I looked around our classroom at groups of individuals encountering a person of the Trinity they hardly knew. It was Holy Spirit Week, and if you know anything about YWAM, you know that it is one of the most transformative times in a DTS. This was no different for us.

Coming into this week my heart was full of expectancy. I was ready for a crazy encounter with God. I wanted to get profoundly healed; I wanted to get slain (falling over in the Spirit); I wanted to start levitating, get set on fire, and thrown across the room. I didn’t care particularly. I just wanted a life-changing encounter. The only thing I was really afraid of was missing out, and spoiler alert: I didn’t.

As the week progressed we witnessed the Holy Spirit move in wild ways. It always amazes me how easily He shows up when you just ask. I think most of the time he doesn’t is because we try to offer him something in exchange for his presence. God is so committed to showing us that we’re His children and that he’ll give the Holy Spirit to those that ask (Luke 11:13), that he’ll actually refrain from manifesting himself in situations where we try to use our good works or holiness to earn him, because if he did, he would only be perpetuating a slave relationship with us.

When we learned about healing, our speakers, Ruth and Steve Moore, taught us that a key to seeing healing was “Don’t try. Just ask.” Because you can’t actually heal someone, but Holy Spirit can through you, so just ask Him to. What happened next was breathtaking.

Ruth and Steve called up those who had never witnessed a miraculous healing, along with a few people with lower back pain. They sat those with back pain down with their legs outstretched and their hips against the back of the chair. Generally, the back pain is actually caused because one leg is longer than the other. Since this was the case, the person who hadn’t ever seen a miracle simply said “In Jesus name, leg grow.” and in a flurry of gasps and excited laughter, we watched the leg grow. And of course, the back pain left as well. But it was only the beginning. This was one of about half a dozen cases of legs growing out. Out of the 45 of us in the room, we saw upward of 20 healings. How? We asked. Why? Because God loves to heal. And just as impactful as what God did in people’s bodies was what he did in their hearts and minds, as many learned for the first time the access they have to Holy Spirit.

Overall, the week was an unforgettable one. Healings, prophetic words, people getting slain, and even gold dust appearing on someone’s hands (which hadn’t even been taught about). But as for me? I didn’t get healed. I didn’t get slain or have any gold dust appear on me. I didn’t levitate, get set on fire, or thrown across the room. It was a moment where disappointment was close by. The classic feelings of being left out or like I just needed to try harder would normally have filled my mind, but this time I heard something different. It was subtle, slightly louder than an ordinary thought, and it simply asked the question, “Is it enough that I’m your friend?” As I looked around the room at the uncontrolled overflow of the Holy Spirit, a burden lifted off my chest as I knew the answer. Yes.