Don Piper: At Heaven's Gate

Don Piper was relieved when the pastor's conference he had been attending finished a little early that Wednesday in January 1989. Being associate pastor and having just been appointed minister of education at a Houston area church, Don was a busy man. The early start home would provide him much needed time to mentally organize his hectic schedule.

"I was thinking about that night and also that I was going to be preaching that next Sunday morning in three services," Don remembers.

Little did Don know he would be late for the service that night--not just by minutes or hours, but by months--and before he got home, he would take a detour he would never forget.

Within minutes of leaving the retreat center, Don drove onto a bridge spanning a lake. It was a fairly long bridge and there was water on both sides of the elevated highway.

Recalling the scene, Don says, "I approached the end of the bridge, and before I reached the end, a tractor-trailer truck owned by the Texas Dept. of Corrections crossed the center stripe and hit my car head on."

Not only did the truck hit Don's car, it ran over the passenger side of the small Ford Escort, completely crushing the vehicle and killing Don Piper. Instantly, Don began an amazing journey.

"When I was killed, I was instantly transported to heaven's gate," he says. "It was an instantaneous thing."

Don found himself standing in front of a divine portal, surrounded by familiar faces.

"I did not see a single person that I did not know," he says. "They were relatives, they were friends that died in high school, they were teachers--they were people I had seen and known all my life who had gone to glory. They were smiling; they were embracing me; they were welcoming me' they were in the process of taking me through the gate of heaven."

Looking over the heads of his friends, Don saw a looming pearl gate.

"The gate of heaven was a magnificent edifice, the one that I saw. It looked no less like a giant gate that had been sculpted from mother-of-pearl," Don explains.

Peering through the gate, Don saw an incredible light.

"Behind that portal was such a light that I don't conceive of how you could see it in an earthly body. It could only be envisioned in a heavenly body because it was too bright."

And, says Don, there was music, that of a literal, angelic choir.

"In all honesty, as awesome as the sight was, the sound was more amazing," he says. "I heard literally thousands of praise songs. They were all praise songs. I really couldn't see anything. I was so preoccupied with the people around me, I couldn't see anything. But you could sense this hum of wings hovering all about you, like you were being ministered to by angels, and they were observing this whole episode."

While Don stood at the gates of heaven, pastor Dick Onerecker of Kline, Texas, stood on a Texas highway by Don's lifeless body. He had also attended the pastor's conference. He came upon the accident moments after it happened. The EMS personnel had told him that Don was dead.

"It was as though I was compelled to stop and to pray for him. The Lord had just impressed on me very emphatically, very urgently that I was to pray for him," says Dick. "I walked over by the door. There was great physical damage on the outside. I laid my hands on him and began to pray for him."

As soon as Don's journey began, it ended. Don found himself back in his crushed vehicle, staring up at a tarp that had been thrown over him by medical attendants.

Says Don, "The first conscious memory was 'What a Friend we have in Jesus.' I was singing. I was thinking to myself, Why am I singing this song? I'm in the dark, and I knew it was about noon time when the accident happened. I'm in the dark, I'm singing, and I'm holding a hand. I'm thinking to myself, What on earth is happening?"

Dick had begun singing hymns to Don.

"The Lord impressed on me not only to pray for him but that there would be no internal injuries and that there would be no head injuries. Then, I began to sing, and I to heard him singing with me," says Dick.

Don was transported to Herman Hospital in Houston. Miraculously, he suffered no head or internal injuries. However, virtually every bone in Don's body was either broken or shattered.

His left arm and left leg were completely severed, and had to be rebuilt and replaced. Looking at his battered and pain-seared body, this man who had touched heaven's gates wanted to go back.

"My mindset was having now been able to see what the matter with me was, and to know how beautiful heaven was, to want to be there again. As much as I loved these people that I was with, I was so confident of their salvation experiences that I knew they would join me sometime in the future," Don says.

But the prayers and love of family and friends pulled Don through four months of intensive therapy, numerous operations, and infections that on two occasions almost claimed his life.

"I like to say that I came back by popular demand," he says. "People prayed me back from the gates of heaven. People prayed me back from death's door. I'm here because people asked God for me to be here."

SOURCE: cbn.com

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Texas teen buys home to help families in crises

Most 16-year-olds aren't investing in their first property, especially if it's not for them. But a Texas teen is doing just that - renovating a house she bought for people to live in during family crises.

