I’ve been on vacation. If you follow me on Instagram you know that my family and I have done the Route 66 with detours this summer.
We. Loved. It.
We drove 6 330 miles in 4 weeks. That’s 10 187 km for all you metric system fans out there!
In between, we met family – old and new! We don’t have biological relatives in the States, but we certainly have family. Like, the close kind. The through-thick-and-thin kind of family. Some we met years ago in Bethel. Others I’ve met through this blog. We love them all.
We started out in New York. I had never been in NY before and was excited to spend a few days there. Due to a delayed flight we missed our connection and had to spend the night in London. I was so bummed to miss out on a precious day in New York! We were tired and disoriented when a message ticked in on my phone. Are you in NY?? We are only a few hours away. Could we meet?
Let me just say, I don’t usually do this. I do not interrupt our family vacation to see people I’ve never met. But this was no ordinary situation.
This was Bryn.
Strangers on the web
Bryn reached out to me a few years ago through Facebook. You don’t know me, but I’ve seen your testimony and it has saved my life.
Immediate thought: Saved her life, huh? Everything is so big in America, even their emotions. True story, I confess my ignorance. Still, I wrote her a thank you note and she began sharing her life with me. Her words were all too familiar. Life-altering disease in the family. Loss of hope. The many questions about unanswered prayer. Exhaustion. Despair. Tears in a bottle.
There’s a special place in my heart for mothers of sick children. They are my heroes. You will never find the same willpower, knowledge, and stamina anywhere else. These mothers live totally surrendered and they never give in.
I have a few friends like that from all over the world. Wonder Woman mommas tend to seek me out and I am humbled to hear their stories of love and endurance. I’ve walked with some of them toward healing and freedom. Others I have followed to a grave as they’ve buried their loved one as well as their hope.
I’m honored to partner with the warrior mommas.
Bryn is a fierce one. She’s been contending for her son’s healing for years. While everyone else would’ve had enough with just getting by, Bryn dove head first into the Scriptures to find God’s heart on healing and health in an imperfect world. She wrote down and meditated on all the verses she could find on healing. She even had them turned into a wallpaper to cover her entire kitchen wall! Bryn was determined to not to let circumstances derail her. She fixed her eyes on Jesus and continued to pray for a miracle.
We have spent years communicating online about God, life, disease, health, and hope. I loved her and felt that I knew her, although we had never actually met.
A moment in time
That was the backstory to her message. Maybe we could come and see you guys? she suggested. That sounded great, but we were leaving for Chicago the following day. I could hear her disappointment, even though the messages.
Thomas and I looked at each other. We were both reminded of the many years we had spent in isolation while caring for Adrian. Let’s go and see them! The peace and joy that filled the room told us that God had a divine appointment in store for us.
When we walked into their home in Delaware it felt like we had been there before. It wasn’t just because of their love for Scandinavian design, but it felt like home. We recognized them as family, even though we’d never met them before.
Adrian spoke with these wonderful boys like he’d known them for his entire life. And somehow, he had. He knew their story, at least. The weeks and months staring at the hospital walls. The excrutiating pain. The fatigue. The lost time. The shattered hope. The wearied look on your mom’s face. The waiting.
As we were sitting around their kitchen table next to the wall with the many Scriptures on healing, we realized that it was a Cairos moment. A moment when God came close. There was such a strong presence as we shared stories, hopes and dreams. We laughed a lot. I cried, too. Of course I did. I always do. But it was such a sweet moment.
We listened, prayed, and prophesied. In the middle of impossible circumstances, we worshipped the God of the impossible. He never fails.
As we left their house for a long ride to Chicago, Adrian turned to us teary-eyed and said: If this was what we came to the US for, it was all worth it.
It was all worth it. He’s always worth it.
Blessed crossroads
We travel all over the world and every so often, we run into family. We have learned to recognize God-given family that we get to come alongside with. They are such a blessing to us and we love them dearly.
As we drove across the US this summer, we ran into family several places. Some we’ve known for a long time. Over the years, strong bonds have formed between us and seeing them is like returning home. Each and every time.
But we also met new family members. God allowed our paths to intersect because we are to walk together – somehow, somewhere. As we prayed, worshipped, and ministered together, a brother exclaimed, Yeah, you’re just like us! We belong together!
This is Kingdom. Revival is family, simple as that.
Take advantage of every opportunity to be a blessing to others, especially to our brothers and sisters in the family of faith.
Gal 6:10, TPT
Live generously.
Love extravagantly.
Be blessed.
Head over to my friend Bryn’s excellent blog!