Did someone say darkness?

April brought many new changes for me in Toliara.  As the weather began to break I anticipated the ability to finally be able to walk around without getting heat stroke and the possibility of having enough energy to accomplish more things again.  The past few months have been so hot all I’ve wanted to do it sit in front of the fan.   

April also brought the spiritual warfare unit (part of the curriculum I am working on during my two years with AIM) for myself and my leaders.  I had experienced Spiritual darkness once before while on a 10 week missions trip to Spain.  It was like nothing I had ever felt before.  There was literally a weight on me as we prayed together that week.  I will never forget when I entered the van with my family on the way home from that trip.  Being surrounded by believers in a place of peace lifted the weight of darkness I had been feeling the whole trip.   

April brought the same darkness to me in Toliara.  Looking back the darkness was always around me, but as my team moved into the Spiritual warfare unit and my eyes were opened to the types of darkness in Toliara I began to feel it everywhere I went.  I began to see it in the people around me and with that came fear.  

With fear came prayer like I have never been a part of in my life before.  My leaders prayed with me for hours, I asked many of you to pray with me at night, my Malagasy host mama prayed with me in the morning and then the real praying began!  

 My leaders came over and prayed at my house and in my room.  Then, my Malagasy mama invited members from her church to pray.  They prayed in our house at night and came again the next morning to pray again.  This continued for three days and that’s when I broke.  My body hadn’t slept in days and I knew I needed a break.  Thankfully, God heard my prayers and gave me several things.  He gave me reminders from the prayer warriors that were standing with me.  I have received so many words of encouragement in the past few weeks I know it is God’s reminder that He is with me.  God also gave me a much needed vacation.  If you have seen my posts you may have put together that I am not in Toliara at the moment.  My heart is still with God’s work there, but my body and mind are resting.  I am so thankful for the chance to recoup and looking forward to what God has in store next.  He is good, all the time. 

I have learned that darkness is everywhere, but that Jesus is always with me and when I am afraid I can trust in Him.  I have to admit I am a little afraid to pray sometimes because I know that when I do I am entering to a spiritual battle, but God continues to encourage me through it all.