We returned home a week or so before Christmas after being gone from our home for almost three months. The three month journey to get there was amazing.....
If you remember from our previous Blog written in October, we talked about leaving our home with Dehumidifiers running to try and dry out the bugs. We also believed the Lord told us to stop depending on man and depend on Him by praying and fasting for 40 days. After a week of beginning this process, Danny and two friends prayed over our house for deliverance one evening. When they were done, one of the men said "okay, turn off all the dehumidifiers! He's taken away the bugs. To leave them on would be like a slap on God's face not believing He has done what we prayed for." When Danny called me to ask what we should do, all I could do was laugh. The Lord told us to depend on Him completely, and He meant it! This all happened on the 7th day of our fast.
I have never experienced and seen a real miracle before. Ya sure, stories of them, but not one with my own eyes. Then I remembered a prayer I prayed in May sometime when the bugs were literally from head to toe I could barely keep my mind off of them. I wept for us and the many others that were feeling these bugs all day long and unable to get rid of them even after many repeated exterminations. Many of them were thinking of suicide, and all I could think of was how they would leave one torment in exchange for an eternity of torment. I told the Lord, "God, I would love to see you get rid of these bugs through prayer! How awesome would that be?!" I prayed that night and wept for hours, with no answer.
Five months later our fast began. If you have never fasted before....I truly recommend it. We had no idea what to expect, but our lives changed incredibly! Danny's prayer earlier in the summer was "Lord, don't take this away from us until we completely draw close to You and grow and learn from whatever it is you want to show us." I never forgot that prayer he prayed and even became upset at times knowing how busy this bug infestation kept us from our kids, each other, and especially God.
When we began to fast, our times with the Lord went from a struggle to a joy! Our days began AND ended in the Word. It was filled with excitement and prayer all day long. Everyday we would come home and share something new the Lord shared with us that day. It was so amazing. We heard His voice speak so clearly. Our hearts were cleansed, we kept short accounts with God and each other, our actions and attitudes changed toward one another. God would wake us up in the middle of the night and pray. We daily felt His presence and talked to Him all day long. It was the most beautiful experience the two of us have experienced in our walks with the Lord. We truly didn't want to stop from fasting because of the intimacy we were experiencing with our heavenly Father.
A week before we were to return home, I was beginning to say...."well, if they are not gone....." and make plans for the "what ifs". I knew the Lord could do miracles, I just didn't know if that was His will. We had prayed in faith and belief but I was nervous to come home. One night I went to the house to begin cleaning and preparing. I was listening to worship music and the Lord brought me on my knees in the livingroom praising Him and worshiping Him for what He has done (although I did not know). He told me to go up to our bedroom and pray laying on the bed. I began to weep as I walked up the stairs because I knew He was clearly telling me to do that and it was not me. I did not want to go where my most fearful memories of these bugs were. But I did, and I prayed and cried and rejoiced with the Lord. He gave me the most incredible peace about coming home. And told me not to worry.
That weekend we opened our home up to many of you to come and pray and worship and to prepare the way for us returning home that weekend.
We have been home now for almost 40 days and NO BUGS!!! There is not one day that goes by that I do not thank our God and Father for answering our prayers! Some days I just cry in disbelief because the memories are so etched in my mind. He did it! He did a miracle! Some of you may think, "well, you weren't there for 3 months, so the bugs just left". Not true. There are studies done that have shown that bird mites can go up to 8-10 months without a feeding. Crazy I know. One couple put their couches in storage for 8 months and when they took them out....they felt the crawlies as soon as they sat on them.
Since we have been home, I have still had a few bites here and there which have caused me to doubt God. Some of you have told us..."oh, those are demon bites", meaning that Satan is just trying to cause us to doubt God and be angry. Honestly it has been a battle. Living with this for over a year makes it hard to believe anything else could be possible. But it IS with God! I begin to pray immediately and proclaim His goodness and miracle He has done here in this place when I see a bite. It is all we can do. We have even postponed writing our Blog because I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to write that God got rid of these bugs just to find out He didn't. And do you know what the Lord told me one night? " Ah Tammy, you are so sweet. You want to protect my reputation! You don't want others to think I am a fraud....." And I laughed. Okay God, who am I to think I can protect you, or that you are unable to reveal your love and faithfulness to others even if the bugs were still here?
We have chosen to praise Him no matter what! We are different people after this past year's experience. We have drawn closer to our Lord through the power of prayer, fasting and cleansing of our hearts. We have learned to sacrifice in order to walk closer to our Lord. We have seen the importance of Christian community and the need to develop God centered relationships. And most of all we have seen how much Satan desires to steal our time away from our family and God, and how to fight for both of them! Last of all, through this we have left a place of selfishness to arrive at a place where God has opened our eyes to see others with His eyes. There are so many people that either need God (hope), or encouragement to live more on fire for Him. To live with joy, reverence, and passion, the life we each now share with Christ. It is so easy to fall into complacency and stay there. We had been praying for two years now for our lives to be closer to God. We are so lazy. Praise God for hardships and trials that remind us that HE is so able, so faithful, and so good. I am in awe that I get to call the King of kings my Abba Father.
Thank you all for your commitment to us in prayer, your sacrifices in helping financially, for opening your homes to stay, and the many hours of listening and even crying with us. The body of Christ, You, our community of friends, have blessed and loved us through the very heart and hands of God. Oh how we love you all and hope that our experience stops you to fall on your knees and just bask in His love for you. To stop and sit on His lap for awhile and let Him tell you the plans He has for your future. To give you a life of hope and fulfillment that only He can give. And to walk in His power that can move mountains and valleys and completely rid your home and hearts of the things that steal the joy of your salvation. Hold on! Fight! and Go! He is with you...always.
Rejoicing Together,
The Sanchez Family
Here is a video summarizing our journey, and praising our Lord! We never want to forget this time and the things God has taught us and how He will use it in the future.
Also, if you are on Facebook, I suggest you go to "videos" and view it from there. The quality is not very good here and the titles are hard to read.
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