parts we think are less honorable we treat with special honor." (I Corinthians 12:23)  When we choose to disregard and dishonor the weaker members, we are the ones who will suffer the consequences.

There is a tendency within the church to only give honor and respect to those who we value and esteem and to discount the ones who we do not. I would never have understood just how detrimental and destructive it could be had God not allowed me to become one of these weak, disregarded members. For this reason, I am choosing to share our story in its entirety.  I did not get to write the ending of our story, and I would have never written it the way that it went.  My family has a beautiful testimony that has been shut down for more than 5 years and tainted because of the "auto-immune" condition in the church. 

I believe that many of my problems first began because the local pastor was not happy that the prayer service for Kaylee had taken place in the church. Although he had given permission for the church to be used on that night, and although the elders had been a part of our prayer service, he would later let it be known that it should not have taken place in the church.  It's hard to believe that my daughter's miraculous healing has been overshadowed by controversy.  I believe that it was this point of contention that began to cause the dissension among us.   

It didn't happen overnight, but through a series of misunderstandings, false perceptions, the "pointing finger" and much "secret talk", it was eventually concluded that I had manipulated the prayer team to have this prayer service for Kaylee.  Somewhere along the way, these women seemed to have forgotten that we all prayed together and specifically asked God what He wanted us to do. It had been during our time of prayer that one of the woman stood up and said, "I know what God wants us to do..."  

I will always know that I got down on my knees in front of the cross that day and gave the day to God. I know that God planned and ordained this night long before I ever stepped foot in that church. Our miracle was designed and orchestrated by the hand of God and He is deserving of all the glory. I am not going to allow the lies and schemes of the enemy to take my testimony from me. 

Sometimes I think back and wonder how it ever got to this point. After all, if you really think about it, who would condemn a mother with a sick child for "manipulating" to use the altar for prayer (even if this was true)? When things do not make sense, you can be sure it's the enemy at work.

Admittedly, some of our side of this story is based on perception and hearsay.  This is because nobody ever came to me to tell me what I was being accused of in secret.  I had to figure most of this out for myself.  In the last couple of years, I have sent numerous emails, and even a certified letter, pleading with the pastors for a meeting with everyone involved so that this can be resolved and reconciled. These emails and letters have been ignored (disregarded). One thing I have learned throughout this ordeal is that when people do not value you, they do not see a purpose for reconciliation.   

As we know, Satan is an expert and mastermind at causing confusion and deception among God's people.  A seed was planted, watered a little at a time, and before we knew it, had grown out of control. Eventually, it was determined by many within this church that I was a "foreign invader" (bacteria, virus, antigen) who did not belong in the church ("Body").    

From this point forward, I will be changing many of the names in my blog for the protection of those involved. The names I have mentioned previously are among the few who did not turn against me. I choose to walk in forgiveness toward those who have accused me, but I also choose to stand firm in the truth. I am fully aware who the real enemy of the church is:

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."  (Ephesians 6:12)   

Many things were happening simultaneously, but for the most part, I was completely oblivious to what was "brewing" behind the scenes. When Erica and I look back, we can see things a bit more clearly.  There were a couple of "red flags" early on.

Erica was befriended by an older woman who was a member of the prayer team and who had also been a part of Kaylee's prayer service.  I will refer to her as Sally. Following our prayer service, Erica was eager to learn more about the gifts of the Holy Spirit and she expressed this desire to Sally. The two of them began talking, and Sally began to refer to herself as Erica's "spiritual mother."  Erica shared many things with Sally about what she and I had been through together (the things I have mentioned in this blog).

At some point, Erica asked Sally if she would meet with me so that she could hear my testimony for herself. To Erica's surprise, Sally declined. She then explained to her that because she was a widow, living alone without her spiritual protection, she was vulnerable. She later further explained (in a letter) that "the Holy Spirit had checked her" from taking this additional step with me. Shortly after this, she gave Erica a copy of the book "Boundaries" and told her that the the two of us needed to "honor the fence" that stands between us. Needless to say, Erica found all of this to be very odd. 

Sally would later say something else that Erica found to be very disturbing.  She told Erica that the pastors of the church had been warned that the devil was going to send a woman to the church in Auburn who would try and cause division. Erica was confused as to why she would be sharing this information with her. Also, she couldn't help but wonder where Sally was getting this information from. Erica began to suspect that this woman, whom Sally was referring to, was me, but she couldn't say for certain at the time.  Erica decided to distance herself from Sally.

Erica did not tell me about any of this for some time, so I continued to be oblivious to it all. We now believe that the secret talk against me had already begun and that Sally was subtly attempting to pass it on to Erica (planting a seed).  This would become more obvious and blatant later.  

In the meantime, we were still celebrating our miracle and assuming that everyone was rejoicing with us.  Kaylee continued to improve daily, and at some point, I decided that I needed to let the pastors in Birmingham know about our miracle. The main pastor was impossible to reach, but I made a phone call to the main office and told the secretary that I wanted to share some exciting news. She put me in touch with one of the associate pastors (I do not recall his name).  I told this pastor that my daughter had been healed, following the sermon that was preached on healing, and I also told him that I had a great story to share concerning it all. 

Admittedly, this pastor's response was a bit of a letdown for me.  Although he was nice and seemed happy for us, it just felt strange.  His response was as if I was telling him some great news like: my husband had just gotten a new job or our house had sold after being on the market for a long time. It just didn't seem that he was grasping the real miracle that had just taken place. I suppose that because I had prayed for this for nine long years, I expected him to be more excited. I expected that he would want to hear all about it. After all, these are not the kind of miracles that happen every day. 

