My child, when you are ill, do not delay, but pray to the Lord, and He will heal you.
Give up your faults and direct your hands rightly, and cleanse your heart from all sin.
Sirach 38:9-10
Beginning sometime in 2005, I started experiencing pain in my neck & shoulders, and over the next few years the pain spread, mostly on the left side of my body. By late Summer of 2007 I could no longer lay on my left side and I had to lean to the right when sitting. From my hip to my ankle there was a constant tightness and any weight put on the left when sitting would almost immediately result in an intense dull pain.
Soon my lower back began to hurt and the neck & shoulder pain intensified.
In January 2010 I threw out my back & began getting massages once a month.
I was still able to work but was definitely limited physically. That Fall I started physical therapy but stopped when I didn't see any significant results after 3 or 4 months.
I also had x-rays, an MRI and some nerve testing done, but nothing could ever be determined.
At about this same time I started to get really bad headaches. I called them migraines because they rendered me almost functionless, but my doctor said they didn't sound like textbook migraines. I decided to see a chiropractor. I saw loads of relief from his adjustments, especially with the headaches, but the left leg discomfort persisted. The stretching exercises helped to alleviate some of the tension during the day, but to lay on that side at night was still unbearable.
Great crowds came to Him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute and many others. They put them at His feet and He cured them, so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking and the the blind seeing.
And they praised the God of Israel.
Matthew 15:30-31
On October 16, 2011, my family & I attended a Mass & healing service celebrated by Fr. Ubald who, since his escape from the Rwandan genocide has been healing people in the name of the Lord, Jesus. After the Mass, Fr. Ubald processed throughout the church with the monstrance, blessing every pew. Once he returned to the altar he began to reveal the healings that would occur because of the prayers that evening. No names were mentioned, only specific details about one's illness or life situation.
The first thing Fr. Ubald said was, "There is someone here who cannot sleep on their left side because they have a lot of pain and migraines. You will be able to sleep on your left side now." (He had a pretty thick accent & was a little hard to understand so this might not be word for word, but this was the general message.) As he spoke these words, I felt an intense burning sensation travel from the top of my head through my body down to my feet. It was something I've never felt before, but at the same time it was incredibly familiar. I knew it was the Holy Spirit. After the last healing was told (and there were many!), Fr. Ubald asked for us to tell everyone if any of the healings were meant for ourselves, basically - claim it! Even though I knew deep down that that first message was meant for me, I was nervous about claiming it. OK, honestly, I was a doubting Thomas. I was thinking, "What if I go home tonight and still can't sleep on my left side?; What if I get more headaches? Then I'll have to 'unclaim' this healing later." I decided to wait and see if anyone else claimed that particular healing - isn't it possible that someone else in the congregation could have these same symptoms?? But after a few people told of their healings, I knew I had to do the same so I stood and claimed that first message!
When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, Woman, you are set free from your ailments.
Luke 13:12
Since that very night I've not only been able to lay on my left side but I've actually fallen asleep there, too. Praise God!!! I still have some tension in my hip & leg and continue to see the chiropractor (much less frequently, though!) but these 5 weeks have been wonderful. Even if a total pain-free healing isn't what God has planned for me (some healings are progressive, so I'll have to wait & see), this incredible gift of more comfortable sleep is enough for me. I'll take it!
~Becca