Kelsy Mauer, from Kirbyville, Tx., has big plans for the $2,000 house.

"Sometimes people have had enough, they get frustrated, they get stressed out, they have things going on at work that they might, you know, worry about," Mauer said. "So little things just keep on stacking up and stacking up and in a few cases, it just gets into where it can be a dangerous situation for somebody."

It's this belief that is driving Mauer, with the help of family and friends, to turn the property into a free temporary shelter for families going through problems.

Mauer, who created the nonprofit organization 'A Friend's Place,' about two years ago, says the house still needs major renovations, including tearing down a wall and putting on a roof, but hopes to have it finished within six months.

"The community needs something like this and I hear a lot of people tell me that you know, it's going to be hard. But I think I can do it. It's going to be worth it because it will help a whole lot of people," said Mauer.

And Mauer, who would like to become a family marriage counselor,  is not stopping at one home; she hopes to expand in the future and add more houses for her community.

Source: CBS News 

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Religious Book Saves Bus Driver’s Life From Gunshots

A bus driver in Dayton, Ohio, survived a shooting today, thanks to a religious book in his shirt pocket that stopped two bullets, authorities said.

“This is almost unheard of for us,” Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority Executive Director Mark Donaghy said in a statement. “The last time we had a gun incident involving a bus was almost a decade ago.”

The bus driver, Rick Waggoner, 49, is recovering and is doing well, Donaghy said.

Police said Waggoner, who was shot at 5:07 a.m. today, would not have survived if the book, a devotional book titled “The Message,” wasn't in his pocket, according to local ABC affiliate WKEF.

“I had a book in my pocket — at first I thought it had went through, but it just feels like I’ve been hit by a sledgehammer in the chest, and I've been cut on the arm,” Wagoner told the 911 dispatcher, WKEF reported.

Police said the victim was shot twice in the chest, once in the hip, and also stabbed in the arm.

Waggoner started his morning route along Lakeview Avenue and Lakeside Drive but then stopped at the side of the road because the bus broke down, WKEF reported.

Three male suspects, possibly juveniles, approached him, police said.

Waggoner told police that he heard a suspect say that “if you want to be all the way in the club, you have to kill the polar bear.”

Waggoner scuffled with the suspects and took the gun and knife away from them, police said. Waggoner shot at them as they fled but he wasn't sure if he hit any of them, WKEF reported.

“We’re still trying to find out what exactly happened,” Sgt. Richard Blommel of the Dayton Police Department said. “We’re going to go back to the scene.”

Waggoner has been working at RTA for 10 years, officials said. During that time, he had a perfect attendance and no accidents, Donaghy said in a statement.

“He is one of our best people,” Donaghy said. “He runs a 90 percent on-time performance record, which is incredible. That just shows you the kind of person Rick is.”

Donaghy the RTA is working to retrieve surveillance video from the bus.

SOURCE: ABC News

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Lost 7-year-old Boy Cuddled With Dog to Stay Warm

A little Tennessee boy who became trapped and hidden from view while walking his dog survived cold temperatures for 14 hours by cuddling with his dog.

Dominic Jeffries, 7, was walking his dog Coco in his front yard when she pulled him from the home and eventually they both slipped behind a cement retainer wall that was covered in brush. Unable to climb out Dominic had wait in the cold until help could arrive.

Dominic remained stuck behind the retainer wall during a cold night in Cordova, Tenn., wearing a camouflage jacket and large fur hat.

His legal guardian Robbyne Manning said that they searched the area near where Dominic was stuck many times. but never saw him behind the leaves. While Dominic heard his name and saw police lights he didn’t respond.

“He said he heard us and saw the blue lights and thought he was in trouble,” Manning told ABCNews.com. “When he used to be with his parents, blue lights mean you’re in trouble.”

Dominic was only a few blocks from home, but he was missing for approximately 14 hours during a cold night when the temperature dipped below freezing.

Manning said to keep warm, Dominic started to hug Coco, a black Shih Tzu. However as the night wore on, the dog started to get cold and Dominic took off his jacket to warm up the dog. Eventually worried that the dog would get too cold, Dominic took off her leash so that she would hopefully go home and get help.

For another three hours Dominic stayed in the cold by himself. When his shoes and socks became wet, he took them off and put his gloves on his feet.