The following Sunday, the pastor began the service by saying, "I am hearing that there are great things happening at the church in Auburn!"  He then went on to talk about the number of college students that had been in attendance at one of the recent events at the church. Although I hadn't expected our healing to be acknowledged, this still felt like a knife in my heart. So much of the focus at this church seemed to be on numbers and growth, and it was at this point that I began to understand that our miracle would most likely never be told to the church.   

Looking back now, this all seems very trivial. If our story had ended with our miracle simply not being acknowledged, I would be fine.  But from this point forward, things began to spiral out of control. I find it to be very interesting that God brought our miracle about through the power of unity and that Satan was able to quickly shut it down through division.  I truly believe that there is a greater message to be found in the entirety of our testimony.


"...But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other."

(I Corinthians 12:24&25)

Our Story, Part Thirty-Four (The Calling)

"You, my brothers and sisters, 

were called to be free.  

But do not use your freedom 

to indulge the flesh; rather, 

 serve one another humbly in love."

(Galatians 5:13)

The life-changing sermon on healing that I received on August 17th, the day before my birthday and the day of our healing, had been the third part of a four part series entitled, Encounters. The fourth and final sermon in this series was preached the following Sunday, August 24th.  This sermon, which was entitled Encounters on Purpose, was about to tie everything together perfectly for me.  

The service began on a disappointing note.  At the closing of the previous sermon on healing, a brief testimony had been shared with us about the writer of the song, "Healer." ( or "You're My Healer") The pastor started off by informing us that the testimony we had heard, in which the writer of the song claimed to have been healed of cancer, turned out not to be the truth.  In fact, the writer had never had cancer at all. It would turn out that he had deceived and misled a large group of people. This was hard to hear, as so many of us had been emotionally moved to tears by this man's story the week before (I did not mention this part in my blog earlier for this reason).  

This was particularly hard for me to hear because this song, and this man's story, had been such an inspiration to me going into our healing service for Kaylee.  It would turn out that this would be just the beginning of a series of "dark shadows" that Satan would attempt to cast over our miraculous day. Although this testimony had nothing to do with our miracle, this deception made us all a bit less trusting than we had been the week before.  A seed of skepticism and doubt had now been planted in everyone's mind.  We were reminded that there are people out there who will manipulate for their own gain and that we cannot simply take people at their word.  

I later watched a clip about this man's story.  My heart went out to him as he seemed very broken, ashamed and remorseful for how he had deceived so many people.  The truth was, God had healed him from addictions and issues of his past, but somewhere along the way, Satan had tempted him to create a better story. This lie had grown out of control and spread quickly, and because it had been made so public, it was now being used to discredit both the church and the subject of healing. This was a perfect example of what the pastor had been talking to us about in the sermon the week before. 

Although this was very disappointing in many ways, we have to keep in mind that if we allow one man's sin to cause us to question everyone or to doubt the healing power of God altogether, we are giving Satan exactly what he wanted from this. There are far too many wonderful testimonies out there about healing that are true. 

Once we were past this difficult part of the morning, the pastor went on to preach a powerful sermon.  He began by talking to us about those moments in our lives that forever "mark" and "define" us.  I had just experienced a "defining moment" in my life a few days earlier, and I knew that I would never be the same.  I listened closely and took in every word of this sermon. 

"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the spirit."  (II Corinthians 3:18)

The pastor explained to us that these life-changing moments and personal encounters with God are not only for our enjoyment.  These experiences are also given to us so that we can pass on this hope to a lost and hurting world.  "The moments are to be reflections of light and life to a world  ...who's about to check out, they're dying, they're hopeless, they're sick, they're tired, they can't handle it anymore..." he went on.

As he spoke these words, I felt something stirring inside of me.  Those dark, seemingly hopeless moments in my life had left me with a new understanding, as well as a deep compassion for the sick, the weak, and the poor (the oppressed).  I knew, all too well, what it felt like to be tired and hopeless.  Yet I also knew, because of the miraculous "encounter" I had just experienced, what it felt like to be honored, valued, highly esteemed and loved by God.  

"Our hope," the pastor explained, "was that everyone of us would get marked, have a moment with God, lives changed, so that we could be this reflection to a world that's tired, given up, hurting..."   

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  (Mathew 5:16)

Once again, I was receiving every word out of this pastor's mouth as though it was being spoken directly to me from God. I had once felt that God had a calling on my life, and I felt that tug on my heart once again.  I felt this vision being renewed inside of me. I wanted to be a reflection of hope to others and to pass on the incredible love I had just experienced. In fact, I felt that I owed this to God after all that He had done for me. 

He went on to tell us that every "encounter story" mentioned in the Bible had one consistent theme: an assignment. 

"God never encounters someone and then leaves them at the point of the encounter. In every one of them, at the end of the encounter, God says, 'Okay, now here's your assignment.'  Every encounter has a follow-up purpose, a plan, a destiny, a mission, something I (God) need you to do."  

The pastor then looked at us and confirmed what I already knew in my heart: "Let me say with every bit of conviction I have, God has a call on your life!" he said ..."You are here with a very special and unique assignment. It will make your life make sense."    

I began to think back to the dream God had given me years earlier in which He was leading me through the dark cave toward the light.  God had taught me so many things since that dream, and although it had been much darker than I could have ever anticipated, God had brought me through it. He never let go of my hand, even in those moments when I seriously questioned and doubted Him. He had taught me how to trust Him in the darkness, how to persevere, how to pray, and how to battle the wicked schemes and lies of the enemy. 

