My Amazing Story of God's Healing

Written on Wednesday 5^th February 2013

In the September of 2012 while canoeing on the River Wye with some of my friends, I was involved in a minor accident whereby the canoe I was in capsized (click for story). I was fasting during this period and coincidentally, this was the last day of my fast. Of all 3 of us involved, I was the only person who sustained an injury – a dislocated left shoulder.  I thank God for his grace that things were not worse.  The paramedics came out and examined my arm, I hadn’t sustained any broken bones to God’s glory but I had to immobilize my hand for a while.  As the healing process began, things just didn’t feel quite right with my hand, I would hear clicks while swimming or exerting myself but I would always ignore these until one eventful morning on 11^th January 2013 (this was just 5 days before my birthday) It was one of those mornings when the bin men were picking up the bins on a different day to the usual. I rushed out of bed in a sleepy haze to hurriedly get my bin out after 2 weeks of stockpiling waste. In my hurriedness, I missed a step and just as I was about the steady myself with my left hand, I twisted my shoulder all over again. The pain was sharp and it was like a frozen towel hit me in the face. I have been in so much pain in my left hand since then. Things had gotten to the point where I wake up almost every morning with my pinky and ring fingers completely numb. I also get terrible pains in my wrist and shoulder blades.  

Where is all this going you may ask? Well, a little more patience my friends. On Tuesday 5^th February 2013 I attended my 4^th Alpha course session titled “Why and How Should I pray” this is one of the things I struggle with in my Christian life. Trying to get it right has always been an obsession as well as knowing truly when God is speaking to me. The session touched a chord with me and during the discussion sessions, the presenter talked about the first prayer he prayed and God answered. He asked for a bible and a few minutes later, his father called him over and gave him a bible.  For me, this was a reminder of God’s promise to his children “Ask and it shall be given”

At the end of the session as always, Pastor asked if anyone wanted special prayers for anything. I was tempted to be quiet and have the session end so we could all go home but something within me spoke out and I made a special request for God to heal my left shoulder.  This was not the first time I had prayed for healing in my left shoulder, but this time, it was different. I had made a conscious decision prior to keep a prayer journal so I could list my prayers and then check the answered ones so I can have a constant reminder of all that God has done for me.  As pastor’s wife touched my left shoulder to pray for me, I just felt this really cool sensation in the inside of my arm right from my neck to my finger tips. I knew in my heart that something amazing was happening and I just tuned myself in to that sensation.  Driving home that night, my left arm felt different.  I went to sleep with a feeling that my left arm was healed but still at the back of my mind, I knew I had to wake up the following morning to see if I would have numb fingers. To God’s glory I work up and my left arm felt as normal as my right arm.

People, God healed my left arm! As I type this up on Wednesday 6^th February, I have joy in my heart and I am grateful for God’s glory. I know in my heart that God is true, loving and kind and all we need to do is believe in him and he will answer all the needs of our hearts. I would like to encourage you all to not be afraid to ask God. I truly believe that my story this morning would have been different if I hadn’t taken that step of faith and placed my troubled limb in God’s hands.  

Ajala goes Canoeing

Come and help me sing hallelujah!!

This is proper thanksgiving mate and add praise and worship to that. Yours truly (which is me in this case) was involved in a canoe capsize.

Canoe-cap-kini I hear you say. Well, you heard it right. A canoe capsize.

A few of my workmates and I (scratch that, one babe like that for work) organized a canoe trip on the River Wye (one very dirty river like that in Gloucestershire). This was supposed to be an adventure with two persons in each canoe paddling down a 6 mile stretch of the River Wye. I was all for it. I am usually a very adventurous person and I do know how to swim reasonably. So, this was gonna be a piece of cake

The whole trip was marked for misadventure the minute I was paired. I just knew that my paddling partner was going to get me into trouble. Throughout the whole trip, our canoe kept zigzagging down the river. The tour guide said I was paddling too hard while my partner was not paddling strong enough (dilemma!) How the heck is that my fault. All the eba I ate in Nigeria buffed me up

The trip went generally well and it was a lovely day to be out on the River. But just as we were rounding a bend in the river, our canoe was bumped by another canoe from behind onto a massive bush right in the middle of the river and we pushed onto the bushes and stuck right on top (imagine a boat running aground). At this point with the strong currents pushing us against the river, we could not free our boat. That was when the tour guide (aka Voltron Defender of the Universe) decided to come and free us.  As we were being rescued, the canoe overturned.

 My life did flash before my eyes as the brown, dirty, cold water of the River Wye slapped me squarely in the face.

My first thought was “OMG! I’m drowning!” I heard the tour guide yelling at me to put my feet on the ground and that was when I realized that the river was quite shallow, so I did as instructed. By this time, our Voltron had taken hold of the canoe and brought it back and gave me a firm instruction to jump in. I could tell he was pissed off. He had lost some of his kit in the river and I guess for the 19 pounds per person for the trip, we were not worth the trouble.

It wasn’t until I tried to start padding back (all drenched in murky waters) did I realize I could not make use of my left hand. As I lifted the paddle, I experienced such intense pain that I started to shiver. So here we were, sitting in the middle of this bloody river and I could not paddle. Lucky for us, other members of our group who could not find us returned to the scene of the incident and towed our boat to the end point.

By this time, I was shivering, in intense pain and had tears streaming down my face (and I wasn’t even crying!) I could not move my left shoulder and at this point, I could tell everyone was worried. I guess I was in shock by now

At this point someone called an ambulance. What we got were two ambulances, two fire engines and a police car. Boy did I fell very special!

 Ehhh.. I was well impressed. I was so thankful that I didn’t fall into Ogunpa River in Nigeria. Not even nearby fishermen will come for me!

After a few blasts of what we call “Air and Gas” – some really good gaseous pain killer which makes you feel no pain.. I was as high as a kite (laughing and giggling).  The medics determined that I hadn’t broken anything but had dislocated my shoulder. This was popped back in and I was put in a sling and off to the A&E for X-Rays. No broken bones. But I tell you, the pain was incomprehensible

In the midst of all the humor, pain and disorientation, I was still able to appreciate that this could have been worse. People have been known to drown in waters that people consider Mundane and so for walking away with a dislocated shoulder and a sling I am extremely grateful

The shoulder still hurts a bit but with gentle Physio excersies, I am getting berra.

Lots of love

PS: Sorry I had to "purple" out peoples faces here

Tolantino.