A couple of weeks ago we received a prayer request from one of our closest friends back in Mozambique. He told us that Pastor D, the evangelist who had helped us by preaching at the crusade we held back in our village this past summer, had a young son in need of an urgent medical procedure.
After further inquiry, we discovered that this little boy is two-years-old, the same age as our own son, and has been diagnosed with a severe inguinal hernia that is causing significant and severe pain for the little boy. Pastor D and his wife had taken him to a hospital in Maputo where they were told that their son was in serious need of a surgery, but the doctors there did not feel comfortable conducting the procedure and instead suggested he go to one of the hospitals in South Africa.
However, after finding out that the surgery in South Africa was going to cost more than $2,500 USD, Pastor D and his wife quickly told the doctors that going to South Africa was not a possibility for them. The only option was to have the surgery done in Maputo, but that would still cost close to $1,000 USD. Unlike the U.S., there are no payment plan options at most medical facilities in Mozambique or South Africa. The money must be paid upfront in order for a person to receive medical attention. To make matters worse, the average Mozambican earns less than $2 USD a day.
After consulting with someone in the medical field here in the U.S., I discovered that if left untreated, this particular type of inguinal hernia can lead to loss of reproductive organs, infertility, and even death. They agreed that this little boy needed to have the surgery as soon as possible and expressed the importance of this procedure being performed by surgeons who had been trained in this specific area.
After praying, my husband and I reached back out to our friend in Mozambique and told him that we felt led to find a way for the surgery to happen in South Africa. The doctors in Maputo had already expressed that they did not feel qualified to operate, and we just didn’t feel like this was something that should be left to chance simply because of the cost. We immediately started planning fundraisers and brainstorming other ways that we could possibly raise the money.
Sadly, in the midst of everything, I don’t remember ever really stopping to ask the Lord what we should do. After all of these years of walking with the Lord, my first response was still to try and do things on my own. I am a “fixer,” and my instinct was to find a way to fix this problem. Sadly, I think there was even a part of me that subconsciously didn’t want to “bother” God with this prayer request because I felt like it was something we could take care of on our own, as arrogant as that sounds. I did pray about this situation, but my prayers were asking the Lord to bless our plans for fundraising. I don’t recall asking the Lord if we should even do a fundraiser or, for that matter, simply asking Him to meet the need.
I spent all week researching the best companies to use for crowdfunding, thinking of t-shirt designs that I could use to sell shirts, and began brainstorming what kind of flier I could create to have friends and family share on social media. But after a week of planning, I was already worried about how in the world we could raise the money as quickly as it would be needed, especially so close to the holidays when everyone is already stressed financially.
At the end of that week, I finally found myself praying and asking the Lord to please meet this need because I knew that we could not accomplish what needed to be done in the short amount of time that we had.
At some point during that weekend, I shared Pastor D’s need with some close friends and asked them to please pray about this situation. I told them that we were needing to raise $5,000 USD in order to cover all of the costs: the pre-op, the surgery itself, subsequent medications, passports for the family to be able to cross into South Africa, government registration fees for their little boy, travel expenses, hotel stays, follow-up visits after the procedure, and any unforeseen expenses that we might have forgotten.
In the midst of me explaining the details to this couple, the man quietly got up and walked to the other room. When he came back, he handed me an envelope that contained $6,000 USD. He explained that he had set aside this money for the purpose of tithes and offering and had been asking the Lord to show him how to use it for His kingdom. All I could do was say, “Are you serious?” with tears streaming down my face.
You see, it felt too easy, too simple. I did not have to design or sell a single t-shirt. I did not have to write a letter and have friends and family share it on social media. I did not need to create a crowdfunding profile. I did not have to do anything. Papa God took care of it all in the blink of an eye.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, I thanked the couple over and over and called my husband to tell him and our friends back in Mozambique the great news. The words “exceedingly, abundantly” came to mind as I was driving home, and I was led to scripture. Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (NKJV, emphasis added). Jesus had gone above what I had even imagined or dared to ask, and He didn’t need me to accomplish any of it.
In the midst of all of the excitement, I simultaneously felt convicted and, honestly, just kind of silly. Why had I not simply gone to God and just asked Him to meet this need to begin with? In my own folly, pride, or combination of the two, I thought I had to come up with a plan. Somehow, after all of this time with God, I still felt like I had to do something to make things happen. I felt like I had to earn God’s favor. In reality, all I needed to do was just ask Him to answer this need. When I finally surrendered the prayer request to God, He moved in an instant and provided even more than what we had asked for.
I am so thankful that we serve a Papa God who goes above and beyond what we ask for or could even dream of asking for and that He has grace for us when we are ridiculous enough to think that we have to do things in our own strength. I am also grateful that He loves me enough to expose the places within me that still need to be sanctified.
I wanted to encourage you today that if you have a need, just ask Him to help. It really is that easy. There are no magic words or special phrases that must be spoken. It doesn’t matter how big or small the prayer request, either. Simply give it to Him and just watch how He moves to meet that need.
In closing, we wanted to ask you to please keep Pastor D’s little boy in your prayers. We received word today that they had just received all of the necessary documents to finally allow them to travel into South Africa, so they should be consulting with the surgeons sometime in the next couple of days. I asked Pastor D’s permission to share this photo with you all, because I want you to see the sweet little face that you are praying for as you lift him up to God.
Please pray in agreement with us that the Lord would put a hedge of protection around this family as they travel. Let there be no issues at the border or once they enter South Africa, in Jesus’ name. We pray that God would give divine wisdom to the surgeons and that the nurses and all attending doctors would treat Pastor D’s little boy as if he were their own flesh and blood. I pray that the surgery will go smoothly and for him to have a quick recovery. Finally, I pray that Pastor D would have the opportunity to minister to those he encounters on this trip and share how God miraculously moved on his behalf. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!
If you prayed this prayer with us, please hit the “like” button so that I can let Pastor D know just how many people are praying for his son this week all around the globe. 🙏
As always, we pray that the Lord blesses you greatly and that you forever look to Him as your personal guide and Savior as we all continue to travel between two worlds. 🤎