Eventually as daylight broke, a police officer spotted Dominic.

“He was just happy,” Manning said of Dominic when he was found “The police talked to him and said not all the time [do blue lights] mean you’re in trouble.

After his ordeal Dominic got his own badge from the police and told Manning he wants to be a police officer to help “people who get lost.”

Source:  ABC News

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Tough Calif. teacher has a tender heart

At St. Francis High School in La Canada, Calif., there's something to be said about math teacher Jim O'Connor. The question is, what is that something?

For whatever reason, none of his students would tell me what they really think of him.

"Oh, what's the word," one student says.

Jim O'Connor's students thought they knew him -- until last November, when senior Pat McGoldrick learned they didn’t know the half of him.

 CBS NEWS

 None of the boys came in and said, "Oh, we have hated him at times." I wonder why.

"He's going to be seeing this, right?" the student asks.

Oh yeah, that's why.

Truth is, O'Connor can be a bit of a drudge. But the 70-year-old Vietnam vet says he's not here to entertain his students.

"It drives me crazy when people say school should be fun," he says. "I mean, it's nice if it could be, but you can't make school fun." 

 And for years, the kids thought that's all there was to him -- until last November, when senior Pat McGoldrick learned they didn’t know the half of him.

Pat was in charge of a student blood drive and had just come to Children's Hospital Los Angeles for a meeting. And he says it was weird: whenever he told someone he went to St. Francis High School, they all said, "Oh, you must know Jim O'Connor. Isn’t he wonderful?"

"It was disbelief, really," Pat says. "It was almost, like, kind of finding this alter ego that he has."

Inside the blood donor center, Pat found a plaque listing all the top blood donors at the hospital, including the record holder, Jim O'Connor. Then he learned something even more unbelievable: that whenever O'Connor isn’t torturing kids with calculus, he's on a whole other tangent -- cuddling sick babies.

Three days a week for the past 20 years, Jim has volunteered at the hospital, stepping in when parents can't, to hold, feed and comfort their children.

Nurse Erin Schmidt says he's invaluable. 

Three days a week for the past 20 years, Jim has volunteered at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

 CBS NEWS

  "They tend to calm for him," she says. "They tend to relax with him. They fall asleep with him."

"I just like them and relate to them somehow," O'Connor says.

O'Connor has never been married; he has no kids of his own. But he has fallen hard for these babies.

"I don’t want to see them alone," he says. "You can't do that."

He's not a tough guy at all.

"I know, but don't tell my students," he says.

Sometimes you think you know someone, but you don't have the slightest. Sometimes you think you're learning calculus, but the real lesson is life.

"I've always respected him, but now it's to an even different degree -- really to the point where I try to emulate him," Pat says. "He's the epitome of a man of service."

Source: CBS News

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Smiles of the Bible

Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth? A. Ruthless.   Q. What do they call pastors in Germany ? A. German Shepherds.     Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible? A. Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.     Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible? A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nileand drew out a little prophet.     Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible? A. Jehovah drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury. David's Triumph was heard throughout the land. Also, probably a Honda, because the apostles were all in one Accord.     Q.. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible? A. Samson. He brought the house down.     Q. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in Eden ? A. Your mother ate us out of house and home.   Q. Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible? A. Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once.     Q. Which area of Palestine was especially wealthy? A. The area around JordanThe banks were always overflowing. Q. Who is the greatest babysitter mentioned in the Bible? A. David. He rocked Goliath to a very deep sleep.     Q. Which Bible character had no parents? A. Joshua, son of Nun.     Q. Why didn't they play cards on the Ark ? A. Because Noah was standing on the deck. (Groan...)     PS... Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee? Yup, it's in the Bible. It says . . . "He-brews" KEEP SMILING!!!! GOD LOVES YOU BUNCHES AND BUNCHES!!!! Friends are God's way of taking care of us.

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My First Miracle

The year was 1996 and I was 9. I took a 10 speed bicycle ( I am still not sure who's bike it was) for a ride. I took it around the neighborhood, up and down the block and pedaling as fast as I could, when I seen a access alley that ends into a main street with crossing traffic, thinking it was a long straight away, I would be able to go as fast as I can, and before I run into the street I would just make a quick left onto the side walk, or so I thought. I stood at the beginning of the alley and began pedaling as fast as I could. As I neared the end of the alley not realizing that I was going too fast and cold not stop from colliding with cross traffic, just a few feet from the street, the bike on its own came to screeching halt, and I fell off, not forward, but to the right, as I got up I noticed a large SUV stopped on the street just before the alley way. This day could have ended badly to say the least, but God stopped my bike and the truck that would have hit me, and I walked away without a scratch, scrape or bruise. 

