Girl Healed in School Prayer SpacePhil Togwell - 24 Jul 2009

When Charly* and her class arrived for their lesson in the prayer space, she didn't seem too enthusiastic about it. She preferred to lean on her crutches in the entrance we'd constructed between rows of lockers, and watch her year-9 class-friends noisily explore the room.

"No thanks," she mumbled, when I offered her a chair, "I'm OK."
"You don't look OK," I replied, motioning to her plaster-casted foot, "How did you do that?"

She explained that a horse had trodden on it a few days before, and had badly fractured one of the small bones. I winced (I'm not good with other people's pain/injuries... probably worse than with my own!)

"Does it hurt?"
"All the time," she replied with a wry smile.

She was due back in hospital to have her foot re-cast the following Tuesday and the Doctors had warned her that she'd be in this cast for about 6 weeks, pretty much all Summer. She wasn't enthusiastic about that either.

I decided that if Charly wasn’t going to venture into the prayer space, then I'd just explain each of the prayer activities to her where she stood. At the end of her stationary tour, I offered to say a simple prayer for her. "I could pray for your foot if you like?  I can't promise that it will get better though," I said, admitting that my track-record wasn't very impressive.  I told her about my daughter Poppy's deafness, and about others who haven't got better after prayer.  And then I told her a few stories about those I'd heard about who have, inexplicably, got better after prayer. Charly just listened without saying anything.

"The worst thing that could happen is... well, nothing," I said, "but who knows, maybe something will happen?" At this point, she smiled, "Alright then, you can pray." So, with a couple of her friends watching, smiling tolerantly, I stood beside her and prayed a very simple little, hopeful more than faith-full, prayer.

I honestly didn't think anything would happen. So, this text, from one of the Christian teachers in the school, was a bit of a surprise when it arrived the following week:
 

"Hi Phil. Charly came to PE today. She said that the day after you prayed for her foot the pain had gone. When she went to the fracture clinic, the fracture was fixed, they have removed the plaster. She still has crutches but she said it is nearly better. One of her class mates asked if her knees could be prayed for!"

The teacher also said that other students had been asking her questions about why she is a Christian and a few had been asking for prayer.

(*name changed)
 

If you’re resident in the UK and are running Prayer Spaces in schools then please email the 24-7 UK Team, we'd love to hear from you and help you in any way that we can.  In September 24-7 UK is hoping to launch a new Prayer Spaces in Schools website, and we'd love to work with you.