I have been updating a lot from the field here in NYC, but I thought I would share a little of what God has been doing with the ECU Crusade Lebanon team that was redirected to central asia one week before they were suppose to leave for Lebanon due to the fighting that broke out.
My friend, who I can not name due to where she is at (she has been to Discovery several times), is diabetic. This is part of a letter I received from her due to a situation she was in with insulin. I have edited the letter in order to not compromise her location and protect her and the team’s safety.
As many of you know and have been faithfully praying for, upon arrival in central asia, I realized my insulin had mysteriously disappeared, most likely while going through customs at the London airport. God provided for me in a miraculous way then, through means of some dedicated national believers here, the American embassy (the only one in Central Asia happened to be ten minutes from where we live!), the Minister of Health, and an Endocrinologist. However, the dosage needed didn’t translate correctly, and I only received enough to last two weeks.
The team and I, and all of you, were faithfully lifting this situation up in prayer, that God would glorify Himself through it. My diabetes has always been an area of my life where I have tried to maintain the most control by myself, rather than allowing God and the people He surrounds me with to help me. Very clearly, He has been using this to help me realize this and give the reigns to Him, where they belong.
As the situation became more dire, many doors that looked like openings began to shut, and we began to have to face the reality that I may have to head home sooner than expected. However, it has been so clear to me throughout my application and acceptance process that my journey here has been one designed to stretch and test my faith in newer, more dynamic ways, and God wanted to continue the story He was writing for me among the people. Our deadline was by noon that Tuesday; either we needed the Insulin in hand (enough to last the remainder of the trip), or I would be back in America within 48 hours. As a national friend we met here, the 17-year old son of a missionary family here in town, went with me to scan the city for insulin, our spirits continued to sink. After speaking with the American Embassy, seeing an American doctor, and visiting at least ten different pharmacies, we were to of no avail. Finally, we sat in a waiting room area of a higher-scale pharmacy, calling the trip leader and telling him of our position; basically, apart from a direct miracle from God, we weren’t going to find any insulin in the town. We began to pray, continuing to seek God’s face and mighty hand in this. The team said, via the phone, that they were all meeting and would lift us up in prayer as well.
When we looked up, there was a man with a gun standing a few feet from us. I found out later that he was a security guard, but his casual swinging of a pistol in my close vicinity while dressed like a pedestrian didn’t bode much confidence! As we looked at him, he began talking to my friend in Russian, asking what the problem was. He explained that I was a diabetic, that I needed fast-acting insulin, and that we couldn’t find any in the country. All of a sudden, the undercover-security-guard-with-a-gun whipped out his cell phone and started calling someone. When he was done, he looked at us and said, “My friend has this problem, too. He has extra insulin you can buy from him. He will be here in twenty minutes to bring it to you.”
When the man pulled up, it was the exact type of insulin I needed, and the exact amount to last me the rest of the time I would be overseas with some cushion. In the Old Testament, God made manna fall from heaven to feed His people. For me, He used a security guard in the town to give me the insulin I needed. He works in mighty and miraculous ways, and wants to rock our worlds in how He provides for us when we seek His will above our own.
I actually got word about her situation while I was in Discovery staff meeting earlier this month. We prayed for the situation less than 5 mins after I had got word about this from half way around the world. Never underestimate the power of prayer!
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