Now that I look back the decisions I made as kid were foolish and sometimes put me in harms way, but my Lord and Savior has always kept safe.

Source: ainglkiss.com

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One Snowy Day

I felt the need to share my story after coming across this website.  My miracle happened earlier this year one day when it was very snowy.  I had been at home for the weekend and was about to make my trip back to college.  My parents were wary about letting me drive because of the conditions, and insisted they drive me back.  But being the stubborn kid I am, I refused.  I said the words that most parents hear all the time, "I'll be fine!".  However, they threatened to take away my car if I wrecked, because they had warned me.  As I made my way back to college the roads were actually pretty clear.  I called my parents every 20 min or so to just let them know I was okay.  I also was jamming out to some music like I always do.  I decided to put on my favorite song, Grace Like Rain by Todd Agnew.  I even put it on repeat because I like it that much! Anyways, as I continued my drive I started getting into worse weather.  The roads became slick and the snow was falling heavier each second.  I began to realize my car was sliding a little and was more cautious to my driving. As I approached a sharp turn to the left, my car fishtailed! A disaster was waiting to happen as my car was sliding towards a phone pole, and a ditch.  I kept spinning my steering wheel and was hitting the breaks but could not gain control.  I thought, "this is it".  But as soon as I thought that, my car abruptly halted in the snow, right between the ditch and phone pole.  My side door was literally within inches of crashing into the phone pole.  As I sat there in disbelief with my heart pounding, Grace Like Rain was playing in the background.

Thankful that God had saved me from a major accident, I however faced a dilemma.  My car was stuck and I was only 15 min from my college.  I couldn't call my parents because it was too far for them to come, and they would take away my car like they had threatened!  So I walked to the nearest house, which looked like a rundown shack.  This creepy guy came out from the back shack and I was scared for my life.  But I told him I needed help and he turned out to be a very kind guy! He grabbed a shovel and started digging out the snow from my tires.  However, my car still wouldn't budge.  A snow plow just happened to be making it's rounds and slowed to ask if everything was okay.  He ended up helping the guy push my car out and I was able to make it back to college! I had no scrapes on my car or anything! It was honestly a miracle and God proved that day he's watching out for me.  I haven't worked up enough courage to tell my parents.  Maybe one day I will, but not for awhile!

Source: http://www.ainglkiss.com/

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The power of prayer

Late one mid-winter day when the snow lay three feet deep on the central New York ground, some Christmas lights twinkled on porch railings and windows to remind us of the birth of our Savior. In another part of town, our sixteen-year-old son, Bryan, lay on the ice hockey rink, unconscious. Seeing him crumpled like a fallen brick wall made my blood run as cold as the thermometer outside the rink, which read ten below zero that January day.

Three years before, a Bishop at a men's rally had challenged his audience to "Pray for your children daily." And so my prayer life began to take a turn. Praying daily for someone seemed redundant to me, as the Bible warns of praying vain repetitious prayers (Matthew 6:7). But I continued.

Bryan continued to lay motionless on the ice. I searched like a hawk for the slightest movement. Nothing came. Time dragged. Coaches and trainer hovered over his still body, the rink of spectators silent. Still no movement came from our son.

Bryan could take a hit as well as any one, but this time his lights hadn't come back on. My mind flashed back to my high school days, when a boy on the football team had died after taking a similar hit.

Following much discussion with God, I dropped to my knees. This is a public place, Lord, I thought. "Pray," came the command. The floor was cold and wet. "Pray," He said.

On the dank floor, I asked our Father to "Please touch Bryan and keep him alive." My right knee became damp and cold. I raised myself up, feeling much older than my years. I peeked over the boards that separated the ice from the fans. Numbly, I blinked, finding it hard to swallow.

Still no movement came. And then I saw it: Bryan's right foot moved. He's alive! Hallelujah! Thank you, Father. Another motion, then another and another. His coach helped him sit up.

Leaning on one arm with his legs stretched straight out, Bryan sat on his cold battlefield like a wounded knight. Helmet on. His head tilted down to one side.

