During the last stretch of our slippery, mucky, five hour, dirt bike ride to Agua Preta, Bonfin went down hard. He had only fallen once previously, without incident. His wife rode with him.  Luke rode with me.  All of us were falling and struggling with the conditions. This time when Bonfin got up, he had significant forearm pain, after falling on his outstretched arm. He wasn’t able to use his left hand because of the pain so he became a passenger for the remainder of the day’s ride. When we arrived at our destination, he was tearful and hurting. As I felt the painful area, I felt the bone grind and shift beneath my fingers, a sensation diagnostic of a fracture. I told Bonfin that his arm was broken, gave him some ibuprofen, formed a splint and a sling for him, and advised him, because of the road conditions, to take a boat back to Altamira as he would have difficulty managing the pain over the next several days, even as a passenger. He said he appreciated the advice, but that he would continue on, as originally planned. We all gathered around him and asked God to touch him. He felt nothing initially and he woke me during the night for something additional for the pain.

The next morning he said he felt no pain and we credited the splint. By lunch, he wished to go without the splint and, by the following morning, he had complete, painless function of his hand. Complete, rapid, remarkable recovery. Either, 1) the fracture remained and God gave him significant pain relief, 2) the fracture was healed, or 3) the initial diagnosis was inaccurate. The latter is possible but unlikely based on my exam. The former is unlikely as he had no return of pain after returning to Altamira. Healing of a fracture likely occurred.

Bonfin received it as a gift from his Father. All of us were encouraged. I was surprised.

God is God. Why does He remarkably change the condition of one ill person and not another? I have no idea. But I know that sometimes He does, and this motivates me to come to Him on another’s behalf. The outcome is His to determine. And I know that He loves using people. He loves people touching and loving hurting people, whether the wounds are physical, spiritual, emotional, or circumstantial. It is an honor and a privilege to be a tool in the hands of the Carpenter as He continues to make and shape His creation.