Tongues of fire: a Holy Spirit encounter

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone, to each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.” – 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

The most impactful experience I had on this mission trip was at the Big Giveaway. This was the main event of the mission trip, where we gave food and toys to over 600 families and prayed with each family as they drove through the line. It was cold and early – a 5:30 start in late-December – but the energy of the students was unmatched.

As we talked to and prayed with each car, I learned more heartbreaking situations and met people that were desperate for hope. People that were grateful for help. People that had been beaten down by the world yet hadn’t lost their faith. They were open to praying with us and sharing their hardships. Some were more hesitant – “Ma’am, I can’t even talk about it” – but as we prayed, tears began falling. The Lord had given us words their hearts needed to hear.

People came as far as 30 miles away for the giveaway. Two vehicles – a red truck and white car – came through mid-morning and told us they were picking up for 14 families because they had traveled far. It wasn’t uncommon for the neighbors to take care of each other like that here or pick up for their whole area. However, shortly after, we learned why they were picking up for those 14 families. They had all worked together at Pizza Hut and were told the day before that the store was closing down. They were all out of jobs two days before Christmas. Their vulnerability and gratefulness were immense and touched so many of us. Many tears and hugs were shared before they headed back home, where all the families were meeting at Pizza Hut to distribute the items and share within their community. How rich their support for one another.

Eventually, the line of cars began to dwindle down. As I was looking around, I saw a lady standing in the middle of the lawn with a walker. She wasn’t too much older than I and she had nothing but a thin, silk robe on. With her bare legs and arms showing in the cold weather, she was shivering and looked lost. As I approached her with a few students, she shared that she lived down the street and had heard about the giveaway. While a few students ran to get a bag of food, one student and I stayed to talk with her and pray. We learned her mom was sick and prayed over her health. I knew she needed to get out of the frigid cold quickly, so when the others returned with the food, I offered that we could walk with her and carry the food down to her house to allow her to move more quickly with the walker. She agreed. I took my group of six students with me and gave them a quick instruction: time for another home visit.

While we had planned to simply drop off the food and head back to the giveaway, God had another plan in store. When we got to her home, she said, “You can come in, I’m sure mom would love to talk to you.” As we began to carry the food inside, she told me how her mom had Covid. As such, I made the high school students stay in the doorway – I was responsible for them – but I took the risk myself and went in.

As soon as the door opened, we met Kathy. She sat ~400 pounds in a large chair in the middle of the living room. Living room is a loose term considering it was the only room in the house and had a kitchen, bed, TV, and more included. Kathy sat in the dead center, but that’s not how I knew she was there. I heard her before the door was fully open. Kathy was full of life and energy, and her voice carried. As I stood in the room about 5 feet from her and our high schoolers at the entrance, I explained who we were with and why we were dropping off food.

Immediately, Kathy began praising Jesus. She couldn’t stop and began sharing her wisdom with us. She told us how she hadn’t left that chair in three years. That a few years ago she started gaining weight like crazy – 15 pounds a week – and the doctors couldn’t figure out why. She told us how involved she used to be at her church and teaching the kids about God, but now she was confined to her chair. I have no doubt that Kathy was a teacher – she exuded energy and wanted to share messages with the “babies” in the doorway from the moment we arrived. Mainly, she instructed them not to be afraid to be bold in living or sharing their faith. “We live in a world that will try to take it from you, in unknown situations that will dampen your spirit, but don’t let the devil win. Stand up and be bold.” It was a powerful message.

Kathy proceeded to tell us how a few months earlier, all the skin had fallen off her leg and doctors had said it would never grow back. Moments later, she rolled up her pant leg to show us her fresh skin. “It’s a miracle!” she exclaimed. Our high school students’ eyes were wide open. Her leg was purple. To me, it did not look healed but extremely painful and like it had blood clots throughout; but Kathy was squealing of joy. “The Lord granted me a miracle in my 48 years of life!” She then pulled the TV stand that was an arm’s reach away closer to her to show us the Bible on top. Every single page of that Bible was marked up and highlighted. Kathy began explaining that since she cannot get out of her chair, she essentially reads the Bible and prays all day long. She goes through a new Bible every few months because they are so marked up. How deep her faith.

When I asked if we could pray together, her excitement grew. “Oh baby, I’d be honored!” she cried. Through all my time serving in ministry, I could have never been prepared for what would happen next. As I began praying, Kathy began praying in tongues. This was not my first encounter with tongues, but she was praying so loudly that I could hardly focus on the words I was praying. She was shouting thanks to the Lord, Hallelujahs, and continued her prayers in tongues. Finally, I stopped in mid-prayer because her shouts were so loud I couldn’t think through the words I was saying. I instead just shouted, “Lord, thank you for Kathy’s joy, determination, and faithfulness! Thank you!” and began laughing. Her joy had spread to me. What an encounter.

Before leaving, Kathy told us about the family across the street who had a new baby and needed help. It was then my group of high school students and I realized our new mission for the day. We would no longer wait for people to come to us, we would go to them. We began knocking on doors – many unanswered – and delivered them food, toys, and prayers on their doorstep. They were vulnerable in sharing their situations, held our hands and thanked us for finding them. Kathy had encouraged us to be bold, so I too encouraged our high schoolers to be bold and lead us in prayer at each home, even when they were uncomfortable.

I prayed with hundreds of people that day, but Kathy left a profound impact. Her joy and unwavering faith amid hardship struck me. 2023 was the hardest year of my life and I was struggling with my own medical issues. I had been feeling so defeated and my relationship with God wasn’t as strong. I trusted Him and knew I would be okay – I had come to terms with being sick and knew he would prepare me – but I lost all joy. I had much to learn from Kathy. Walking to her house was not a part of the plan that day but I opened my heart to where I felt the Spirit was calling, and the Spirit in her touched me. It gave me hope I didn’t know I needed. It gave me reassurance that I can still bring light and joy. That the Lord would take care of me. That it was okay to be joyful amid suffering. That life doesn’t always have to be so serious. That in this Christmas season, I needed to refocus my priorities on what it was all about. It was about the birth of Christ and being a light to all those around me. It was about service and being Christlike. It was about bringing joy, love, faith, and hope to others and myself. Hope. Hope is something I lost this year and need to rediscover. Kathy shared hope. The people of Harlan County shared hope. On this trip, the Lord revealed to me where I need to grow from people who have so little but are rich in hope. The way He delivers messages never fails to amaze me.