Upendo Ministries

It’s been nearly 17 months of being unwell—and now, at last, the sun is starting to shine again.

Back in 2018, I got a tick bite. A friend helped remove it, and we didn’t think much of it at the time. Everything seemed fine. Then, in 2019, on my first trip to Kenya, I developed a rash on my chin that slowly started spreading. It lasted for months, and we thought it was just a secondary staph infection. After about eleven months, it finally cleared up.

In 2023, I went to Kenya and Malawi again. While I was there, I started to get really sick. When I got home, I was incredibly ill for over a month—but even after the worst part passed, I just never fully recovered. My lungs started acting up, and by December, I was dealing with constant stomach pain that affected my everyday life. I cut out my food allergies—wheat, eggs, and milk—but I kept getting worse.

Then came the Guthrie Meeting, and I ended up getting COVID while there. I came home really sick again, and even though the main symptoms faded, the pain didn’t. It actually got worse. I thought, “This must still be COVID recovery. It’ll pass.” So, I pushed through and went on a trip to Pakistan.

That trip was incredibly hard. I barely made it through and had to survive mostly on goat’s milk. I came home in a wheelchair. (And just to be clear—I don’t regret going!!)

After that, things went downhill fast.

In June, I made it to the Oregon/Washington Campmeeting. That was a turning point. I was still in deep pain, but during one of the messages, the preacher talked about the woman who reached out and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. I felt like God was telling me to reach out, too.

So I did.

And for the next 22 hours, I was completely pain-free. It was incredible. A gift straight from God. The pain did come back—and came back strong—but that moment reminded me that healing is possible. It gave me hope again.

Some months after that were better than others. But even when I looked okay, I was still hurting.

January and February of this year were especially rough. I barely left the house. Some nights I got 30 minutes of sleep—if that. The pain was nearly unbearable.

At the end of February, my cousin got married and was preparing to move to Germany. I really didn’t want to miss her wedding. So I pushed myself. But after the wedding, on my way home, I could tell things were not going well.

And then… March came.

That’s when things began to change.

Very slowly, sleep began to return. One night, I slept for 8 hours—something I hadn’t done in so long. Now I average 4–6 hours a night, which feels like a miracle in itself. And my pain, which had been at a 9 or higher most of the time, gradually dropped into the 3s.

And during this time, we started piecing things together. That strange rash I had in 2019? It was a bullseye rash. That meant I had likely been dealing with Lyme disease this whole time—and it explained so many of the confusing symptoms.

Now, I’m slowly learning to enjoy life again. I went into this as a 10th grader. I’m coming out of it nearly a senior, starting to think about college and praying that God gives me direction and wisdom in all the decisions ahead.

I wouldn’t have made it through this without the people God placed in my life. So many of you prayed for me. Some of you sent cards or messages just when I needed them most. You reminded me that I wasn’t alone—and that helped more than I can explain.

I’m beyond thankful to our God. He carried me through this, He didn’t let go, and He gave me hope when I didn’t have any. I still have healing ahead, but I finally see the sun.

Thank you all so much for walking this with me. I love you all. May God bless you!