bunions??

Bunions. Bones that stick out on the sides of my feet. Sometimes extremely painful. Something that I’ve dealt with almost my entire life.

One of my teammates asked me the other day if there was a time I could remember that I didn’t have pain in them, and I legitimately couldn’t think of a time. Of course, some days are better than others, but it’s really been escalated ever since training camp. I never really expected them to be a huge problem on the race, but when you’re walking anywhere from 3-8 miles or more a day on uneven, gravel ground, things play out differently than you thought. 

I’m not saying this in any way to make you feel bad for me or to give me encouraging notes, but to tell you that the Lord is teaching me through all of this. ALSO side note!! He told me week three that my bunions would be healed by the end of the race so that’s freakin dope!!! I would love if you would join me in praying into that!!

Anyways! My team has consistently been praying against pain, for healing, and lifting me up before we begin our walks to ministry. I never really thought to ask for prayer in that because it’s something I’ve had my entire life, but it’s also really freeing for me to be prayed over, knowing that the Lord is walking with me as I go. 

Now, the week we got to Swazi and started ministry, I started getting a bunch of verses on suffering. The Lord took me through Philippians our first week of ministry, which is all about finding joy and thanksgiving in the midst of suffering. Four days of ministry per week & four chapters in Philippians. And then He gave me a few verses in 1 Peter. This all happened over about two weeks. They all had to do with suffering with/ for the Lord so that we could be a part of His glory. Interesting. Don’t get me wrong, I loved hearing so much from the Lord, but I didn’t know why He was giving me so many verses on suffering?? I wasn’t being tortured or anything.

I brought it up to my team, and a few days later some of my teammates started getting verses about suffering. Specific verses in Philippians, Galatians, and Acts. What in the heck is He trying to teach us?? It’s been really cool to see how the Father has been unifying us together through all these verses with a very specific theme. 

It took me taking to my friend Madison as she was braiding my hair to realize what kind of suffering I was going through. We were both asking each other what the Lord had been teaching us since we don’t get to see each other that much during the week because of ministry. I was telling her about all of the suffering verses, and right after she asked if there was anything she could be praying for. I told her about my bunions, and she said, “That sounds a lot like suffering to me.”

I honestly couldn’t tell you why I didn’t have the eyes to see that. Why did my entire team and I overlook suffering as physical pain?? 

Fast forward a couple days during one of our team fellowship times. We had decided to do worship on top of the sewage slab in our back yard. It sounds crazy, but it was honestly so peaceful to worship under the stars. During the second song, Jaynna came to pray over me. She asked if she could specifically pray over my bunions and put her hands on my feet. Of course! When she was done, she gave me some sweet words from the Lord and prayed over my heart. 

“The Lord wants to use your bunions as a sign that something on the inside is healed.”

I went through a few emotions from what was shared.I went from being annoyed and irritated that He was being so extra to being expectant and excited for His promises to be fulfilled. 

The next day the Lord asked me to make something & to be creative with Him. So, without knowing what the finished product would be, I began to draw and write. It’s a mix of what being the hands and feet of Jesus is supposed to look like, who the Father has called us to be, and what we look like on His image. 

It’s been about three days since all of that happened, and I now know what the Lord wants to heal me of. I’ve been carrying a lot of shame that the Lord just wants to take from me. He wants me to walk pain free from my bunions in His beautiful and glorious freedom. 

Man oh man am I excited to share more as the Lord moves and speaks. 

Thanks for all of your continued prayers!!

all my love, Kate