Suddenly it all began to make sense.  I began to understand that God had allowed my suffering - my time in "the pit"- to prepare me for a greater calling that He had on my life.  I felt that God wanted me to help bring hope and healing to the sick, broken, wounded, disregarded, invaluable members (or potential members) of the "Body of Christ." 

"God wants to reveal Himself to you," the pastor went on, "All you have to do is pursue it... God can be found, but He is found to those who actively pursue Him."

After this, he warned us about the tactics that Satan would use in order to hinder us or distract us from this pursuit of God.  He explained that Satan would try to bring up the sins of our past, the "lies" he has planted in our minds, the "issue of yesterday."  But the pastor also assured us, "God wants to rip that rear-view mirror down.  ...He wants to move you off the stuff that has you stuck."   

He then told us that our calling would require us to "take a step of faith."  He explained how it would seem uncertain at first and that God would only give us enough information to get us started.  He would give us the rest, only as we needed it, in order to keep us close and dependent on Him.  

"God will give you a seemingly impossible vision. He wants to use you in a great way."  he said.

My heart was racing as I felt this calling on my life once again, but then came the dreaded part that I did not want to hear: 

"You can expect resistance," the pastor said. "Every demon in hell is going to try and stop you.  ...You will feel like stopping. You will say, 'What went wrong?'  But the truth is, you just might be doing everything right. As one pastor said, 'If you're not butting heads with the devil from time to time, you just might be walking with him."  he continued on. "Do not let it distract you!"

"I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me." (Acts 20:23)

I quickly dismissed this part of the message from my thoughts.  I convinced myself that this one part was for somebody else. I felt that I had already been through my time of suffering. On this day, I only wanted to focus on all the wonderful things God had done for my family. He had led me to the most incredible church! He had lined these sermons up to guide me along my way. He had healed my children! He was now reminding me that He had a calling on my life!  

I couldn't wait to let the people of this church know what God had done through their prayers! I couldn't wait to tell this pastor about our healing and about how God had used him and his messages in such an incredible way! I couldn't wait to let everyone know how God had lined our healing up with their 21 days of fasting in January and the 21 days of prayer in August! I couldn't wait to tell them the beautiful way that God had started it all by giving one of my students (a disregarded, wounded child) a dream and how He had finished it with the perfect sermon on healing the day before my birthday!  It was still all so unbelievable to me! 

I continued to sit there in amazement as God continued to speak. The pastor even ended the sermon this day with the very same verse that God had been using to give me understanding about Kaylee's healing:

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (II Corinthians 4:16-18)

Although I couldn't understand it at the time, I can now look back and see that this verse was given to me for a greater purpose, not only concerning Kaylee's healing. It was also meant to prepare me for what was ahead. It is still shocking, as I sit here reliving this moment, the drastic turn it was all about to take. Although I can see clearly how God had been warning me for a very long time, there was just no way I could have fully prepared myself for what was coming. 

You see, the people of this church would never hear about Kaylee's healing nor would they ever know the part they played in it.  As quickly as God had pulled it all together, Satan set out to shut down our testimony. Yes, resistance was about to come, but it would come in a way I would never have thought possible.  Most of this resistance would come through this very church and through many of the people who had prayed for Kaylee's healing on our special night. As wonderful as this church was (and still is) it too had symptoms of the auto-immune condition (disease) that God had been revealing to me.  He knew what was coming.  In fact, if you will remember, God had also led me to stand up in front of everyone on the night our healing took place and to talk about the critical message of Isaiah 58.  He had led me to confess my own struggles with this destructive behavior: "... the pointing finger and malicious talk...."  

Satan had lost an enormous battle concerning my family, and the way I see it, he wanted to ensure that nothing like this would ever take place in this church again (or in any church).  He hated and feared the unity and love that had brought him defeat! He had to quickly shut down our testimony, and in order to do this, he had to first discredit me completely. Clearly, I was not going to be quiet about our miracle! 

The pastor had identified the precise point of attack: my "rear-view mirror."  Satan had already come after my family hard, and he knew that he could use the shattered condition of my life against me. After all, he is an expert on causing division in a church. I was about to experience an "auto-immune attack" within this very church like nothing I had ever imagined was possible!

I have often described our miraculous night as being like the story of Cinderella.  For one glorious night, I truly felt like a princess. I was given a birthday party by God!  On this night, the people of this church saw our family through the eyes of God and they truly loved us!  ...But as the fairy tale tends to go, when the clock struck mid-night, we all began to turn back into "pumpkins and mice."







   

Our Story, Part Thirty-Three (The Cleansing)

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.  I will show wonders in heaven above, And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.  And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved."

(Acts 2:17-21) 

The night of August 18th, 2008 was truly the most incredible experience and birthday of my life.  It far exceeded any expectation I might have had for this night to be.  It was hard to leave the church, and our small taste of heaven on earth, this night and to return to real life. Several of us hung around in the church parking lot afterwards talking about what had just happened.  

One of the most beautiful things about this night was that so many various gifts were being displayed.  I truly believe that something very miraculous took place in order for this to occur. I think that often times people are afraid to share their unique and invaluable gifts for fear of how it will be received.  Some of the most incredible gifts are quenched early on by rejection. Yet, on this glorious night, there seemed to be complete freedom.  Even after we moved out into the parking lot, miraculous things were continuing to take place to prepare me for what was ahead. 