The crowd began to chant: Bryan! Bryan! His trainer helped him to his feet. Coach and trainer at his sides, they guided him off the ice through the door to the team box and a seat.

He was not only alive, but skating off the ice -- slowly, but on his own. My face beamed through tears. Thank you, Father, for hearing my prayer, I uttered.

On that bleak afternoon in a hockey rink, God grafted to my heart to pray for my family members by name everyday. I believe that when we do this, God honors the effort. Also, when crisis comes, we are able to go fast to prayer at the point of need.

Help us, Father, to "pray without ceasing" for our families, friends, leaders, neighbors, church, pastors, missionaries, parachurch workers, authorities, community and whomever else You bring to mind. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)


Tim W.
Montrose, PA


Source: Touched by the Hand of God

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Supernatural Deliverance From Pain

“Just out of the blue, the pain would hit me and I would fall. My arches were falling and I also had bone spurs, arthritis, and nemosis, which is an infection of the foot.  I went to chiropractors and massage therapists. I had two podiatrists that I went to but the diagnosis was always the same. The only way they could see out would be, finally, surgery.”

“I left my employment. I couldn't work there anymore. We were on our feet 9 hours a day.  I went through a great period of sadness and it did borderline depression I would say because you do feel inadequate. You can’t enjoy the life that you used to. I have a great empathy for people who suffer everyday with pain now. I didn't understand that before, but I do now.”

“I came in and The 700 Club was on. It was the last ten minutes, and there was a young woman giving her testimony about how she ran for twelve years and every night her feet would hurt. I just had this overwhelming compassion for her. And then she began to talk about how God had healed her and I said, ‘You know Lord, am I going to hurt twelve years?’ And that’s all I said, ‘Am I going to hurt 12 years too?’ And that’s when Gordon Robertson came on.”

Then Victoria heard Gordon Robertson pray. “There’s a woman.  You are saying the soles of your feet.  You've got problems with fallen arches in both feet… It’s very difficult for you to walk, very painful. God is healing you now.” 

“I just had this supernatural knowledge I was healed. So I stood up and I just started jumping up and down like a rabbit. I was just rejoicing and laughing and crying. I was hysterical because the pain was gone. My feet weren't hurting. My legs weren't hurting. My hip wasn't hurting. My back wasn't hurting. It was so remarkable.”

“A few months later, my left foot started hurting again. And I’m like, ‘No!  God’s healed my feet.’ By that point I had been to the doctor, had all my records closed, had stopped my disability and I’m like, ‘oh no, but God’s healed me.’ I turn on the TV again and there’s The 700 Club again. Terry Meeuwsen had a word of knowledge for someone’s left foot. I actually recorded it and kept playing it over and over.”

Finally, my foot stopped hurting. For some reason it just wanted to hurt again, but God just wanted me to know He was in the business of healing. He did complete what He started.”

“I get to wear cowboy boots again! Now I’m beginning to wear shoes I love again. I quit my gym and I give that membership money to The 700 Club.”

“Some people ask, ‘Why me? Why me?’  I ask that. ‘Why me, God? Why did You heal me? What did I do that deserved this?’ I didn't do anything.  Jesus did it all.  He purchased our salvation, but He purchased our healing and deliverance too.”

Source: cbn.com

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Free To Be a Teen

For a year, 14-year-old Brock Alcock suffered with daily fatigue and headaches.

Brock remembers, "I was real tired all the time. I couldn't do the things I usually do."

 His parents, Gail and Russell, grew increasingly concerned with Brock’s condition. Finally, they had Brock tested. The news wasn't good.

"He [doctor] told us, he has polycythemia. And he asked, 'Has his blood always been this thick?" says Gail. "And I said, what are you talking about?" 

"And he [doctor] said his blood is so thick they could hardly draw it."

Brock was diagnosed with Polycythemia, which causes the blood to thicken, increasing the risk of stroke and heart attack. Polycythemia is rare and when it does occur, it’s usually seen in elderly people. Brock’s case was unusual, so to reduce the thickness of Brock’s blood, medical staff drew two pints of blood from Brock.  This process took over eight hours returning Brock’s blood thickness to normal.  Consequently, a month later, repeat tests showed Brock’s blood thickening again.

"Brock didn't understand how complicated this was, and how serious the condition it was. Because when you’re told that when you’re 14-years-old, [he wasn't quite 15 at the time], that you could have a stroke or a heart attack, and die at any minute, that’s hard to accept," says Gail.

