Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Just a Do Rag?


Each year at camp (the conference we do) we have families return and are amazed at how the children have grown. Mom and Dad have been doing this conference for 20 years and Keith and I just 7. But we have become familiar with faces that were just little ones when we started and now they are in high school. :0

Each year as they graduate and leave our class Keith has a bandanna ceremony.
He wears them because of a shortage of hair and when he realized how the kids loved them he thought it would be something fun to give them...a neat memory.
Last year we had about 6 that were graduating.
One was a girl named Abby. She had been a little quiet during the sessions because her Mom was not with her--she was home battling cancer.
We told the children about her and we prayed for her during the week.
At the end of the week Keith went and purchased a special bandanna (do rag) for this Mom.
He told the children about Paul in the New Testament and how people took cloths from Paul to people who were sick....and they were healed.
So Keith had all the children sign it and then he anointed it with oil and then all the kids laid hands on it and prayed for this Mom to be healed.
(Yes, I am sure some parents thought that we had gone off the deep end...but this is in scripture and our God is still the same)

Abby took the Do Rag to her Mom and that was the last we heard...... because we don't live in the same area of the country.

Not long after we got here this year Keith ran into Abby.
He asked her if her Mom was here and she said yes.
So, during the first meal Keith sat down and talked to her and asked her about her health and if she would come and share with the children......some of the same ones who had signed her bandanna.

We started the evening with this song and then the Mom got up to speak.


The first thing she did was pull out her Bible and open it to pull out her Do Rag.
She told the children that that is where it had been since she received it over a year ago.
And that the reason she was standing before them today
healed
and cancer free
was because they had prayed and sent the bandanna to her.
She cried a little as she as she talked about having had no hair and how she leaned on scripture to make it through that time.
She told the children that she knew she had been healed because of their faith.
Ya'll, I had a hard time not bawling.
The faith of a child.
I don't know that the children really realized the power of the moment.
I don't know that they understood what power was released when they said
their simple child like prayers.
But at the time they knew that one of their friends Moms was really sick and they knew an adult told them that they could pray and send a cloth and God would heal her.......and they believed.

So.. we have had testimony of a healed Mom......and we had one saved this afternoon.
The Spirit of God is moving!
We have a Spiritually young group this year. But.....that is good because when we teach they are hearing us with no filters.

And let me just tell ya'll how much I appreciate your prayers.
God has been moving in an amazing way in my life and heart these past two weeks.
It has been a long time since I have enjoyed teaching- Since I have felt the power of God flowing through me as I spoke.
I have missed it.
I have come to realize some pretty huge things that God has been working on teaching me the last two years. It is sweet and I look forward to sharing some of it when I have time.
Keep praying......I feel like I am stepping into the light after a long time in prison.
Sometimes it is not so bad to be in prison.....that is---- if you come out with great truths.
Paul gave us some great things from the prison cell.
Now think on that one!
;)

11 comments:

Denise said...

Wonderful post.....!!! It is late and I am headed to bed but will be back tomorrow to comment......

blessings girl friend!

Mama said...

Great post -- love the bandana idea and its origins. Come and visit me anytime!

Anonymous said...

What fun! How exciting for the children. What's next for them?

Sandi said...

What a beautiful way for the children to see God's glory. Your camp sounds a lot like our mission week where I head up a team for VBS. We leave it 9 days.
Praying for you.

luvmy4sons said...

Wow! Thanks for sharing that beautiful story with me Sharon. I was so blessed by it. Our Pastor is always saying that healing requires the someone have faith...just someone. Children are so precious to God and their faith so pure and so mighty. That is so awesome. I am glad too that you are coming out of the tunnel as well. Thanks for your encouraging words. I look forward to hearing all you have learned. I keep you in prayer. Love and hugs dear sister!

Ally said...

Hi there Sharon,

I know it´s beena long time since I have been around...too busy to sit down a while!!!!! So glad that I dropped by today to read this. It is soooooooo special... what a wonderful testimony and how powerful prayer is! That is so wonderful! I think it is great that your husband took iniciative to do that... that was a risk and took faith. God is good!

MelanieJoy said...

YES...I'm so excited to hear you say that you feel you are "stepping into the light" again. That has been a prayer on my heart for you! What an amazing testimony of healing you shared! It has brought me to pray hard for my friend LeaAnn today.
I look forward to hearing the things He has been teaching you....
Thanks for your prayers today...things went really well.
Love ya big~ talk to ya soon

Denise said...

Enlightenment comes from the darkness of prison..... I love what you said about the Apostle Paul.... He learned of the Lord while his flesh was locked up.... I am glad to hear that you feel that you are walking once again into the light…. But I will be so interested to see what he has spoken to you while you waited………… I love the story of the dew rag and how it teaches the children that Faith is what moves God……….

I pray you are well and resting…… I always look forward to hearing from you……..

Halfmoon Girl said...

Wow, what a great story Sharon. To have the faith of a child- sometimes we adults make things so complicated. I watched the video- took me back to my VBS days when the big books were used during sing a longs- good memories.

Holly said...

Is it ok that I'm bawling? Oh thank Ya LORD!

Mmm...

Unknown said...

Great post and such an awesome testimony!!
Blessings!