I remember looking down, as we were leaving the church, and noticing that Kaylee's ankle had not changed in appearance.  While I might have felt a slight disappointment in that brief moment, shortly after this, Erica received an anonymous text message that read:  Look up into the sky. It's a blood moon.  Kaylee will be cleansed all throughout the night.  

Some of my memories of this night are completely clear, while other memories are a bit more hazy. I heard about something this night that has forever changed the way I view my prayer life, yet the specifics of how I came to know about it are not clear. I was told that someone saw, through a vision, that two angels were trying to get to Kaylee but that they were being blocked by what appeared to be a "wall of demons."  As the night went on, and as we continued in united prayer, this "wall" began to break down and the angels were eventually able to make their way over to Kaylee. I was also told (and I cannot recall if this was the same vision or not) that two angels were pouring blood into Kaylee.  

Another vision, one that Kaylee later told me about, was by one of the female college students who prayed for her on this night.  As she was praying, she glanced up and told Kaylee, "There are two angels standing behind you." These separate visions, recounted by at least two separate individuals, seemed to coincide with one another.  While I normally would have been skeptical about things such as this, on this night, which felt as though the heavens had been opened up to us, I received every word.   

I believe that the "wall of demons" in this first vision gives us a perfect picture of the warfare taking place while we are praying.  My own interpretation of this vision has helped me to understand that there are strongholds that often keep our "answers" from being able to reach us (just as with Daniel). These "strongholds" can be a number of factors, from unrepentant sin in our lives, to a lack of faith, to spiritual things far beyond our understanding.  I believe that visions are given to certain people to give us insight and understanding. This is yet another reason why we need to operate in the power and strength of a fully functioning "Body of Christ." 

When I think about this vision, it reminds me of the story in the Bible about the boy who was possessed by a demonic spirit. The disciples had been unable to drive this particular demon out and had questioned Jesus as to why. Jesus, who referred to them as a "faithless generation",  responded: "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."  (Mark 9)  For whatever reason, Kaylee's healing had required us to fast.  Apparently, it also required an "army of Believers" to come together in united prayer as well in order for it to be completed.  It would appear that there were numerous strongholds, and quite a spiritual battle, surrounding her life.  

I think it is so important that we always keep in mind that our understanding is very limited.  God has provided us with our instructions in His word, and it is up to us to apply these instructions whether we understand the reasoning or not.  Because of this vision, and because of all the things that God revealed to me throughout this time, I no longer assume that unanswered prayer is a "no" from God. I now ask Him to show me specifically how to pray over a given situation.  I ask Him to show me if I need to do more or to reveal any hidden sin that might be hindering the effectiveness of my prayers. I also continue to pray with persistence until I receive an answer.  Sometimes that answer is a clear "no".  Only in this instance do I stop asking. 

After we left the church, the children and I went to Sonic to get dinner.  It felt very strange to have gone from such a "high" to eating at Sonic. We talked about everything and recounted our own individual experiences before returning home to wait. I don't think any of us were doubting that Kaylee's healing had occurred, even though we could not yet "see" it.  We understood that it was just a matter of waiting to see it fully manifest. 

I don't remember many of the details about this night after we returned home.  Strangely, my only memory is of Barret jumping rope in the living room.  It wasn't until after we went to bed that night that things began to happen. Although Kaylee hates for me to talk about this, I feel that these details are too significant to leave out.  Shortly after she fell asleep, a strange odor began to fill the air around her. It almost seemed as if the disease itself was being pushed out of her body (or cleansed).  It was Brooke who would later tell me about this because she had been sleeping in the room with her.  This odor was so strong, in fact, that Brooke couldn't stay in the room. She decided to get up and go sleep on the couch. (I could still smell it slightly the next morning.) 


It wasn't long after this that Brooke suddenly began having what she later described as sharp pains shooting all throughout her body.  Naturally, because we had not been expecting anything to happen with her, this was very frightening to her. She started to come wake me up and let me know what was happening, but before this, she pulled her phone out and started looking through her text messages. She noticed there was a text message from earlier in the day that she had not yet looked at.  To her surprise, the message read: God wants you to know that everything you are going through has already been taken care of.  

(I still find it very funny that God was using text messages to speak to us on this night.)


This particular text message had been sent out from one of her co-workers as a "mass text" earlier in the day, but she just happened to see it in that very moment when she needed it. This message began to calm her fears, as the strange pain continued on throughout the night. Although it was hard to fall back to sleep, she managed to make it through the night before telling me what had happened.  

Both of these occurrences, along with the text message Erica had received earlier, led me to believe that both Brooke and Kaylee were being cleansed throughout the night.  This was significant because, as I had learned years earlier from Dr. Robbins (and also through The Maker's Diet book), when a "cleansing" is taking place, the symptoms will often get worse right before they get better.  

Kaylee did not feel well on the morning of August 19th.  Although I had hoped this would not be the case, many of her symptoms got worse yet again. This time, however, I did not allow it to rattle me. I told her to pull out her prayer and to continue to say it aloud until every symptom was gone. Interestingly, the symptoms that were noticeable, such as the swollen ankle, got significantly worse right before they disappeared completely.  Shortly after the swelling in her ankle was gone, I noticed that her right knee began to swell significantly.  The very next day after I noticed this, it returned to normal as well.  This continued to go on for the next several weeks, and I assumed that this was also taking place with the symptoms that we could not see (inside of her body). Once these visible symptoms were gone, they have never returned. 

