Our God heals

One of my favorite students, a young man named Kevin, approached me after English class, clearly with something important on his mind.

"Ma'am, will you please come to my house and...um, heal my brother?"

As he said this, he motioned with his hand to demonstrate how he has witnessed us praying over his sick classmates on numerous occasions.

"Yes, of course I will come," I replied, quickly adding, "but I cannot heal anyone. Only God can do that."

Earlier that morning, my team and I had been meditating on the Gospel story of the woman with a hemorrhage who, in great faith, reaches out to touch the hem of Christ's garment and is healed. We were struck by how Jesus can bring about miracles when we simply ask in faith, and together we prayed that the Holy Spirit would direct us toward someone in need of healing. And now, just a few short hours later, here was Kevin humbly asking me, his English teacher, to come lay my hands on Alan, his sick brother.

My teammate Joanne explaining the Scripture story to Alan.

Three of us visited Kevin's home that afternoon. Together with his mom, we reread the Gospel story, traced a cross on Alan's forehead with holy water, and prayed for a miraculous healing. It takes some amount of faith to pray in this manner, and always there are the doubts -- what if nothing happens? What if the family is disappointed and I look like a fool? But still we prayed.

A few days later, back in the school, my teammate pulled Kevin aside and questioned him about Alan. A big smile crossed over his face. "Ma'am Rebecca healed him," he said. Kevin's English isn't always perfect, but I believe he understands in his heart what happened that afternoon and knows Who it was that healed his brother.

Salamat sa Diyos! as we often say. Thanks be to God the Healer! And thanks be to God for allowing us to act as His hands and feet.