When I first met Maria, her hands were shaking, her eyes were drooping, her emotions were hiding, and her hope was disappearing.
She lives with her son and his family, and her day consists of constant pain and sitting outside in a plastic chair.
The first few times we went to pray for Maria it was obvious that she didn’t have much hope left in her. When we would talk with her, she would try and respond, but it all came out as painful mumbles. Most of our information about her came from her daughter. All she was able to tell us was what area she needed prayer in.
Our team is a group of strong prayer warriors, but we knew that just praying for Maria wouldn’t solve her problems. She needed a seed of hope planted in her, and we needed to show her how much of a purpose her life holds. Before Maria could be physically healed, she needed to be spiritually healed.
So we began to share the gospel with her and her daughter. We explained the importance of the cross, and what Jesus did for her, and we began to show her how loved and valued she is to God. Within a few visits, her daughter would tell us how they were reading the bible at night, and how they were praying more often now.
She still has her off days, but for the most part she has been feeling much better. We even got to see her walk on our last visit! Aside from her physical improvements, her faith has increased as well. The last time we visited Maria she was able to speak clearly to us for the first time. She spoke of her newfound faith, and of how she felt like she was no longer dying. The tone in her voice made me know that she was speaking in spiritual terms.
It is a blessing to watch Maria grow in her faith, and to see how God heals her (physically and spiritually) along the way.
And it is something even greater to watch someone who was once dead breath in new life.