As I have said before, there are many things about this healing that I do not completely understand. Another thing that happened, following this night, was that Barret came to me complaining that he had pain shooting up and down his legs.  He described this pain as feeling like someone was taking a rope or string, tying it around his leg, and pulling it as tight as it would go.  I remember wondering, at the time, if he too was experiencing some type of cleansing or healing, although he had not yet been diagnosed with anything.  It was such a miraculous time that anything seemed possible. Yet, here we are today battling Type One Diabetes with him.  I don't really know what to make of this, and then again, this pain could merely have resulted from all the jump roping he had been done the night before. Some things still remain a mystery. 

Two days after Kaylee's healing service, I returned to the Wednesday morning prayer service. Although she was still struggling with her symptoms, there were no doubts in my mind about her healing. It was important to me that I go back to the place it had happened to thank God for what He had done.  

As I was walking up to the church that morning, I noticed the local pastor standing in front of a window reading his Bible.  This was the first time I remember thinking about him since my birthday. As I approached the building, he looked up and we made eye contact for just a moment.  It was only then, as he quickly looked back down, that I suspected he was not happy with me. I had assumed that he had a change in heart since we had been allowed to have the prayer service and also because I was told that one of his relatives (who was an elder) had anointed and prayed for Kaylee and had also locked the church behind us that night. I wondered what exactly had transpired after I left the church that day.  

I was not upset with this pastor at all. I completely understood the spiritual battle that had been surrounding Kaylee's healing. I assumed that Satan had come after this pastor hard, just as he had come after me the night before our sermon on healing. Regardless of how this prayer service had come about, I was just so relieved that God had been able to intervene.  I believe, with all of my heart, that it was our prayers and fasting (in those seven months leading up to this day) that had paved the way and God was not going to allow anything to stand in the way of this healing.  I desperately hoped, if this pastor was indeed upset with me, God would be able to reconcile this as well. This was what I prayed.

After I prayed about the situation with the pastor, I praised God for all that He had done.  It was overwhelming to be back in that building, picturing it all again, and remembering how God had miraculously pulled the entire night together. 

As I was sitting there praying, one of the men who had played such an instrumental role in Kaylee's healing sat down next to me and began to pray for me.  It was the man that I had first met, standing with Kevin, the day of our sermon on healing (August 17th).  I found out later that his name was Bob. He had also been the main one who had prayed the powerful prayers for my husband.  As Bob began to pray for me, my anxieties over the pastor being upset with me began to fade away. Through his prayer, he declared before God that this church would be a spiritual covering and protection for my family from that day forward.  Once again, I was amazed by God.  There was no way that he could have known that this had been something I had privately prayed for and longed for.  
  


 

Our Story, Part Thirty-Two (Our Healing!)

"'Now therefore,' says the LORD,

'Turn to Me with all your heart,

With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.'

So rend your heart, and not your garments;

Return to the LORD your God,

For He is gracious and merciful,

Slow to anger, and of great kindness;

And He relents from doing harm.

Who knows if He will turn and relent,

And leave a blessing behind Him -

A grain offering and a drink offering

For the LORD your God?

Blow the trumpet in Zion,

Consecrate a fast,

Call a sacred assembly,

Gather the people,

Sanctify the congregation,

Assemble the elders,

Gather the children and nursing babes;

Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,

And the bride from her dressing room.

Let the priest, who ministers to the LORD,

weep between the porch and the altar;

Let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD,

And do not give your heritage to reproach,

That the nations should rule over them.

Why should they say among the peoples,

'Where is their God?'"

(Joel 2: 12-17) 

When I left the church service on August, 17th, I had made up my mind that I was going to find a "somebody" in that church who would listen to me. After being given my instructions for this healing, through the sermon the day before my birthday, I felt certain this church was a significant part of what God was putting together for Kaylee's healing. Their faith, along with mine, had just been built through this great sermon on the subject of healing as well. I knew there was something special taking place in the heart's of the people at this church!

I walked out into the lobby and immediately spotted a beautiful lady whom I had known from A.U.M.C. (my church at the time). She had once been my son's (Barret) Sunday school teacher, and she also had a daughter Kaylee's age. Kaylee had even spent the night at her house on one occasion years earlier.  I had seen her at this church before, so I assumed that God had recently led their family here as well. As far as I knew, she had a godly husband, a healthy marriage, a beautiful home, status in the community, and financial security (all the things that I did not).  In my mind, this made her a "somebody", or in other words, a person that others might listen to.  

I approached her and told her that I needed to talk with her.  When I explained that I wanted to talk about Kaylee and the sermon we had just heard on healing, she was very receptive.  I gave her my phone number and she told me that she would give me a call later that evening.   

During our phone conversation,  I told her my story and let her know that we were expecting Kaylee to be healed on my birthday (the next day).  I could immediately sense her excitement, coming off the sermon we had just heard.  It definitely helped also that God had led me to another mother, someone who understood a little about Kaylee's situation and who would be able to empathize with what I was going through.  She assured me that she and her husband would be praying about what we needed to do all throughout the night.  Of course, I did not mention anything about using the church.  I was simply looking for people willing to join us in prayer on my birthday. Before we hung up, she invited me to come to the prayer service they were having at 7 am that next morning.  

Because this church was in the middle of their 21 day prayer in August, they were meeting at the church every week-day morning for prayer. It hadn't even occurred to me yet that this would be taking place the morning of my birthday. I had not been able to attend any of these prayer services because of work.  I explained all of this to her and asked her if she would be praying over Kaylee's healing while she was there that morning. 

I no longer felt a sense of urgency to have anything specific planned for my birthday.  I felt completely relaxed, assured and even excited about what was going to take place.  Even so, I understood that I was going to have to make a move toward pulling this prayer service together. It wasn't going to just come together on its own.  The difference now was that I was trusting God to lead me.  I had the most beautiful, peaceful sleep on the night of August 17th.  

