The youth group at Living Way gave an offering for food distribution in Ethiopia and their $500 gift enabled us to feed 16 families. For each family, a group of a few of our team members delivered a month supply of flour, vegetable oil and sugar and then prayed with the families and individuals who were receiving our gift. One woman, a 35 year-old mother of four named Beshetu, had suffered with an unknown condition in her legs for six years and could barely walk. Julie Eastland and a few of the other ladies on the team gave delivered food to the little house where Beshetu and her husband Ayele lived along with their four children (and the chickens too). She spread out a sheet of bubble wrap over the table as a tablecloth. The pastor who directed us to help Beshetu called her family “the poorest of the poor,” and her family was at risk of starvation without the food we delivered. The team prayed for this lovely family and just wept as they saw in Beshetu the joy of the Lord despite her physical needs.

Later that week, on Sunday morning, this crippled woman showed up at one of the churches where our team was ministering. After the sermon (my father preached), Bashetu hobbled forward for prayer. Julie recognized her immediately, and she and my dad prayed for her with fervor. As they prayed, her crippled legs were healed! Just while they laid hands on her and prayed she began jumping up and down and shouting her praises to God in Amharic. She jumped like an athlete stretching for a race—certainly not like a woman who could barely walk! She left church without even a limp.

God is so awesome! In a week He showed Beshetu that He cares about her every need. He provided for her most urgent needs; to be fed and to feed her children. He surprised everybody by dramatically healing her body. He reminded everybody in the community, congregation, and on our missions team that God knows how to take care of his people. That’s awesome.