i am grateful for elders, the church and for the Word. Each exist to accomodate and facilitate God's plan on this Earth. In seeking God i find Him where the Word instructs me to look. For that i am thankful.

I had my 4th or 5th lung infection for this year. No cold or flu, just a lung infection. Since two years ago, my dr has told me that my bottom left lung has never started working. I have taken steroids and other "remodelling" drugs initially but recently just a steroidal/bronchial dilating inhaler as needed. ... My gma passed away of lung disease. No one, including she, knew she had, 'til she became ill in the end. The dr's said it is congenital. So, needless to say, when i contracted this last infection i was a bit worried, but more than that i was really in pain.

My bottom left lung felt like there was a 16 penny nail sticking in it (that might be too long..maybe an 8). My breathing was constricted in that area, like the nail was holding a stiff band in place that i couldn't breath past. I could only breath in shallowly, even though my right side was attempting to draw a full breath. It was a painful, lopsided, pulling feeling and on top of that, my body was beginning to make the mucous it produces in response..that was another problem starting!

About 10 days after onset, i lay in bed unable to sleep for the pain and i thought about waking jim up to pray for me but then the scripture from James ch 5 came into my head "if any sick among you let them call on the elders of the church and they will pray over him...and the prayer of faith shall save the sick."..I felt led that, perhaps, that scripture popping into my head was what God was instructing, so i didn't wake up my husband and decided to get prayer at church the next morning (sunday)..i lay there thinking how unusual it was for me to go for prayer and how it might create some chiding ..

During our service we have a break and one of our elders wives, fran, makes her rounds to say hello and noticed i had no voice, asked if i were sick, i told her "no, nothing catchy, no cold, just scary lung problem" she said you have to get prayer, i said i know, she said i'm going to remind you...

As it were, at the end of service, Pastor joe said "ask the lord to speak to you and look around and when he gives you a word for someone go tell them, prophetic, encouragement, whatever."  ...we stood and suddenly two elders descended upon me.."We're here to pray for you" (Thank you Fran) Fran's huband and elder Pastor Steve stood in front of me and begin to pray, he spoke words of faith in God, but also words of faith in my husband and i, as if reminding the Lord, maybe for my benefit, but certainly, they  were touching words of faith, the sweetest words i have ever heard him speak concerning us. When he stopped, i could hear Pastor Pat (another elder) praying in the spirit, so i remained still with my eyes closed. He was standing behind me with his hand on my bottom left lung. When he quit praying in the spirit, he began praying in english and said in essence, "Sickness, we are her elders and you be gone"... it was as if he was interpreting his own tongues..i believe the spirit spoke to me concerning how he was going to heal me and then because my elder prayed in the spirit he received the message the spirit wanted me to hear, the confirmation that He had spoken, i had come, it was accomplished. 2Co2:7
When Pat said it, the pain disapeared. I immediately thought the endorphins had masked the pain, so i took a deep breath. Now, a deep breath may be a bit difficult for me to perceive, having not had one so deep for quite some time but i felt no pain, no constriciton. It has been another 10 days and no pain, no mucous, no constriction. I haven't been to the dr, so, if there is something i cannot feel, it is not inhibiting me or giving me pain!

I call that a healing.. For that i am grateful for the elders, the church and for the word.

...A Wyandot indian was travelling across America when stopped by soldiers. They asked him where he was headed. He replied "To the west, to worship the great spirit. I've heard they have the instruction book there."