Brock's father Russell clung to his faith: "I was just hoping for the best, I was hoping for a miracle."

Brock’s fatigue and headaches continued for another six months. But in October of 2005, while Gail was watching The 700 Club...

Gail says, "Whenever it came to the Word of Knowledge that day, Gordon said, 'There’s a person out there with a very rare blood disease. The way the red blood cells multiply, I don’t know, but God does, and He’s healing that condition.' "

"It was like cold chills went all over me. I have them right now. Because I said, that is Brock. That is for my son, he is healed. He’s going to be healed," she remembers.

"At the time she got it, I was in school. I came home, my daddy got home, and she told me. I was like, wow," says Brock.

"It was better than winning the lottery. It was so wonderful, it’s hard to explain," describes Russell.

Two weeks after the Word of Knowledge, Brock begged his doctor to let him join the wrestling team. At first, his doctor disapproved believing Brock was at high risk and could suffer a stroke or heart attack. But a week later, Brock was retested in Greenville, North Carolina. 

"They did more blood work and while we were waiting and waiting and waiting for the results, they finally came in. They said, 'You know, we can’t find anything wrong. His blood tests all are normal,' " says Gail.

"After mom told me, within that week, I decided to get more energy. It was gone. Nothing was wrong. It just went away. I just can’t explain the way it happened," recalls Brock.

By the way, Brock did wrestle and has the letter to prove it.  As far as Brock’s health today, blood work is still normal.

"God healed him. There’s no other explanation," says Gail.

Source: The 700 Club

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Faith and healing

Faith and healing I often attend Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship meetings, a Christian layman's outreach organisation in Auckland, New Zealand, where I live. One day, a group from our own East Auckland Chapter was headed to visit another F.G.B.M.F.I. chapter on the Hibiscus Coast, just north of Auckland, where we were to share brief testimonies. Everything had seemed to get in my way that afternoon (traffic and so on) and the others had left without me. I felt discouraged and considered not going. Then I thought, what was the point of going through all those  problems if I gave up now? I was going to be very late, but I prayed that the Lord would get me there on time -- at least not too late for anything important. Also, the Lord had shown me in a vision: 1) that there would be someone at the meeting with a spinal injury -- I could see clearly what looked to be a break -- and, 2) a hand tanned by the sun and held palm-first in a kind of claw fashion. Eventually I arrived at the meeting and, to my amazement, they were only just beginning to be seated for dinner. I had missed nothing but some informal fellowship beforehand. The President of our Chapter told me a man with a spinal injury was there and wanted us to pray for him afterwards. I told him the Lord had shown me this and I would be happy to support him in this. After dinner we each shared brief testimonies of what the Lord has done in our lives and then the meeting was opened up to a time of prayer for any who required it. I prayed for a couple of men. Later, the President called me to come and help with what he was doing. There was a man sitting on a chair with several others standing around him. The President said to me, "Would you take hold of his ankles and pray." Others placed their hands on the man in accordance with the President's instructions. Not knowing what was wrong with the man, I began to pray in "tongues," that holy prayer-language given to many when they receive the "baptism of the Holy Spirit" (I Corinthians 12). After a few seconds, these words were 'spoken' into my mind: "And immediately his feet and ankles were made strong." I recognized the words as coming from Acts, Ch. 3, where the disciples Peter and John were making their way to the temple when they encountered a man lame from birth. Peter said to him, "I have no silver or gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." ...'and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong'. I thought that was a bit curious, but kept on praying. The man started pulling his feet away from me, so I held on tightly and kept on praying. He began to pull harder, and I thought, "O.K. If you don't want me to pray for you any more, I won't." So I let go. The others seem to have stopped also and were talking. I had been so intent with my own little bit down on the floor, I did not know what they were talking about, but then the man started to get up. Someone passed him a walking stick with a large round knob on the top. As he went to put his hand on it I was astonished that I recognized his hand from the visions earlier. Then he pulled himself up and began to shuffle off slowly, amidst cries of amazement. "What's the fuss?" I asked a man standing by me. "He's walking!" he exclaimed. "Yes, I can see that," I said. "But he's not walking very well, is he?" "That's the point," the man said. "He is a paraplegic!" "Oh, come on," I said. "I can see that he is able to walk a bit, although not very well." "He could not walk at all before." Apparently the paraplegic had been paralyzed from the waist down and used the cane to drag his legs along. It took some convincing for me to finally accept that I had just witnessed a miracle.   Today days later, this man jumped a fence to convince himself that he was really healed. The man, whose name is Peter, later became a Christian (but that is a story in itself) and some months later he visited our Chapter to share his testimony. I witnessed for myself as he jumped up and down that he was fully healed. I also heard how he went back to the hospital to show them what had happened. The surgeon could not believe his eyes and urged Peter to get back in bed in case he did further damage. He even got Peter's x-rays out to show him the clear break in his spine and explained again that there was no known surgery that could mend that break. When Peter left, the surgeon was still in disbelief, even though he'd taken  another x-ray which showed Peter's spine to now be perfect. The nurses were excited for him. His one sorrow was the eyes of the other patients and their unspoken question, "Why not me?" Harvey R. Auckland, New Zealand Source:  Touchbythehandofgod.com

