Hello, Champion!

Sunday, August 19, 2018. I remember it like it was yesterday. I stood at the front of the church, eyes closed, and ears attentive. Our leaders were praying for teachers and students to have a successful school year. Summer was officially over, and the first day of school was tomorrow. I knew I had worked hard to prepare my classroom for my new students. I spent several days arranging, rearranging, organizing, and decorating my classroom for my students. The word wall was up (in which I stood on top of the classroom counters to hang up), materials covered the desks (purchased with my own money), and bulletin boards were filled with important information. The only thing missing were the students. I was looking forward to the first day of school.

As I stood there, head down, eyes closed, I felt something happening in my body. Something strange, weird, unusual. Something was troubling me. I didn’t know what it was. So I started to do a self-inventory. Is this the Holy Spirit manifesting Himself? But why don’t I feel peace? Why am I worried and afraid? It was not noticeable, but on the inside, I was shaking uncontrollably. I kept asking myself, What is going on? What is this? I knew something wasn’t right. The longer I stood, the more I felt off balance. It felt as if my legs were going to give out. I tried so hard to stand firm, but it felt as if I was about to fall over. I started to focus on keeping my balance. I moved my legs a little and looked forward to the end of the prayer. I knew I needed to sit down. Now, I have had a stirring in my spirit before and knew when the Holy Spirit was present, but this particular experience was different. It was confusing. I knew something was wrong with my body. I didn’t feel good about this at all. So, after the service was over, I drove to the hospital near where I lived and checked into the emergency room. What I thought would be a short visit ended up being a five-day hospital stay.