Miracle Junkie

Some people are adrenaline junkies. They live life right on the other side of, “Well, this was a bad idea,” and can’t seem to stop chasing the thrill of almost dying prematurely. These people are often the ones addicted to having a crazy story to tell. And they enjoy milking their epinephrine-soaked memories for all they’re worth.

But me…I’ve figured out what I am: a miracle junkie. As much as I love a good thrill, I’m even more obsessed with finding little ways God has involved Himself and answered prayers.

Milagros con Las Lilas

“Lord, I need words!” was my quick mental prayer. “A story, Teacher!” my girls had begged before bed. “Where in the Bible?” I asked. “¡Apocalipsis 12!” Revelation. It’s one thing to read it to them but another to explain! (I grin as I write this because that night just a couple weeks in; I had proof that God is the God of languages. He can give someone like me, who is very slow to formulate sentences, especially then, a rapid flow of comprehendible words!)

So I read them Revelation 12. Then I was so curious how much they understood about prophecy. “¿Que significa la mujer pura?” (“What does the pure woman symbolize?”) “¿Cuáles son los dos indicadores de la verdadera iglesia de Dios?” (“What are the two indicators of God’s true church?”) Needless to say, we then had a little Bible study about the end time church and how Sabbath is the key belief. We dug into the verse about “keeping the commandments of God,” then compared it to Exodus 20. The whole time I was mentally praying, “Lord, Spanish! Send words!” And when I turned out the light I realized everything I needed to say got said without Google Translate!

“…do not worry beforehand,

or premeditate what you will speak.

But whatever is given you

in that hour, speak that;

for it is not you who speak,

but the Holy Spirit.”

(Mark 13:11)

I sent this WhatsApp message to our SM group chat one Tuesday: “Guys God is so cool!!! We’re totally out of propane in our stove and oven, so breakfast is an adventure…I filled up a pot with water and oatmeal and lit the stove for a little flicker and it heated some then went out. I couldn’t get it relit. No hay gas. So just now I prayed, ‘Lord, I’m asking for a miracle. Help there to be gas; I need this to cook.’ Then I went and lit it and a bigger flame than before appeared and is still there cooking their oatmeal!!!”

“He has given food to those who fear Him;

He will be ever mindful of His covenant.”

(Psalm 111:5)

Nirza returned from time with her father with a beloved new pen. "Mile, mile! Es mio!" That same afternoon, Las Lilas wanted to go on a walk along the road, so off we went. Thirty minutes and a kilometer later, Nirza held up her pen cap with no pen. Tears rolling down her cheeks, we realized she had lost her newly prized possession. "We've covered so much ground," I groaned to myself. "Lord, if You help us find this pen it'll be a miracle." I almost bent down to pray with my girls, but couldn't erase the image of Nirza's disappointed face after a prayer wasn't answered. I stared at the tall ditch grass that the pen was in somewhere. "Lord, I'm just asking You personally to find a pen for this sad little girl. Thank You in advance." Not ten minutes later, Lisvania was walking back and called out from the ditch, "Aqui esta!" My heart soared for the answer but sank because of the missed opportunity and my lack of faith. "From now on, Lord, I will pray with these kids for little miracles, too."

“Therefore whoever confesses

Me before men,

him I will also confess

before My Father who is in Heaven.”

(Matthew 10:32)

Para Familia Feliz

The Inspection. Who knew two words could carry such weight? Such foreboding? And such hope in the power of prayer? “This inspection has been hanging over our heads for years, but now it’s our worst nightmare coming true,” Melissa commented. All we were told was that sometime in October government officials would be coming (spearheaded by the social worker who wants us shut down solely for revenge) to inspect infrastructure (much here is slapstick or incomplete), paperwork (knowing full-well that the social worker is withholding three kids’ papers), classes (so we SMs will pretend not to be teachers, only assistants), organization, and “everything else.” However, we are no longer in October and had no inspection! We praise God for answering our daily group prayers, as well as honoring our efforts to create positive publicity: we first invited the press to run a special on local TV, and the next week we invited the mayor and heads of local government to a program and party in their honor. According to Melissa, both worked to stave off the threats, keeping us functioning for God’s little children.

“Indeed the river may rage,

Yet he is not disturbed;

He is confident, though the Jordan

gushes into his mouth,”

(Job‬ ‭40:23‬)

“Lord, let it rain today! This heat is killing us! If not for me, do it for all the kids with dangerously high fevers!” Prayers for rain were something I wasn’t expecting to offer while living in the tropical rainforest, but after a week of temperatures feeling like 110 degrees, I asked God for a storm. That week, so many kids had high fevers and it was an uphill battle to keep them cool. The day I prayed, we heard a rumbling in the distance that started a weekend of refreshingly cold weather!