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Healed by the Holy Spirit to Music

My mum was the 2nd eldest of 8 children, who were and still are dedicated to family and church. They weren't all that wealthy, and with only papa working, it was enough for them to live on. Papa was a devoted catholic who married mama, a protestant (congretation christian church of Samoa). Mum and her brothers and sisters were all bought up Protestant. Now whether they came from different religion backgrounds, their faith was grounded in One God, One Jesus.  

A gifted family and so loved, there was soooo much love for music, attending church and youth choirs, during family prayer time, wherever, music and prayer was what kept them going and happy.  
  
One night as they were preparing for bed, prior to prayer being said, mums youngest brother of 6 years, was coughing irritably. He had been sick with the flu for a couple of weeks, but never thought it was this worse. (After several visit to the doctors, they'd confirmed he'd contacted meningitis). He almost woke up the whole village, with his constant cries and cough. 

Early hours of the morning, mama and papa and mum couldn't stand it any longer. After numerous of massaging and herbal medicine, it didn't seem to cool down his sickness, it gradually became worse. Mama felt so hopeless and couldn't think of anything else. Papa, being Catholic, grabbed lil Tu, and could only think of one place, The Sr's of the Poor Mapuifagalele, Vailele, Samoa. Now, since the main hospital was so far in town, and there was hardly any taxi cabs around, they - mama, mum and papa holding lil Tu in his arms - set on foot as quick as they can to the nuns.  

It was about 2 am and upon their arrival, they could see only the light in the sanctuary of the chapel on, and everywhere else was dark and quiet. After several quick knocks, a nun came to the door. She took pity to mama and papa and the little boy they were holding. Lil Tu was seemingly breathless and his eyelids were twittering, his eyes starting to roll upwards. His mouth was open, with bits of white saliva coming out. He was sooo skinny, and looked like he was going to die.  

The nun, didn't hesitate to take them in, she called the other Sisters to bring holy water, something mum used to see papa's sisters use to bless themselves with when they went to church in Vaimoso.  

They laid down Tu on a bed, his body so lifeless, it actually looked like he was going to die. As the nun did the sign of the cross, muttering words (prayer), she sprinkled the Holy Water over Tu. At that moment he was beginning to twitter and wouldn't keep still, the nuns prayers started to be louder. In a few minutes, all was quiet. The nun ended her prayer with the sign of the cross. When her eyes opened, she smiled as she watched Tu sleep peacefully. Mum was still for a moment. She felt something happened. it was a good feeling, so did mama and papa. It felt like, a heavy burden had just been lifted off their shoulders.  

Later on the nun and mums parents chatted for awhile, and stated that lil Tu had a gift, and that he'll one day grow up to be a great musician.  

They left that morning and walked back home... 
  
Now, in his late 40s, uncle Tu is the Director For Music in their Congretation Pentecostal Church in Samoa, America Samoa, USA, New Zealand and Australia. He is a dedicated devout christian to his church through music. His daughters are gifted musicians too, who have already released various albums of Christian music and still continue to make music...
  
If it weren't for the nuns prayers and the healing he received those so many years ago, he'll never be here today. Now although he didn't turn out catholic, mum's the only one of all her sisters and brother to convert to catholic, taking on papa's religion. 

The gift of music continues to flow through our generation as we continue to make music to our Lord :) 

Source: ainglkiss.com

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