Although I hadn't considered it when I fell asleep, I woke up the next morning knowing that I was suppose to be at the prayer service the morning of my birthday. The only thing standing in my way was my job, which was no small thing.  I hadn't arranged for a substitute in advance, and it was extremely difficult for one person to manage our classroom alone.  I decided to try and catch Mrs. Jackson before she left for work to see what she thought I should do. Fortunately, Mrs. Jackson was not only my dear friend, she was also one of the members of our prayer "army" as well.  She had been participating in our fasting on Fridays and she was among one of my greatest supporters.  In fact, if you will remember back, she had been there from the very beginning. She had been the first person I told about Rachel's dream.  When I reached Mrs. Jackson, she did not hesitate to tell me to go on to the prayer service that morning.  She told me that she would handle our classroom, and she also assured me that she would be praying all throughout that day! 

After getting this first obstacle out of the way, I called Erica to see if she would go with me to the prayer service.  She was excited to join me!  We were both feeling tremendous strength on this day. We decided that as soon as we finished praying there, we would head to A.U.M.C. and ask for permission to use the chapel.  The original plan had been for Erica to go while I was at work.  I was thankful that we would now be able to go together.  
We arrived at the church and immediately headed to the cross that had been set up in front. We got down on our knees at the foot of that cross and we prayed together one final time over this healing.  I remember that my prayer went something like this: 

"God, I do not have a single plan in place for this day, but I give it all to You. This is Your day that You set up in advance. Take it from me and do with it what You will.  We put our trust in You completely."  

From the moment I said this prayer, I knew that it was done!  I knew that God was now in complete control of this day!

Just as we were finishing up our prayer, I felt a hand touch my shoulder.  It was Gina (the "somebody") and she asked me if I would come with her and share my story with the prayer team.  I followed her over to a group of women who were sitting in the floor at the front of the sanctuary.  I had never met any of these women prior to this day. I believe that Gina had already told them a little, and as far as I could tell, they were all anxiously awaiting to hear my entire story.  

I tried to hurry through my very long story and give only the highlights: Our diagnosis; Rachel's dream; January 18th; and of course how God had restored my faith and my belief through the sermon the day before.  I did not invite them to join us at the chapel that night nor did I ask them to pray for Kaylee.  I did not mention anything about the altar, and of course I did not ask to use the church.  I no longer felt a need to ask for anything.  The only thing I did was tell my story. I was completely trusted that God would take it from there.  I did not want to interfere in any way with His plan for this day.

Thankfully, when I finished giving my testimony, the first thing this group of women wanted to do was to take it to God in prayer.  We sat in a circle and went around as each woman said a short prayer. I was excited as it was about to come to my turn, but before I even got a chance to pray, one of the women jumped up and said, 

"I know what God wants us to do!"  She then turned around and pointed to the altar. "He wants us to keep a fire lit on that altar all day long, and then we are to bring your daughter back here for prayer tonight!" 

At this point, Erica broke down crying! She later explained to me that she suddenly felt as though the burden she had been carrying for our family for so long had been taken off her shoulders.  Neither of us knew what this woman meant by "keeping a fire lit on the altar" but we had surely known that we were suppose to be at the altar on this day! We knew that God was now taking over! 

Now of course I knew that we had already been told that we could not use the church on this night, so although the plan seemed to already be in motion, I quickly jumped in: 

"Wait, I don't think the pastor wants us to use the church tonight!" I said.  

I started to explain that we were hoping to use A.U.M.C.'s chapel, but before I could get another word in, this same lady replied:

"Well God's just going to have to take care of that!"  
She seemed completely confident of what God had just spoken to her heart following our prayer.

With this, I started to feel a bit uncomfortable.  I did not want the pastor to be upset with me or to think that I went around him, yet at the same time, I was counting on God to intervene if He needed to.   

After this, the women began to talk among-st themselves. I overheard one of them mention the name of the pastor's relative that I had spoken with on the phone months earlier. From what they were saying, it sounded to me as if they were hoping that this relative of his might be able to persuade him to allow us to use the church.  

We stayed around for a bit talking.  At some point, Kevin had joined us also and was eagerly awaiting, just as I was, to see if we were going to be able to use the church.  As we sat around talking, Gina (the "somebody") began to share things with me about her own life and some of her recent struggles. As it would turn out, she was really not very different than I was. She didn't have a perfect life after all. 

While Kevin, Gina and I were sitting around talking, the other women continued to work out the plans for the day.  I was trying not to interfere at this point. I knew that if we were suppose to have the prayer service at this church, God had the power to change the mind of this pastor.  I really wasn't worried about it either way.  I believe that one of the women had gone to talk with him at some point, and it wasn't long after this that I looked up and saw him heading our direction.  He sat down on the front pew right in front of where we were sitting on the floor and began to speak: 

"Jesus died for our sins. Our sins have been healed. That should be enough. God can be glorified through disease. What matters is that we show joy in the midst of it."   

As he spoke these words, I felt something rise up inside of me. Not only was this not the way God had been leading me all along, it also completely contradicted the sermon that I had just heard - and received as being my final instructions from God - in this very church the day before.  What happened to the two-fold provision?  Did he want my starting point to be a no?  

I have replayed this statement over and over in my mind since this day because the repercussions could have potentially been so devastating.  It could have stopped this prayer service from taking place.  It had been this very viewpoint that almost stopped me from praying for Kaylee's healing from the start.   

