“I remember learning about hydrotherapy 20 years ago. We were told that someday the world would be confronted by a disease that medicine would not be able to cure, and therefore we should know how to utilize natural remedies.”

We all listened intently during the Friday evening vespers as Jaew, our Thai Pastor’s wife, related her family’s recent COVID-19 bout and recovery. Jaew explained that when her husband got sick, she was very concerned for her 17-year-old son Anop, because he was not vaccinated like the rest of the family. She immediately began doing hot footbaths on him. However, as the family got sicker, they went to the hospital and were admitted for COVID-19, staying for ten days. As it turned out, Anop had the best blood work of anyone in the family and did not even test positive.

“When I learned about hydrotherapy, I believed it would work, but in the back of my mind, I wondered just how effective it could be.”

As Jaew continued to share her testimony, she excitedly told us that she was thankful for her family’s experience with COVID-19 because it allowed her to see clear evidence that God’s natural remedies can be even more effective than traditional medicine. I could feel her enthusiasm and found my own spirit stirring within. I did not realize that I would test positive for COVID-19 in less than two days.

I woke up on Sunday morning with a pounding headache. I had noticed a slight sore throat a couple of days earlier but shrugged it off due to the change in weather. Cold season was now upon us, and it is not uncommon for me to get a sore throat during that time. After finishing a shortened morning devotional and a slow walk in our front yard, I took a Rapid Antigen COVID-19 test and sure enough, the result was positive. I immediately began to beat myself up in my mind for how my diagnosis would affect others.

I spent the next three days isolated in my upstairs bedroom, which has three big windows, plenty of airflow and a little outdoor balcony. Thankfully, my wife gave me hydrotherapy treatments each day, and I made sure to spend plenty of time in the sun. By Thursday morning, my test result came back negative!

Sadly, most Thai people are afraid of COVID-19 and easily become paralyzed thinking about it. Pi Jaew told me that even most Thai SDA church members are afraid. As I have reflected on the experiences of my pastor’s family and my own, I have become even more convinced that God has given us a precious message of healing to share with the world for just a time as this. The COVID-19 pandemic has given us a unique opportunity to share simple means of healing that can make a tremendous difference. It offers us the opportunity to testify boldly of the true God of healing and to point people to the One who lovingly tells us to “fear not.” I believe God calls us to take advantage of these unique opportunities and be His witnesses. Please join me in this work!

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