'Prayers and Praise bring Healing to Missionary'

[quietbloke]

'Prayers and Praise bring healing to missionary by LeVonna Ennis AGWM Missionary to West Africa. When news of COVID-19 came to my husband Scott and me in March,we began to closely monitor the situation. Operating a newly established Bible School,ministering in local new congregations,discipling believers and mentoring ministers kept us quite busy in West Africa' (AGWM)

 

[quietbloke]

'By April we were faced with a tough decision,return to the United States on a repatriate flight or ride out the pandemic in a nation with less than adequate health care. We knew there were an insufficient number of ventilators. According to our sources,there were either 5 or 11 total units for our population of just over 2 million" (AGWM)

 

[quietbloke]

'Our first grandchild,Adalai was due in May. We had planned to be there for her birth,for our District Council,for our daughter's college graduation and a few other scheduled meetings. But the only airport in the nation was closed down. Only repatriation and medical flights would be allowed for the foreseeable future. After much prayer and discussing each possible scenario,we made the decision to remain where we were' (AGWM)

 

[quietbloke]

'(AGWM) We wanted to protect ourselves as much as possible and be prepared in case the worst happened. So we tracked down z packed am zinc tablets. We wanted to have hydroxchlorogaine,previously on over counter drug. But immediately after President Trump stated it showed promise for Covid,LL hydroxchlorogaome and quinine were confiscated. These medications have been used foramy years on West Africa to treat malaria,but they were no longer available. All medical shipments were either seized or held up. So even medications we had been getting for several years were no longer available' (AGWM)

 

[quietbloke]

(AGWM) 'Because churches were shut down we felt a need to help people keep connected. Scott began sending out daily devotions and a weekly video sermon,even conducting occasional communion for people to partake as familes. I began sending a daily children's story and producing a weekly video for kids. Stories with Aunty Mariana (my Gambian nan) We sent these on Whats App to conserve data costs as much as possible. Soon they were going to five African nations'

 

[musicalpilgrim]

I pray for protection for this family.

 

[quietbloke]

AGWM. 'When the mask mandate for our country went into play,we complied. We socially distanced,as much as possible,which is much more difficult in African culture,than it is in American culture,where everyone has a personal space bubble. But around the last day of July,Scott began to exhibit symptoms of Covid. He suffered for over a week with harsh malaria like symptoms,though the fatigue and pain continued long after. My symptoms showed up about four days later than his. I expected to be much like he was,but my symptoms were much worse'

 

[quietbloke]

'AGWM. Health care Professionals consulted with us,but they begged us not to be admitted to a local hospital. Very few who were admitted came out alive. . Immediately at the onset of our symptoms we began taking the antibiotics and zinc. We drank bitter lemon (a soft drink containing a small dose of quinine) and both of us used an inhaler twice per day. Scott's patents had just come through Covid,so we followed the orders,their health care Professionals had given them,working to keep our lungs clearer. For four weeks we did not allow anyone to enter the door of our home missionary colleagues and church members brought prepared food to our door and called to let us know it was waiting'

 

[quietbloke]

AGWM. Unreached People Groups. Woundan is remote and disintangled of outsiders The Woundan have had little access to the gospel'

 

[quietbloke]

(AGWM) 'I grew weaker and weaker and the pain was unbearable at times. Keeping down a few bites and staying hydrated became a battle. I could hardly walk from the bedroom to the recliner in the living room. After about a week,I could not walk at all. Scott wheeled me back and forth in an office chair. I couldn't even walk for 17 steps from the bed to the bathroom. We only played praise and worship music or listened to Scripture,during this time (Listening to Women's Ministries Chasing God Bible Reading Programme on You Version). I could not endure any TV,news or podcasts'

 

[quietbloke]

(AGWM) 'There was such an oppressive darkness surrounding us. We often fight spiritual warfare in West Africa,but we also later learnt from many believers who experienced COVID-19 that they felt a spiritual aspect as well'

 

[quietbloke]

(AGWM) 'On the night I was the sickest,the electricity went off (nothing unusual) silencing the soothing praise music. As I woke up,I saw demonic spirits of death flying near the ceiling. I could almost feel the harsh breeze,caused by their wings. I whispered,'God,I am ready to meet You,if You are ready to take me,but I rebuke these spirits of darkness'

 

[quietbloke]

(AGWM) :My great regret was that I would not meet my three grandchildren (the first was just one month old and the next two were to be born in September and November) I felt a gentle nudge from the Holy Spirit,'You're going to have to praise your way through life'. I wasn't sure exactly what that meant but I began to already worship God in a whisper.,partly,not to waken Scott and partly because I had no voice and my breathing was laboured'

 

[quietbloke]

(AGWM) 'After a few minutes I began to whisper the lyrics,'I raise a hulleluyah in the presence of my enemies. I raise a hulleluyah louder than the unbelief. I raise a hulleluyah,my weapon as a melody. I raise a hulleluyah,heaven comes to fight for me'

 

[quietbloke]

(AGWM) 'At that point I saw a logo begin to pierce through the centre of the demonic spirits,so I continued,'I'm gonna sing in the middle of my storm,louder and louder. You're gonna hear my praises roar up from the ashes,hope will arise,death is defeated,the King is alive!'



So I continued,'

 

[quietbloke]

(AGWM)'I felt the evil spirits move to the edges of the room and the center was filled with light. As long as I praised,the darkness remained at bay. But,when I stopped praising,they fluttered back to surround me. I continued to whisper praises and worship songs for a bout six ,finally,well after the sun was up,I no longer sensed evil in the room,though my body was still weak and ravaged with the disease'

 

[lilmissmontana]

the last two years for me have been long and weary ... from being diagnosed with lyme disease due to a tic bite, to the aftermath including three long months of severe pneumonia ... to my heart developing chest pains for one long year ... unable to see a heart dr due to lockdown ... to getting covid for another three long weeks ... to having three months or so where i couldn't make myself read the Word ... as hard as i tried ... feeling further and further from the Lord til i cried out to Him asking Him to pull me out of this pit ... He did, as He is faithful ... many, many months and days of just hanging on ... through it i learned the value of praise and worship in a way i never understood before ... shortly before the beginning of this year the Lord showed me healing was coming ... and He showed me to praise and worship and sing every time the enemy tried to speak to me ... to not doubt ... i'm grateful for those two years ... still working on healing but i feel so much better and know in my heart now the value of those 'tools' for lack of better word ... i feel so much closer to the Lord ...

 

[quietbloke]

(AGWM missionary testimony continued! ''I honestly believed I was going home to be with Jesus and I was ok with that. I woke Scott and told him about my experience. I said,I only had one request,that he let the grandchildren know how I loved them and wanted to get to know that he obviously was not ready for that to happen' (AGWM)

 

[quietbloke]

(AGWM) 'Scott was able to arrange for a Pharmacist (one of our church members (and a nurse (one of our Bible School students to come and care for me in the home that day. When they arrived my blood pressure was 60/40 and I was severely dehydrated,despite the efforts to keep that from happening. . They administered life giving fluids,high dozes of Vitamin B-12 and started on new rounds of antibiotics and an alternative malaria medication'

 

[lilmissmontana]

'Scott was able to arrange for a Pharmacist (one of our church members (and a nurse (one of our Bible School students to come and care for me in the home that day. When they arrived my blood pressure was 60/40 and I was severely dehydrated,despite the efforts to keep that from happening. . They administered life giving fluids,high dozes of Vitamin B-12 and started on new rounds of antibiotics and an alternative malaria medication'

i'm so thankful you are healing and on the road to better days ... and thankful for all who were there to care for you ...