The real question I think we have to ask ourselves is this: Does disease really glorify God or could this be a subtle lie that the enemy has planted within our churches to stop us from praying effectively for one another? Is there a single recorded incident in the Bible in which God called one of His own children to life-long suffering through disease (for His glory)?  Or could this be a tactic of the enemy to derail and shut down "the Body of Christ"?  Would we ever discourage anyone from seeking the care of an earthly physician and tell them that their disease and suffering is meant to glorify God?  I don't think so. Yet, we would discourage them from going to the Great Physician, and from following God's clear instructions from James 5, to pray for healing?    

Undoubtedly, this pastor, who is truly a wonderful man of God, had accepted this viewpoint at some point in his life as well. I do not believe it was his intent to stop God's work on this night. 


I didn't have any of these thoughts in the moment this was said to me.  In that moment, all I knew was that I could not allow my faith to be shaken again! I had to stand firm in the truth of what God had shown me and the promise He had made me. Before I even had a thought, these words were already out of my mouth:

"No! My daughter will be healed today and nobody is going to tell me any differently.  ...not today!"     

I meant no disrespect toward this pastor, but I was very bold and firm in my response.  After this, I turned my head away and fixed my eyes on the cross at the front of the church.  I knew that it was critical that I not allow my faith to be shaken by this pastor's unbelief.  Although I was certain that I had just blown any chance I might have had of using the church that evening, this didn't matter to me. I knew that this day was in God's hands now!

I am not sure what happened after this, but I believe the pastor got up and left the sanctuary.  To my surprise, the women continued to plan out the day. We found out that "keeping a fire lit on the altar" meant that someone was going to be praying at the altar all throughout the day.  The women continued to plan out shifts of who would be praying so that every hour of that day would be covered in prayer. I was truly amazed at how these women had now taken things over, and when I asked them what I needed to do, they told me to go home and enjoy my birthday.  

When I left the church that day, I still wasn't convinced that we were going to be allowed to have the prayer service. I called my mother and a few close friends to let them know what was going on at the church.  Several of them, including my mother, headed on over to the church to start praying. When we met up for my birthday lunch, a little later in the day, my mother told me that there were people coming and going and that powerful prayers were being lifted up over Kaylee's life!  She told me that the gentleman, the one I had met the day before with Kevin, was also there praying and that she had spoken briefly with him. The plans all seemed to be in place.

Several times that morning I had considered driving back to the church to see what was going on, but something was keeping me away.  Somehow I sensed that I needed to leave it alone and let God work.  I don't even remember how I found out that I needed to bring Kaylee back to the church at 6 pm. I spent much of the day on the phone calling my "army."  I invited the people who were local to come to the church that evening for prayer.  I asked everyone else to be praying during that same time.  

My husband had been on a one year tour to Iraq and had just returned a few days earlier.  He was staying at his parent's house, which was only two hours away in Birmingham. I debated for some time on whether or not I should invite him to this prayer service.  I was afraid that it might not be a coincidence that he just so happened to be near on this day. While I was afraid that his presence might be a negative, I did not want to interfere in any way with what God wanted this day to be.  I knew that God loved my husband, regardless of what I was feeling at that time.  I told him about the service and invited him to come.  I decided that if God didn't want Him there, He could stop it Himself.  I knew that it was critical that I not be trying to control anything on this day. This day belonged to God! 

I later heard that the woman who had heard from God, concerning the altar, had sent out a church-wide email inviting anyone who wanted to participate in this prayer service to come to the church that evening.  I heard that she had been hard at work gathering people to pray all throughout that day!  I also heard that numerous others were in and out of the church praying all day long over the altar!  

Our Healing Service

After making all of the necessary phone calls and gathering up my children, we headed out the door toward the church.  I had no idea what to expect.  I didn't know if this healing would be instantaneous, and we would watch Kaylee transform before our eyes, or if it would be a slow process.  At this point, Kaylee looked very sick and extremely thin. Other than her weight and her coloring, the symptom that was the most obvious when we left the house was her swollen right ankle (a result of the Rheumatoid Arthritis).  It was so enormous, in fact, that she was struggling to walk.  I decided that I would keep my eye on that ankle throughout the service and look for any change.

When we arrived at the church, people began to show up, many of whom I had never met.  I was overcome with gratitude in my heart for each and every individual who walked through those doors on this night!  They had given up their evening just to come and pray for my child! As people continued to flood in, I could see clearly why God had not intended for this service to take place in someone's home.  Not only were there far too many people, the atmosphere in that building was evident of one that had been covered in prayer all day. We could feel the mighty presence of God all over the place!

I was standing at the back of the church greeting everyone and thanking them for coming when a man, whom I did not know, came over to me and asked me if I would speak briefly before we got started.  This is normally something that would have terrified me on the spot, but on this night, I felt tremendous strength.  Naturally, I had not planned anything, and I did not even think about what I was going to say before I walked up on that stage. I wanted  to speak for God and to share whatever He wanted to be shared. There was so much He had shown me and only a very limited time for me to share.  

As I began to speak, I instantly felt God take over. I began to talk about how God had first taken me to Isaiah 58.  I explained how He had led me to fast for this healing, but that He first had to get my attention about the danger of using my tongue in a negative way.  I shared briefly the message that God had instilled in me, on loving one another, before I could enter into my seven month period of fasting for this healing:  

"If you will do away with the yoke of oppression, with the  finger pointing and malicious talk...."  

I explained to them how God had convicted me and that my prayers could not even be heard when I was using my tongue to speak against another member who was created in the image of God.  It was a humbling moment of confession for me, yet I knew that this was my most critical message!  

