In those moments you can’t sleep…

A year or two ago, I was awoken with a start with a young girl who I knew name in my head.  I heard the name over and over, so I just started to pray.  It was so weird, I even prayed out loud, even though I was timid to at first, afraid I might wake Andrew, but I just prayed until I passed out.

Four days later, I saw that girl at high school small group at our house.  She only came to group every so often, heart elsewhere.  But she was there this week.  I hadn’t told her about the prayer, cause that’s kinda weird, you know.  Once most everyone had left, she and her two friends lingered.  Then she told me.  Over the weekend she was in a really scary, really stupid car accident.  Her friends were worried about her behavior, and this was the tipping moment.  (Which should have been many moments ago, but of course I didn’t say that 😉

“Was it on Saturday night?” I asked, shocked.  She said yes, and I told her about the crazy moment I was awoken and prayed for her, expecting her to be as shocked as I.  She wasn’t.  She looked and me and said she knew it, she knew someone must have been praying for her.  “I knew.”
That night a hurt and closed heart spilled out the junk, the sad, scary junk, from the past in a pile of tears, hurt and some anger.  “Thank you Lord, for this moment,” I prayed silently as she shared, her normally hard exterior was gone.  I told her that I heard her, that I always knew there was something holding her back.  She agreed.  After an hour, the junk was out, all out there.  We prayed, and I offered resources, also reminding her that I loved her and am always there for her.  “I kind of feel better already,” she sniffed, even giving a little smile.  I warned her that after a moment like this, discouragement loomed around a corner.  “It could come in the form of embarrassment for sharing or crying, it could take many forms,” but I told her to push past it when it comes, however it comes.  “Pray in those moments, and stay on this path towards healing, no matter what.  This is your first day of a road towards healing.”

There have been a few times here and there since where in a moment of insomnia, I’ll pray for someone on my heart, but whatever the outcome, I haven’t seen it since then in the same manner.

This Friday night, Andrew and I could not sleep, and it was already past midnight.  And when you have a toddler, that is not going to fly the next morning.  On a whim, Andrew got up out of bed, turned on a light and got out the lock box with the passports, etc inside.  He pulled out the passports and looked at our visas, while I felt annoyed that the light was on.  When he held his passport, he saw that his visa was set to expire two days before we left being in the country of our children.  “OH NO!” he said, “This is not good.”

“Oh, come on, what’s the worst that could happen, that they’ll kick us out?” I said, unfazed.

“Yes,” he said.  “And if that happens you won’t be able to travel back for a year.”

“Oh…” I said, much less nonchalant, realizing exactly what this means. This was not good.  Somehow we fell right asleep after.

The next morning we emailed everyone we’re supposed to.

“If you can get me your passport by Monday (so, today) we can make it work in time for you to still travel in a couple weeks.”  OH SHEESH.  We filled out his appilcation and overnighted it on Saturday, to arrive today to make the neccesarry changes.

Any day later and it would not have worked.  He would have either been without his passport or visa when the time came to board the plane.

I honestly don’t even know how to end this post, it’s still such a fresh, crazy expereince.

And what about the girl who started on the path towards healing in every way two years ago?  I’ll share another time, but in short, she is daily, and profoundly loving, and changing lives of others on a daily basis.  Seriously.   New creation.  Wow.