“Ask the Lord for rain in the time

of the latter rain. The Lord will make

flashing clouds; He will give them

showers of rain…”

‭‭(Zechariah‬ ‭10:1‬)

November 7 began the nationwide portion of a blockade that had started in Santa Cruz 17 days prior. Since then, we’ve gone for days without propane to cook (therefore using a lot of firewood), sometimes had limited fresh veggies or groceries, and worried about wasting gas driving into town. The biggest problem was not being able to be guaranteed transport to La Paz to get our carnets — Bolivian IDs that enable us to do anything any resident could, like get a driver’s license. The deadline to get them was in a few days and we still were here at Familia Feliz. Then Melissa informed us we’d be flying to La Paz Wednesday and returning Friday! I was immediately worried because my family was supposed to fly in the next Monday! Knowing how bad Bolivia is at paperwork processing, I started to pray. Hard. In the end, not only did God work out transportation, but He also gave us a smooth process and fun 24-hour vacation!

“Wait on the Lord;

be of good courage,

and He shall strengthen your heart;

wait, I say, on the Lord.”

(Psalm 27:14)

Milagros para Misioneros

My second day off: Three of us were hitchhiking into town and it called for an actual downpour like had just let up. We started praying conversationally out loud, “Lord, keep back the rain while we’re walking!” Then after while with no cars passing we said, “And as beautiful as this is, please send a taxi!” We hadn’t been silent for thirty seconds before a taxi honked behind us and pulled over to take us to town for half the normal price! From then on, we’ve prayed for every transport we’ve taken. And it didn’t rain until we made it to the hotel in Rurre after shopping all around the market streets!

However, hours after breakfast and shopping, I realized I didn’t have my precious, favorite water bottle! I’d practically kissed it goodbye, but Elizabeth said God would pull through like He did already that day, so we headed into the downpour and went back to our first stop, praying all the way. And there it sat in all its glory! I just laughed out loud and thanked God for the little things!

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you;

seek, and you will find;

knock, and it will be opened to you.”

(Luke 11:9)

“Lord, if at all possible, work a little private miracle for me. It’s not dire, almost selfish,” I prayed. Rurrenabaque has a tiny little airport with planes only to La Paz and back. However, there haven’t been flights into Rurre since COVID, minus a few inconsistent exceptions. When I decided that I would not be going home for Christmas, my family and I got desperate to have them visit me here on Thanksgiving. But with no flights here, the only alternatives were a twenty-hour bus ride from Santa Cruz or ten hours on the equivalent of the “Death Road” from La Paz. “We’ll come only if flights into Rurre open,” Daddy told me in what felt like an impossible stipulation. So immediately that Friday afternoon I began to pray. “Let the airport open, let flights come in consistently enough to plan around, and when they do, help me to know about it in time to plan this trip.”

On the following Monday, all the SMs were having a fundraising meeting when Sierra somehow mentioned, “Oh yes, and now that flights are coming into Rurre again…” I stopped her mid-sentence. “Flights? Into Rurre? Since when?” “Oh, since the end of last week! And the airport will now stay open; Monday, Wednesday, Friday flights!” I almost cried. All three parts of my specific prayer were answered, and immediately!

““I know that You can do everything,

And that no purpose of Yours can

be withheld from You.”

‭‭Job‬ ‭42:2‬

Christmas break travel plans reminded us that we can also indeed be tourists, not just residents! With the Bolivian summer vacation falling in December and January, we have three weeks in which we optimistically planned an incredible itinerary of South American travel. What we didn’t do first was set a budget or do any price checking. Oops. So after we’d gotten our hearts set on seeing four countries and doing all the things, we sat down and realized we couldn’t afford it. I was devastated. “Some huge chunk of the trip is going to have to be cut,” I realized. “I’ve reworked this itinerary so many times and there’s just no cheaper flight options.” We met and agreed that Buenos Aires was just gonna to have to go. However, as we sat to order the tickets — prayers cycling in my brain — someone suggested we try one other route from the smaller Iguazú Falls airport. We checked just for kicks and were floored: it cut the price down $500!! Not only could we add Buenos Aires back in, but we could also do the trip under budget!

“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.”

(Ephesians 3:20)

Out-Believed

“There is no saint who can out-believe God. God has never out-promised Himself yet.” (Charles Spurgeon)

I have yet to see God incapable of helping in anything, be it big or small. So many lost things found, plans gone right, situations deferred, sicknesses healed, emotions controlled. While some people could write these things off as coincidences, I believe that the less we pray, the less “coincidences” happen!

Colton Dixon has a song “Build a Boat” with lyrics that encapsulate moving forward and trusting in the God of miracles:

I will build a boat in the sand

where they say it never rains.

I will stand up in faith,

I'll do anything it takes
With Your wind in my sails.

Your love never fails or fades.
I'll build a boat in the desert place

And when the flood and the water

start to rise,
I'll ride the storm 'cause I got

You by my side.
With Your wind in my sails,

Your love never fails or fades.
I'll build a boat, so let it rain!

Love from a miracle junkie,

Katie-Jane