From here, I began to explain how God had led me to build up my "army" of prayer warriors, which had included my children.  

From this point on, some of what I describe may be out of order because everything honestly felt like a dream.  Three chairs had been set up in front of the altar and Kaylee, Erica and I were asked to sit in these chairs after I spoke.  One of the things I will never forget was when a young woman, whom I had never met, stood up and said this: "It is no accident that God choose this day, August 18th, to bring about this healing.  In Luke, chapter 18, Jesus tells us the story of the Persistent Widow."  ...I cannot remember, at this point, if she read us the story from the Bible or not. I only remember being stunned, and feeling as though God was speaking directly to me, when she looked at me and boldly proclaimed: 

"God has heard every prayer that you have lifted up to Him for all of these years!" 

Although I wasn't fully aware of this at the time, I later learned that the elders of the church were among us (glory be to God) and one of them began to anoint Kaylee with oil and pray for her healing. Several other men joined in with him and they began to pray some of the most beautiful prayers of blessing over each one of us. It seemed as if they knew exactly what to do and how to pray, as if they had been thoroughly trained and raised up for this moment!  These men were not typical of what you would find in just any church.   

After this, two female college students, whom we had never met prior to this day, came and knelt down in front of Kaylee.  They began to pray the most powerful prayers of authority I had ever heard in my life as they called Kaylee's body into alignment and cried out to God for mercy!  The power being displayed through these two incredible young women of God was truly like nothing I had ever witnessed! (One of these women was the same one who had shared the story of the Persistent Widow earlier)

At some point, my dear friend's (Joyce) 7-year-old daughter began to tug at her and ask her if she could go down to the front and pray for Kaylee. Joyce had initially tried to stop her, but she kept insisting.  

"You don't understand!  she said.  "I have to get to Kaylee!"  

Obviously, this sweet child had no filters what-so-ever and therefore was able to be completely led by the Holy Spirit.  She knelt down in front of Kaylee and began to weep.  I remember looking down at her in that moment and understanding the powerful role her pure heart and innocence was playing in bringing this healing about! It was one of the most moving moments of the night!

I looked out into the audience in front of me, and what I saw was a beautiful remnant of a fully functioning "Body of Christ" that God had brought together on this night.  I saw my dear Baptist friends.  I saw several from my Methodist church as well.  Several denominational backgrounds were represented, including some from the Catholic church.  There were even some among us whose salvation I was unsure of; yet God had managed to get them there on this night to witness this incredible moment!  

I don't believe any of us were in control of what was happening. God was working through people who, prior to this day, had never even met us. I understood, in that moment, that what I was seeing before me was not only about Kaylee's healing. God was giving us all a perfect picture of how the "Unified Body of Christ" was intended to function, as every contributing part, all the way down to the smallest child, participated in some way.  We all watched in amazement, and grown men were crying, as we witnessed what God had brought together.  

The praying went on for quite some time, and many miraculous things began to take place. My husband had made it to the service on this night, and he was sitting there on the front row watching. Next to him sat James Martin, the one man that had continually prayed for him and for our family throughout all of these years.  To my surprise, some of these wonderful men, that God had raised up, made their way toward my husband and began to pray for him as well.  These men had never met my husband before, and to my knowledge knew nothing about our situation.  As they were praying powerful prayers over him and his life, I heard one of them ask God to please give him one more chance!  

I also noticed that another group of people had pulled my daughter, Brooke, aside and were praying for her as well.  We hadn't told anyone (not even our family members) about her possible diagnosis. It was a subject that I had not yet been able to face.  I wasn't even thinking about it in that moment.  I just remember noticing.

There were so many people who showed up for my "birthday party" which had been orchestrated by God! Among these people were: Kevin and his family; Gina and her husband; my precious neighbors (the Lester family); Erica's family, Joyce and her family (her husband, Jim, couldn't be there but had shown up to pray over the altar earlier in the day); James Martin; several of my family members; several of Brooke and Janiee's friends; and many, many more (many of whom I did not know).  Yet, of all these people, God seemed to draw my attention to one girl who was sitting there alone on the second row.  She was one of Kaylee's former classmates, the lone one (other than Erica's daughter, Mallory), who had shown up for Kaylee. God began to lay on my heart that I needed to get up from where I was to go thank her for coming. There tears rolled down my face as I gave her a hug.  It had been an ache in my heart for so long to see Kaylee isolated from her peers and it truly meant the world to me that she was there! 

I later learned that this precious girl had gone around Auburn High School handing out cards that she had made with our date, August 18th, written on them.  She had attempted to rally the students to join us in praying for Kaylee's healing.  I suspect that she had not been well received. Yet, God had certainly noticed her efforts and He had sent me personally to thank her!  

The entire night was truly powerful in every way! There was nothing but love for me and my family in that church on this night.  I knew that each person there had been sent by God and, for this one incredible, God-ordained night, they were seeing our family through the eyes of God.  I genuinely felt His love for me through each one them, and I knew, for the first time in my life just how much God truly loved and valued us!  I had never felt or experienced anything like this kind of love before! There is no way to adequately describe in words what I felt, nor can most even grasp or comprehend the depth of this love that God has for each one of us! I can only pray that somehow I can give you a glimpse, as I retell the story of our night, of this amazing love! I am convinced that if we could approach the throne of grace, with this kind of assurance of His love for us, many lives would be forever changed! I am also convinced that it was the love and unity being displayed through the "Body of Christ" that the enemy could no longer stand against! 

  

.....to be continued