Dengue Fever

I'm sitting at my community college looking over the balcony at blood drive sign-ups. I've just evaded a semi-embarrassing run-in with the overzealous petitioners of this event, who chase down any unsuspecting student, calling out, "Won't you donate to the blood drive? Please sign up for the blood drive. Are you interested in the blood drive?" Apparently I have the face of a persuadable victim. As soon as I hit the lobby I was singled out and berated by the same questions, to which I called back, "Sorry, I can't. I caught dengue fever." Definitely the most fun I've had so far today. The guys face dropped. I waved good-bye as he waved back with a blank stare as unto the walking dead. He didn't know a person can donate blood 4 weeks after recovering from dengue. He probably just knows what I know after looking up symptoms online, "The bone breaker illness," whose victims experience bone crushing pain, intense pain behind eyes, blackouts, fever, rashes, and possibe bleeding from ever orphace of the body before impending death. The internet covers it all and then some. It's true what they say about self-diagnosing, never do it...Unless you find yourself in my situation.

This story testifies to the creative, kind nature of God who, I'm convinced, doesn't use this life as the end all but, through it, prepares us for a reality of life in His love for us that can be experienced now and in life after death.

JULY 2010- Myself,  several youth advisors, and a significantly sized group of youth left for an outreach to Haiti. We prayed over one overwhelming concern from parents, "What if something happens to my kid?"  When we reached base several of the staff and other teams had caught illnesses. Probability was against us, however we left with no issue. Houses were built, people were saved, healed, and we overcame significant spiritual attack from the local witch doctor. (I could, should and maybe will write about that another day.) I was so thankful when we got off that bus with every kid accounted for and every limb attached. We all went home and I thought the trip was over...

Several nights later I had a dream. In the dream I was sleeping in PA with all the youth that went to Haiti. There was a spider/mosquito with a deadly illness in the room. No one could find it. I was trying to protect the kids, then I felt something bite me. I threw off my covers and it was sucking my blood. I ripped it off and chased it across the room but it got away. I stood in the room wondering if I got the disease. Then I woke up. I thought, "huh," wrote the dream in my dream journal and went to the gym.

Several hours later I came home and walked to the refrigerator, my legs almost gave out, as I reached to get a glass of water I felt like a 90 year old woman. Thinking I had just worked out too hard I crawled to my room, yes, I crawled. I fell face down on the bed and woke up several hours later, still in my work out clothes, moaning, sweating and in serious pain and with another dream...

This time I was in a dark room, had a serious illness and was in a lot of pain. Voices were around me telling me, "The Lord doesn't heal, obviously, look at you. If he loved you he would heal you. Wouldn't he? God hates you. Everything you've ever seen about the Lord's goodness you've made up." It went on until I was rocking back and forth crying. My friend, Ashlea, walked up to me in the dream and sat down in front of me. She said, "Brianna, I believe the Lord wants to heal you. His heart for you is love and he doesn't desire you to be in this place. Can I pray for you?" I said, "yes." She hugged me, prayed for me and...I woke up.

As I wrote that dream down I saw the dream I wrote down that morning. I thought, "What? Do I have dengue or malaria?" Then the, "rational," side of me kicked in and said, "What are the chances?" (the rational side of me is what usually makes me look like an idiot after the Lord speaks) I continued with my day but got worse. I was in a daze. My eyes hurt too much to open and my body felt like it was breaking. I crawled in bed early that night and the thoughts came.... "The Lord doesn't love you, has no intention to and never will heal, your alone...etc." and I started crying. I've never felt so hopeless. Then, hopefully you know by now what happened next.... my friend Ashlea called me....and you already know what she's going to say.... I did.

She said, "Brianna, I believe the Lord wants to heal you. He loves you very much. Can I pray for you?" I said, "yes." She prayed for me. And I cried again, this time for a totally different reason.

Not only did the Lord warn me that I was going to get sick and the type of illness but he warned me a second time about the spiritual attack I'd be facing that night. Whose God does that for them? Only mine, Jesus.

The next morning I had to share about all the miracles the Lord did in Haiti at church. I walked up to the mic. still feeling horrible and testified to the Lord's desire/ability to heal, I ended with the story I'm posting now and what the Lord taught me."

"Our truth is not determined by our experience, but by the Bible. We press into the truth of the Bible until it becomes our reality and until that point...we continue to press in. If our past experiences determine our future experiences we will never see our new reality."

I never got to follow up with the church about what happened after that morning. If you go to Willow Street Mennonite you can pass this on. Several days later I got better. I never bleed out off my mouth and immidiantely after I shared Sunday morning I started to feel better. I still went to the doctor anyway and had my blood tested. The results came back several days later and they couldn't believe it, I had dengue fever. haha.Who knew?

A few months later the National Department of Health called my house to see if I was dead. They had seen my dengue fever lab test and were taking a death toll for dengue in the states. My mom answered the phone, and I'm grateful she was able to say I'm alive.