When Jesus sent out his disciples to minister, he gave them explicit instructions.  "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." [Matthew 10:8 NKJ]  Earlier in the chapter, it says that He gave them power to do the very things he asked of them.  Oftentimes, we ask God to heal those with ailments or disease.  However, Jesus instructed his disciples to heal the sick with the same power that he endued upon them.

As we went to the hospital in Corinto, it was an assault on our senses.  From the sights to the smells to the condition of the people, it was overwhelming.  We knew it might be this way, so we spent extra time in prayer before embarking on this particular mission.  It was a Saturday, so there were very few staff or personnel present, but Pastor Luis had made prior arrangements for us to feed and visit with every patient.

When we walked into the first room, it looked like an infirmary from one of those war movies - hospital beds lined up on both sides of the room with no privacy between patients.  There were about 5 men in the first room with various ailments from a mosquito bite infection, an amputated leg and a young man who had injured his leg playing soccer.  We began ministering to the first man for a few minutes, until our translator told us that we only had an hour to visit each patient in the hospital - and there were about 40 people to see, including family members who were present.  So, we split up and did our best to minister to each person individually.  We shared the gospel with them and prayed for healing.  We ministered to 2 different young men who gave their lives to Christ during our visit.

The women from our team went to visit with pregnant mothers and other ladies in the women’s ward.  John and I went with Pastor Ezequiel to another part of the hospital where we met a woman who had just endured a kidney operation.  She was already a Christian and was happy to see us as we prayed for her continued healing.  We also met a young woman who had a daughter with pneumonia.  She was so sad and hurting and my heart was broken by her plight.  As we prayed, we released the power of God into the child's body and we spoke life over her family as well.

I also had the opportunity to minister to a young couple in the Emergency Room.  The girl was not receptive to our visit and had many questions about suffering and the poverty that they were facing.  I did my best to point her to a loving God who desires a living relationship with her and her family.  She wasn’t open to me praying for her healing, but she did allow me to pray that God would reveal Himself to her and show her His goodness.  I believe God is big enough to answer her questions and show up in her life.  After all, He is all about seeking and saving the lost.

As disciples of Christ today, step out in the power of God and lay hands on the sick according to Mark 16.  Expect God’s power to flow through you to heal the sick.